How two Bradford friends created hip-hop group Normanton Street

Meeting on Canterbury Avenue, Ned Archibong and Nicholson Davids forged a bond on football and rap music with their families even relocating to the same street more than once.

"We both loved football, we were always in the same vicinity. Our parents knew each other. I don't know if they planned it but we ended up living on the same street in Shipley," Ned explained.

When Ned and Nicholson reached their teenage years - living between Frizinghall and Shipley - the pair discovered their love of performing live music through the Nigerian Friendship Society, a community group still alive in the city today.

Together they grew up making music in various formats and line ups, creating their own label, QM Records, and jamming at local bars after moving to Brighton.

But Normanton Street - famous for tunes like Take A Walk With Me and Take Time - wasn't born until they stumbled across singer Phoebe Freya, who was working on the bar down at The Mesmerist.

Ned, who spoke to Phoebe Freya after the gig, explained: "She said, 'You guys were a cool band. I'd like to play with you guys'."

Phoebe Freya is described as a "kindred spirit in a weird way" as the trio immediately worked together on a Lauryn Hill cover.

"It was really natural. It's always been like that. She's like a kindred spirit in a weird way."

Explaining his youth in Bradford, Ned said: "For me and Nick it's had a massive influence with us growing up in Bradford. When you live in Bradford, you don't realise not everywhere is as multicultural and things like that are very influential on our sound. It's an underdog city.

"I did get inspiration from my time growing up in Bradford.

"We've got a small cult following and that's what we're going to build on going forwards."

Now, seven years since its creation, the band had more than 80,000 listeners on Spotify from 78 countries around the globe in 2019.

It's been a whirlwind few years for Normanton Street - named after the road in Brighton where the trio moved in together - with festivals, European tours as well as Phoebe Freya welcoming a new baby into the world.

In summer 2016, they were selected as The Independent’s ‘New Music of the Week’, attracting worldwide attention from various booking agents and venues over in New York, America.

Ned told the Telegraph & Argus: "At the time it really helped us. We were getting a lot of press."

For 2020, the group is preparing to release a new single, EP and a collaboration with Bradford Youth Orchestra.