Dutch rock is a form of rock music produced in the Netherlands, primarily in the English language as well as in Dutch.
History
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 instrumentals when most of the Dutch youth had hardly heard of rock 'n' roll. They stemmed from the Indo community in The Hague and were pivotal in earning that 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. Shocking Blue released "Never Marry a Railroad Man" (1970) and "Inkpot"(1972).
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). Other representatives from this period: 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: Gruppo Sportivo, Massada, Vitesse, Solution, the Nits, Focus whose "Hocus Pocus" (1973) was a hit and still Golden Earring with their greatest hit ever: "Radar Love" (1974), which was in 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. However, bands like Supersister and Kayak (who had a hit with "Ruthless Queen") were already internationally successful in the 1970s.
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.