Bløf

Agents After All

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Summary

Biography

Dutch-language group that becomes very successful in the late 90's.
Full biography

Members

Norman Bonink   drums
Paskal Jakobsen   gitaar, zang
Bas Kennis   toetsinstrumenten, zang
Peter Slager   basgitaar, zang

Former members

Henk Tjoonk   drums
Chris Götte   drums

News archive

Marco Borsato meest gedraaid in 2010 (7/18/11) 
Facebookspelletje leidt tot echt album (1/12/11) 
Facebookspelletje leidt tot echt album (1/12/11) 
Borsato meest gedraaide artiest in 2008 (7/6/09) 
Drie 3FM Awards voor Ilse DeLange (4/24/09) 
6de albumnummer 1-hit voor Bløf (4/15/09) 
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Concerts & Festivals

by Podiuminfo / Festivalinfo

2/9/12, Tivoli, Utrecht
2/11/12, IJsselhallen, Zwolle
4/7/12, Paaspop Den Hout, Den Hout
6/29/12, Concert at Sea, Brouwersdam, Nederland
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Biography

Dutch-language group that becomes very successful in the late 90's.

1992

Bløf is formed by bassist Peter Slager and drummer Henk Tjoonk.

The Scene

1993

The group plays its first gig.

1994

The group records its debut album Naakt Onder De Hemel ('Naked Under The Sky').

Wolfclan Sister

1995

The self-released (EMI-distributed) Naakt Onder De Hemel comes out and is welcomed upon enthusiastically.

1996

The single Aan De Kust ('On The Coast') becomes a local anthem.

1997

Bløf begins sessions for second album Helder ('Clear'). The albums Helder and Zeven Nachten ('Seven Nights') fail to impress. The band is on the verge of breaking up, but they decide to give it one more go. Drummer Henk Tjoonk is replaced by Chris Götte.

Hans Bunt

1998

The group's perseverance pays off: the ballade Liefs Uit Londen (Love From London') becomes a hit. Also the next two (live) singles Aan De Kust 'On The Coast') and Wat Zou Je Doen ('What Would You Do') top the charts. Helder goes platinum.

1999

The group receives several awards and the successful album Boven ('Above') is released. The single Harder Dan Ik Hebben Kan ('Harder Than I Can Take') hits the charts. June sees the publication of a book about the band called Rijden Door De Nacht ('Driving Through The Night').

2 Unlimited Doe Maar Ruth Jacott

2000

Bløf receives a Gouden Notenkraker ('Golden Nutcracker') Award and an Edison Music Award for Best Dutch Act. The single Dansen Aan Zee ('Dancing By The Sea) is a hit. The album Watermakers goes platinum in its first week and Boven goes double platinum. In November singer Jakobsen collapses during a show because of exhaustion.

Fernando Lameirinhas Gerard Cox

2001

Bløf receives an Edison Music Award for the album Watermakers in the category Best Group National. Then tragedy hits the band when drummer Chris Götte dies in a motor accident in March. In June the album Oog In Oog ('Eye In Eye') comes out. Bløf recrutes a new drummer, Norman Bonink, and goes into the studio to record the album Blauwe Ruis ('Blue Noise').

Frank Boeijen

2002

Blauwe Ruis shoots straight to the number one spot of the Top 100 album chart. The single Meer Van Jou ('More Of You') is released. The four albums Naakt Onder De Hemel, Helder, Boven and Watermakers are re-released as a boxset in November.

Metropole Orkest

2003

Bløf receives both a Gouden 'Gold' Harp music award and an Edison Music Award. On June 3 and 4 Bløf presents new album Omarm ('Embrace') in Vredenburg in Utrecht. After the first show the band receives two gold discs: One for Omarm and one for the DVD Tussen Nacht En Morgen ('Between Night And Morning'). The single Misschien Niet De Eeuwigheid ('Maybe Not Eternity') also contains a cover of Ramses Shaffy's Zing, Vecht, Huil, Bid, Lach, Werk En Bewonder ('Sing, Fight, Cry, Pray, Smile, Work and Admire'). In October Bløf travels to Kenia for Foster Parents Netherlands.

Ramses Shaffy

2004

At the Noorderslag festival Bløf is awarded the Pop Prize 2003, acknowledging the band's achievements in the previous year. The second track on the single Hart Tegen Hart ('Heart Against Heart') is Nishike, an acoustic version of Bløf 's classic Omarm ('Embrace'), translated into Swahili and sung by Harry Kymani. It is recorded in Nairobi in October 2003. The band is on a musical trip around the world, featuring live concerts in (Dutch colony) Curaçao and Cuba (where they cut a duet with Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club). Bløf travels to the US to record a session with Counting Crows. The single Holiday In Spain, a duet with Counting Crows, sung partly in English and in Dutch, reaches the top slot in the charts in June. Again the band wins an Edison award for Best Dutch Band (March 23). Bløf plays at Rock in Rio, the biggest festival in the world, in Lisbon, Portugal (May 28-June 6). In the same city the band records a track with fado songstress Cristina Branco. The DVD Bløf Live 2004 is a live registration of its shows at the Rotterdam Ahoy' arena on February 3 and 4. In October Bløf and the Metropole Orkest ('Metropolis Orchestra') play seven concerts in theatres across the country. Staged in conjunction with AC formatted Radio 2, the shows are meant as a follow-up to a previous collaboration between the band and orchestra in 2002. Apart from old songs the band will play tracks of Omarm in new arrangements. The compilation Het Eind Van Het Begin ('The End Of The Beginning) is released. The special editions of the album feature B-sides and special recordings like the new track Zwart Water ('Black Water') and live tracks with Heather Nova, Herbert Grönemeyer, Cristina Branco and Thé Lau.

2005

Along with DJ Tiësto, Di-rect, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Acda & De Munnik, Dinand Woesthoff, Berget Lewis and Xander de Buisonjé, Bløf plays on the benefit for the Tsunami victims in Asia on January 6 on the Dam square in Amsterdam. Early February sees the release of Het Eind Van Het Begin on a Music Memory Card. Bløf is the first Dutch band to release a Music Memory Card. You can listen to the music on the card on mobile phones, mp3 players and PDA's (personal digital assistants). On February 14 Bløf and Counting Crows win the public's choice award at the Edison music festival for best single with Holiday in Spain. Paskal Jakobsen can be heard on the album Even Stil ('Quite Please') by Brainpower. In the Pickering House studio in Ireland Bløf cuts a track with the Pogues banjo- and mandolin player Terry Woods. In India the band plays with tabla player Rafiuddin Sabri, on the Japanese Sado island with its famous Kodo drummers, in Australia with didgeridoo player Mark Atkins, in Turkey with multi-instrumentalist Faruk, in Argentina with tango orchestra and in Bhutan with ethnomusicologist Jigme Drukpa. With a film crew the band visits a hospital in St. Petersburg for a report on a needle exchange project against AIDS.

Brainpower

2006

The title of new CD/DVD Umoja means 'Unity' in Swahili. It's a report on Bløf's musical trips around the world in recent times. First single is Aanzoek Zonder Ringen ('Proposal Without Rings') in February. The single enjoys a number one entry in both the Mega Top 100 Singles plus the Top 40. Later in the year the track Hemingway is released as a single. In May Umoja is double platinum acknowledging sales in excess of 140.000 copies. On March 19 the band receives a 3FM music award in the category Best Band. Important (festival) shows for Bløf include Pinkpop and Concert At Sea. On September 9 Bløf plays its 1000th show in Spaarnwoude. On September 29 members of Bløf open Amsterdam-based fair trade-restaurant Umoja. The concept is fully based on the same-named album.

2007

Keyboardist Bas Kennis contributes to VanVelzen's debut album Unwind van, both as producer and as guest musician. On April 15 Bløf wins four 3FM Awards: Best band, Best Pop Artist, Best Album (Umoja) and Best Singer (Paskal Jakobsen). After the sold-out theatre tour Bløf starts a short spring tour. On June 30 the band plays on the second edition of Concert At SEA at the Brouwersdam in the band's home area Zeeland. Bløf writes the theme song to the Dutch romantic comedy Alles Is Liefde ('All Is Love') [October] directed by Joram Lürsen.

VanVelzen

2008

Bløf records a new album in studio Pickering House in Celbridge in Ireland. On 15 March Bløf plays a one off gig at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam with 15 musicians from percussion group Kodo from the Japanese island Sado. Between April and July the band plays six shows in Groningen, Eindhoven, Apeldoorn, Utrecht, Alkmaar and Arnhem. Inspired by three young Tibetan nuns living in exile Peter Slager and Bas Kennis and Anneke van Giersbergen (Agua de Annique), Loten Namling, Bart van der Weide (Racoon), JW Roy, Dennis van Leeuwen (Kane), Jeroen Goossens (JW Roy) and composer Gerard van Maasakkers, record the single Als Je Ooit Nog Eens Terug Kan ('If You Could Ever Go Back'). All proceeds go to the three nuns. Bløf wins the Millennium Development Goals Award at the Festival Mundial. Paskal Jakobsen sings a song on the album Memorias De Cuba by Carel Kraayenhof. The single Oktober enters the charts at number 1. It is the band's fourth number 1 hit in the Single Top 100. The album Oktober is an acoustic record. Belgian singer Sarah Bettens sings on several songs on the album. Frank van der Meijden stops as the band's manager. He does stay involved with the band as their advisor.

Agua de Annique Carel Kraayenhof Gerard van Maasakkers JW Roy Kane Racoon

2009

Bløf wins an Edison Pop Award in the category Best Group. The album April is the concluding part of an acoustic diptych which opened in 2008 with the album Oktober. Whereas Oktober featured a dark, sombre mood, April is much more lighthearted and with a feeling of spring in the air. The CD goes straight to the top of the Album Top 100. On 26 and 27 June Bløf organizes the fourth edition of Concert At Sea. The following acts are on the bill: Marco Borsato, Golden Earring, VanVelzen, Racoon, Bertolf and Ilse DeLange. Traditionally, Bløf is the closing act. The band writes the title track for Dutch film De Storm, about the flood disaster that hit the Netherlands in 1953. In August the band travels to the Japanese island Sado to perform at Kodo's (the Japanese percussion group) Earth Celebration Festival. Back in the Netherlands Bløf prepares for the shows on 3 and 4 December at the Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam.

2010

10 Jaar In Het Theater ('10 Years In The Theatre') features a selection of hits of Bløf's theatre shows of the past ten years. At the start of the theatre tour the album Live In Het Nieuwe Luxor ('Live At The New Luxor') is released. Initially, the twelve track CD is only available during the band's theatre shows in April 2009. The fifth edition of Bløf's two-day festival Concert At Sea takes place on 25 and 26 June.

Discography

In the discography you will find all recordings that have been released listed chronologically. We restrict ourselves to the title, the type of audio, year of publication or recording, label, list of guest musicians, plus any comments on the issue.

Photos

Audio/Video

Video

Het begin

Voorbeelden

De eerste plaat

Radio 3FM

De comeback

Het creative proces

De druk

Chris

Blauwe Ruis

Complete Interview

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