Looking for a New Year’s Eve playlist to see you into 2020? National Pop League 13 from December 2002 is now on Spotify.
Songs missing from Spotify
Song #5: Ballboy – I Hate Scotland
Song #13: Cranebuilders – You’re Song
Category: 2002
On This Day
In 2002: National Pop League 13
December’s end brings the shortest day of the year and the longest ever NPL playlist, topping out at six hours. Pop Leaguers threw shapes until an unprecedented 3am finish. Anyone up for a replay to see out 2019?
Listen to NPL 12
Are you also feeling nostalgic? Close your eyes and take yourself back to November 2002 by listening to the playlist from National Pop League 12.
Songs missing from Spotify
Song #1: Tompaulin – Give Me A Riot In The Summertime
Song #14: Kaito – Sweet Allie
Song #16: The June Brides – Cold
Song #20: Tindersticks – A Marriage Made In Heaven
Song #52: James – What’s The World?
Song #67: My Bloody Valentine – Soon
On This Day
In 2002: National Pop League 12
“I’ve found myself getting nostalgic for past NPLs now, the one last February with the big snowball fight outside at the end, the World Cup one in May the day of the France v Senegal game, even the outrageous heat of August. It’s easier not to say these things and avoid the embarrassment. But the precision of the honesty from everyone is making it all shine. So I’ll go with it.”
John Hunt
NPL 12 Fanzine
November 29, 2002
Listen to NPL 11
The playlist from the first Halloween National Pop League is now online. Take a listen if you dare…
Songs missing from Spotify
Song #9: Shop Assistants – I Don’t Want To Be Friends With You
Song #13: Fire Engines – Candyskin
Song #28: Tindersticks – Can We Start Again?
Song #46: James – Hymn From A Village
Song #24: The Go-Betweens – Hold Your Horses
Song #41: The Mummies – Sooprize Package For Mr. Mineo
On This Day
In 2002: National Pop League 11
NPL celebrates both Halloween and its first anniversary with a spooky playlist featuring such ghastly horrors as witches, ghosts, mummies… and Margaret Thatcher.
Listen to NPL 10
Do You Believe in Magic? Do You Remember the First Time? These timeless musical questions were played back to back at National Pop League 10, and we have two questions of our own in honour of this week’s One Hit Wonder Day. What’s your favourite one-hit wonder—however you define it—played at NPL? The NPL 10 playlist, now available to stream on Spotify, features a few contenders. Can you name them?
Songs missing from Spotify
Song #3: 14 Iced Bears – Shy Like You
Song #5: Beachbuggy – Kickin’ Back
Song #14: Ten Benson – The Claw
Song #20: Ballboy – I’ve Got Pictures Of You In Your Underwear
Song #21: All Girl Summer Fun Band – Later Operator
Song #29: My Bloody Valentine – Thorn
Song #43: The Gentle Waves – Weathershow
Song #68: Happy Mondays – WFL
On This Day
In 2002: National Pop League 10
More punk! Less rock! Blow your Bazooka and recall the tenth edition of NPL.
Listen To NPL 9
Be a dork, tell your friends you love them, listen to the NPL9 playlist.
Songs missing from Spotify
Song #8: The Siddeleys – You Get What You Deserve
Song #25: Tompaulin – It’s A Girl’s World
Song #26: Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Young Girls And Happy Endings
Song #46: The Fall – C.R.E.E.P.
Song #59: The Go-Betweens – Lee Remick
Song #65: My Bloody Valentine – You Made Me Realise
On This Day
In 2002: National Pop League 9
This month’s NPL anniversary offers up another playlist mystery: I’m a Dork by Bikini Kill.
There is no trace of a BK tune by that name. However, the legendary Bikini Kill #2 ’zine from 1991—famous for the first use of the phrase ‘girl power’—also featured some deep thoughts on dorky cool. A Riot Grrrl manifesto flyer created by Kathleen Hanna also urged us to embrace our inner dork.
If any of our sharp followers have another lead on this riddle, please share!
The National Pop League Archive 
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