Punk around the world: Holland

ALM. When and how did the Punk scene start in the Nederlands: the first bands, the first important concerts or festival with local or foreign bands, etc. 

Peter. The first punk bands in Holland were Ivy Green, The Flyin’ Spiderz, Panic and The Suzannes. Some of them already existed as garage or pub rock bands and turned to punk around ’76-’77. A big event was when the Sex Pistols, Heartbreakers and Vibrators played in Amsterdam in January 1977. The big punk year in Holland was 1978, when a lot of early singles were released. 

ALM. The media impact, prohibitions, scandals, provocation, etc. 

P. Not much to speak of. The usual individual provocation. 

ALM. Second Wave or other sub- genres or styles: hard core, Oi, after punk, psychobilly, etc. 

P. Holland had a big and well-known hardcore scene around the years 1982-1988. Some bands of note were Pandemonium, Lärm, Gepopel and probably most of all BGK. Other subgenres have never been big here.

ALM. Labels, fanzines, music radio shows, legendary concert venues, etc. 

P. The big punk (later hardcore) fanzine was Koekrant, later Nieuwe Koekrand. A lot of the early punk action took place at Paradiso in Amsterdam. In the hardcore era lots of venues popped up all around the country, like Babylon in Hengelo and De Buse in Steenwijk (these are very rural places but the venues were well-known and international touring bands played there). In the Amsterdam area two places called EMMA were also important. Later on punk bands would play anywhere. 

ALM. Relation with other tribes (mods, rockers, gothics, heavies, etc), if there was violence or good relations, etc. 

P. In the past Dutch punks had confrontations with “disco’s” and skinheads. Outside of that there is little to say. 

ALM. Drugs, police repression, nazi violence… and most notable deaths and their cause (AIDS, overdose, car crash, assassination, etc). 

P. Cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam had big drug problems and the punk scene was no exception during the 80s. Compared to some other countries Dutch police are quite mellow. A well-known person in the early punk scene called Dr. RAT (Ivar Vics) died of an overdose in 1981, but he was mainly a graffiti artist. 

ALM. Girls on the scene, sexuality and homosexuality. 

P. There were some notable all-girl bands in the early days like Nixe and Nog Watt but as in other countries women were a minority. However, feminism has always been a factor within punk. Holland is very tolerant towards homosexuality. 

ALM. Politics of punk or activism in punk: anarcho punks, squatting, red skins, etc. 

P. Punk politics in Holland usually means squatting, especially during the 1980s. 

ALM. Punk nowadays: if the scene is bigger or less, if it is more active, commercial, etc. 

P. I think everywhere around the world the punk scene is bigger NOW, but is even less visible and more turned inwards. There are countless hardcore bands, often with overlapping band members, playing shows and releasing records. This will of course never change. Punk will never be DEAD, but how will it re-invent itself again and again? 

ALM. Ten indispensable records (any format) from the 80’s, ten more from the 90’s until nowadays, and a list of the 10 most essential songs of punk in Nederlands. 

80’s: 

- Rondos: Red Attack LP (1980). 

- Miranda’s: For Promotion Only EP (1981). 

- De Straks: Vrij Onverteerd EP (1981). 

- BGK: Jonestown Aloha LP (1983). 

- Various: Als Je Haar Maar Goed Zit 1 & 2 (1982, 1983). 

- Jezus & The Gospelfuckers/Agent Orange: split LP (material from 1982-1983). 

- Frites Modern: Veel, Vet, Goor En Duur LP (1984). 

- Lärm/Stanx: Split LP (1984). 

- Pandemonium: Wir Fahren Ins Grüne EP (1985). 

- Gepopel: Paracide EP (1985). 

90’s- now: 

- Manliftingbanner: CD (1995 compilation, material from ’91-’92). 

- Seein Red: Trefwoord Punk EP (1996). 

- Seein Red: This CD Kills Fascists CD (compilation). 

- Happily Depressed: CD (1996). 

- Various: Maximaal Onthaal CD (2002.) 

- MilkMan: Is This Punk Enough For You? LP (2002). 

- Zachte G Harde P: LP (2013.) 

- Schelles: LP (2013.) 

- Orde Primates: O.P. Je Plaat EP (2013). 

- Uncontrollable Urgh: LP (2013). 

10 essential NEDERPUNK songs: 

- Pandemonium: Wir Fahren Gegen Nazis. 

- Ivy Green: Sex On The Radio. 

- Suzannes: Teenage Abortion. 

- Rondos: A Black And White Statement. 

- The Rapers: Hang The Pope. 

- BGK: Isolatiefolter. 

- Lärm: No One Can Be That Dumb. 

- Gepopel: Ze Komen Ook Bij Jou. 

- Zachte G Harde P: Krom. 

- Seein Red: Punk Is VerZ.

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