Mainstream Pioneers of Dutch rock were the so-called
Indorock bands from the late 1950s, like
The Tielman Brothers and the
Blue Diamonds. They played rock guitar instrumental music at a time when white Dutch musicians did not perform rock 'n' roll. They stemmed from the
Indo community in The Hague, which was also the center of the succeeding genre in the mid-1960s,
Nederbeat, when Dutch musicians formed bands influenced by British beat groups and rock music. It earned the city the title of
Beatstad ('Beat city') in later years. With 1960s bands like
Golden Earring and
Shocking Blue,
Vandenberg in the 1980s, and
Kane,
Di-Rect and
Anouk in the 1990s, 2000s The Hague became synonymous for mainstream rock. More progressive music emerged in the 1960s in Amsterdam. In 1964 (see
1964 in music),
The Outsiders were the first Dutch
psychedelic rock band to become successful. Well known was the 'Haagse Scene' - many of the popular bands of the 1960s came from
The Hague, such as
Shocking Blue, which topped the US charts in 1970 with
Venus,
Golden Earring,
Q65,
The Motions and
Earth & Fire ("Seasons", 1970). Shocking Blue released "Never Marry a Railroad Man" (1970) and "Inkpot"(1972). Other representatives from this period include
the Cats,
Tee Set,
Bintangs,
Sandy Coast,
Cuby & the Blizzards and
Brainbox.
George Baker Selection acquired international fame with the songs "
Little Green Bag" (1969), and "
Una Paloma Blanca" (1975). From the late 1960s the post war generation gained political influence. Many state subsidised rock venues opened all over the country. These clubs, like
Amsterdam's Paradiso and
Melkweg, were stepping stones for many
alternative rock bands on their first European tour and the Dutch crowd stayed well informed about new British and American acts. In the 1970s some artists stood out.
Mouth and MacNeal had a hit "
How Do You Do" (1972) in the US chart.
Herman Brood became the ultimate Rock 'n Roll icon. He even scored a hit in the US with "Saturday Night". He became the epitome of the "rock'n'roll junkie" he sang about. As an artist he was in the media until his suicide in 2001. Other bands from the 1970s include
Supersister,
Gruppo Sportivo,
Massada,
Vitesse,
Solution,
the Nits,
Kayak,
Focus (who had a hit, "
Hocus Pocus" in 1973) and
Golden Earring with their biggest hit, "
Radar Love" (1974), which hit the Top 10 in the US. The late 1970s and early 1980s gave many one hit wonders and some bands that lasted longer. Female bands
Luv' and
Dolly Dots but also disco bands
Spargo and
Time Bandits were the most successful. Together with
Golden Earring, which scored some of their biggest hits with "
Twilight Zone" (1983) and "
When the Lady Smiles" (1984).
The Nits developed a large audience outside the Netherlands, including in
Finland,
Switzerland,
Germany,
France,
Belgium,
Greece and
Canada and in 1989 were the first Dutch band to play in the (then still)
Soviet Union.
Urban Dance Squad was a cross-over band, combining hip-hop with funk and rock. The band's minor American success proved to be influential. Their music style (
rapcore) influenced bands like
Rage Against the Machine.
Van Halen was created by
Edward Van Halen who is of Dutch heritage. Dutch bands in the 2000s are
Intwine,
Kane,
The Sheer,
Krezip,
Di-rect,
Heidevolk and
Johan. Current rock acts include
Anouk, Voicst,
Di-Rect,
Kane,
Destine,
De Staat,
Navarone,
John Coffey.
Metal The Netherlands are also known for
symphonic metal bands such as
Within Temptation,
The Gathering,
After Forever,
Delain and
Epica. They became successful in the late 1990s and in the beginning of the new millennium. Similarly, in the last decade of the previous century a more extreme variety of metal,
death metal, have had some success. Bands like
Gorefest,
Pestilence,
Asphyx and
Sinister were well-known both in and outside Europe. At the present, bands like
Legion of the Damned,
Pyaemia, Maaswater Veenlijk and
Severe Torture enjoy a similar status. In the 1980s
Vandenberg was internationally successful.
Punk As a result of U.K. and U.S. bands touring the Netherlands, punk exploded as a cultural phenomenon in 1977. The credit for being the first Dutch punk band is given sometimes to
Ivy Green (formed in Hazerswoude-Dorp in 1975), to the Flyin’ Spiderz (formed in Eindhoven in 1976), or to Blitzkrieg (formed in Utrecht in 1976, and who quickly changed their name to The Duds). These bands had already formed at the point that punk "reached" the Netherlands, but they all quickly began performing and producing records in the punk style. Dutch punk evolved with a combination of U.K., U.S., European, and global punk influences. The early Dutch punk bands wrote songs with English lyrics. Although today some bands use lyrics in Dutch, many Dutch punk bands continue to write English lyrics and tour internationally. The Netherlands has a lively punk scene that includes many different styles including
hardcore,
ultra,
crust punk, pop punk, fun punk, skate punk, emocore, and melodic hardcore. Some popular Dutch punk bands that have toured internationally include
Antidote,
Minny Pops,
Bambix,
Backfire!, and
De Heideroosjes.
Boerenrock Some bands create a kind of rock music sometimes called "" ('farmers rock'). These bands mix rock and pop music with regional influences, sometimes sung in the regional dialect, and lyrics influenced by life in rural areas. Examples include
BZB (Band Zonder Banaan) and
WC Experience from
North Brabant,
Normaal and
Jovink en de Voederbietels from
Gelderland,
Rowwen Hèze and
Neet Oét Lottum from
Limburg,
Mooi Wark from
Drenthe and
Jitiizer from
Friesland. Musically, the music played by such bands can be described as a rowdy, straightforward style of rock music, inspired by bands such as
ZZ Top,
Motörhead,
AC/DC and
CCR. At other times, influences from pop music and folk music (for instance the case with Rowwen Hèze) can be heard. Not rarely, these bands display a lot of humorous elements in their repertoire, lyrics and live performances. An example is the repertoire of the WC Experience, which contains cover songs from bands such as
Queen,
Guns N' Roses and
Madness, only the lyrics are replaced by different, rather silly lyrics in their own dialect. Also, the name of 'Band Zonder Banaan' means "Band without a Banana", and is a humorous play on the name of a famous Dutch pop-band,
BZN (Band Zonder Naam, or 'Band Without a Name'). The name "Jovink en de Voederbietels" is a contraction of the names of the two founding band members (Hendrik Jan Lovink en Gijs Jolink), and "voederbietel" is a Dutch word for a food
trough on a farm. Boerenrock bands tend to perform at local festivities and concerts in big tents in rural areas, rather than in concert halls in bigger cities. An event where a lot of Boerenrock music can be heard, and a famous event amongst Boerenrock bands and fans, is the yearly
Zwarte Cross ('Black Motocross') which is organized by members of 'Jovink en de Voederbietels'. The event is a mixture of several motocross related activities and a rock festival.
Indie rock The
indie music scene in the
Netherlands is mainly active in the four biggest cities
Amsterdam,
The Hague,
Rotterdam and
Utrecht as well as the northern cities
Groningen and
Leeuwarden. Following below a brief overview of bands, organisations, venues, festivals that create and are connected to the Dutch scene. In the 1990s indie rock band
Bettie Serveert was formed and independent record label
Excelsior Recordings released albums of Dutch
indie rock bands like
Caesar,
Ghost Trucker,
Alamo Race Track,
Johan,
Spinvis,
Gem,
Bauer,
Daryll-Ann,
zZz,
Cloudmachine and many others. After 2000 Voicst was formed and became popular after a beer commercial hit single for
Heineken. After leaving
Zoppo and forming
Avec-A musician
Yuri Landman received international attention as an experimental
luthier for famous
experimental rock bands. Dutch
noise rock acts are
The Ex,
Gone Bald,
The Moi Non Plus,
Adept,
Bonne Aparte,
Feverdream.
Post rock:
We vs Death,
Electropunk:
Aux Raus.
Indie rock scene by city •
Amsterdam: Bands like
Claw Boys Claw,
The Ex,
Bettie Serveert,
Gone Bald,
Caesar,
Ghost Trucker,
Zoppo, Voicst,
zZz, experimental instrument builder
Yuri Landman. A cross media platform called
Subbacultcha! hosts nights in venues where many international touring avant garde rockbands like
Health,
Enon,
Miracle Fortress,
Mahjongg,
These Are Powers,
Pre perform as well as local indie and noise rock acts like
The Moi Non Plus,
Bonne Aparte,
Adept, Hospital Bombers,
Pfaff. Subbacultcha! also publishes a musical magazine with interviews with the touring bands. It also promotes Dutch bands at foreign festivals such as
SxSW and
Popkomm in Berlin Venues that regularly showcase indie rock acts (local and touring bands):
Paradiso,
Melkweg,
OCCII,
De Nieuwe Anita,
OT301,
Bitterzoet,
Studio K. •
Eindhoven: Music venue the
Effenaar, bands:
Stuurbaard Bakkebaard,
Beukorkest,
Peter Pan Speedrock •
Groningen: Music venues in Groningen are and . Label
Subroutine Records. Yearly a prominent indie rock showcase festival called
Eurosonic takes place in Groningen. Venue
Vera has a long tradition as a prominent underground spot and desired place for touring indie bands to play. Bands:
Vox Von Braun •
Haarlem: Bands:
the Sheer,
Cloudmachine, venue: The
Patronaat has two stages and a bar that occasionally also hosts live music. •
The Hague: A yearly festival
State-X New Forms happens in
Paard van Troje. Bands
Fine Chine Superbone,
Jobkiss. •
Leeuwarden:
Suicidal Birds,
Adept,
Bonne Aparte and
Academy for Pop Culture. Venues: Romeijn and Asteriks •
Nijmegen:
The Legendary Pink Dots is an
experimental rock band with a long tradition and connection with Nijmegen since they are based there since the mid 1980s.
Valkhof Festival (formerly known as
Festival de Affaire) is a yearly festival featuring a line-up filled with international and national indie rock acts. Venues in Nijmegen are
Doornroosje,
Merleyn,
De Onderbroek, and
Extrapool. •
Rotterdam: Bands like
Feverdream,
Oil,
Elle Bandita,
Eklin,
Rats on Rafts,
Death Letters,
Neon Rainbows,
Bismuth. Since 1990 the
Metropolis Pop Festival takes place yearly in July. In the years 2005-2011 the city struggled with venues for pop music. Many of the venues suffered severe financial problems. This resulted in the disappearance of the major music venues
Nighttown and
WATT and smaller stages such as
Waterfront,
Exit, and
Heidegger. Currently the city has a few venues for
pop music like
Rotown,
Poortgebouw. The venue
WORM and
Roodkapje both focus on
experimental music and related
cutting edge subcultural music. •
Utrecht: Bands and artists like
Eefje de Visser,
Gem,
Spinvis,
We vs Death,
John Coffey, Mister and Mississippi, NORDEN, The Brahms, Falco Benz,
Aafke Romeijn,
Eins, Zwei Orchestra, and independent record label Beep! Beep! Back Up the Truck. Venues:
Tivoli,
Tivoli De Helling,
EKKO,
ACU,
Kargadoor,
DBs. A yearly November festival called
Le Guess Who? takes place in Utrecht. ==See also==