The Amsterdams are a Romanian indie rock band formed in Bucharest in 2005. Their current line-up consists of Andrei Hațegan (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ovidiu Bejan (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Andrei Ungureanu (lead guitar), Dragoș Crifca (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Gabriel Ciocan (drums and percussion).
The band has toured in the UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic and India and has opened for bands like The Cranberries, Wolf Parade, Nazareth, Roxette and Handsome Furs.
As of January 2017, The Amsterdams have released four studio albums, an EP and eleven videos. Their second studio album, Electromagnetica, was mastered by Harris Newman (also known for his work with Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire) and features Dan Boeckner, who plays guitar on "This Burial Ground's For Two".
History
Formation and early years (2005-2007) The Amsterdams were formed at the beginning of 2005 by Andrei Hațegan and Andrei Ungureanu, following an advertisement posted by Hațegan. Both musicians were big fans of the British alternative scene, listening to bands like Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, Travis, Oasis and The Stone Roses. Shortly after, they were joined by the bass guitarist Dan Olaru and the drummer Vlad Stoica. The name of the band was especially chosen to express the idea of artistic freedom, or, as Andrei Hațegan puts it:
The band played its first gig in 2006, in Big Mamou Club, Bucharest. That summer, Stoica and Olaru left The Amsterdams due to musical divergences, and formed a new band, called The Guillotines. Olaru was replaced by Augustin Nicolae, and shortly after the band was joined by the guitarist Ovidiu Bejan. During the following months, The Amsterdams struggled hard to find a new drummer, working with no less than thirteen people; eventually, they chose Alex Ghiță.
In 2007, the band recorded two songs, "Taking Care Of Anna" and "Fireworks". "Taking Care Of Anna" was played on a local radio station, 89FM, while "Fireworks" was included on a compilation called The Next Dog Desert Island Selection, produced by Roadrunner Music. Later that year, The Amsterdams were invited to play at the third edition of UnderLondon2 Festival, in Bucharest. They were also part of the line-up for Stufstock 5 Festival, which had The Dandy Warhols as headliners. Their performance impressed the American band and led Courtney Taylor-Taylor to dedicate to them the song "Country Leaver", calling them "the best Romanian band".
In autumn the line-up changed. Ghiță left the band, and was later replaced by Paul Ballo (Go to Berlin).
Automatic (2008-2009)
On May 28, in Fire Club, the band released their first studio material, an EP called Automatic with four songs. They also released their first video, for the song "Petrolize All Mice".
Following this release, The Amsterdams played at the Europa Vox Festival, in France and then went to London for a gig in the Dublin Castle Club. The EP was promoted in the United Kingdom, gaining some favorable reviews. "Suffering And Surfing" and "Petrolize All Mice" were played on several minor radio stations, like Cambridge University Radio and at BBC6 Music.
In summer 2008, the band was invited to several festivals, such as Peninsula, B'Estfest and Stufstock, this time on the main stage, with Apocalyptica and Air Traffic. Meanwhile, Stoica rejoined the band, replacing Ballo.
At the end of February 2009, the band opened the series of live concerts broadcast on MTV Romania's official website, a project destined to promote local alternative music. In April, The Amsterdams performed an unplugged gig at the local radio station ProFM, including some songs from their first album. The radio station subsequently invited them to play during its sixteenth anniversary.
Adolessons (2009-2010)
On May 22, 2009, The Amsterdams released their first studio album, called Adolessons. The release gig took place at The Silver Church Club in Bucharest, with Doru Trăscău (AB4, The Mono Jacks), Dan Olaru and Alex Ghiță (Rain District) as guests. The band performed the new songs from the album and some old songs.
The album was produced, distributed and edited by the band, under their own label, Post Pop Records. It was recorded at the Studio ISV, mixed by Alex Dragomir at Raza Studio and mastered by Christian Mike Sugar at CSM-Lab Bucharest. Andrei Hațegan explained the title in an interview: