Pioneers of Dutch rock were the so-called Indorock bands from the late 1950s, like The Tielman Brothers and the Blue Diamonds.
[1] 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.
With 1960s bands like Golden Earring and Shocking Blue,[2] Vandenberg in the 1980s, and Kane, Di-Rect and Anouk in the 1990s, 2000s The Hague became synonymous for mainstream rock.
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 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).
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.
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.
Current rock acts[4] include Anouk, Voicst, Di-Rect, Kane, Destine, De Staat, Navarone, John Coffey.
At the present, bands like Legion of the Damned, Pyaemia, Maaswater Veenlijk and Severe Torture enjoy a similar status.
Some popular Dutch punk bands that have toured internationally include Antidote, Minny Pops, Bambix, and De Heideroosjes.
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.
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.