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Claw Boys Claw are a
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
band, formed in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. The core members of the band are Peter te Bos (vocals) and John Cameron (guitar). After some years of inactivity, the band started playing live again in 2007. Claw Boys Claw never attained much commercial success, and a venture into the American market was unsuccessful.


Beginnings

Claw Boys Claw was founded in 1983 by guitarist Allard Jolles, at the time guitarist and singer of L'Attentat, though he played drums in his newly founded band. The original four members were Jolles, Peter Te Bos, John Cameron, and bassist Bobbie Rossini. Their "garage rock," as the Dutch termed it (a
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
mixture of
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
and
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
), quickly gained popularity, and in 1984 the band releases their first album, ''Shocking Shades Of Claw Boys Claw'', containing among others a cover of the song "
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
" by
Shocking Blue Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band formed in The Hague in 1967. They were part of the Nederbeat movement in the Netherlands. The band had a string of hit songs during the Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture movement of the 1960s and e ...
. The album was recorded in three hours and cost 500
guilders Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...
(some $250 at the time), money the band had won in a talent show. While not a commercial success at the time, the album (which was reissued in 2008) was later called one of the best records in the history of Dutch pop music by ''
Trouw ''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). '' ...
''. Jolles leaves the band in May 1985 to focus on L'Attentat, and is replaced by Marius Schrader. The singles "So Mean" and "Indian Wallpaper" were successful in the
underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * Buenos Aires Underground, a rapid transit system * London Underground, a rapid transit system * ...
scene, but the 1986 album ''With Love From The Boys'', released by
Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
, broke through to a broader audience, selling 8000 copies. That year the band played at
Pinkpop Pinkpop is an annual music festival held in Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. Starting in ...
festival in the Netherlands, and under the pseudonym "The Hipcats" opened up for
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a Rock music, rock band formed in Melbourne in 1983 by lead vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throug ...
, playing mainly cover songs. They even released a
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
single, "Blue Bells." In 1987 Claw Boys Claw played at the
Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...
and released their third full-length album, ''Crack My Nut'', their last on Polydor. There was disagreement between the band and their label: Peter Te Bos, in an interview with the leading Dutch music magazine, ''
Muziekkrant OOR ''Oor'' is the oldest currently published music magazine in the Netherlands, founded in 1971. ' is the Dutch word for ear. Until 1984, it was published as '. History The magazine was first published on 1 April 1971 as ''Muziekkrant Oor'', being ...
'', complained that they received no support from their label and that their records were not promoted at all. The band received the prestigious BV Popprijs from the
Christian-Democrat Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well a ...
minister of culture
Elco Brinkman Leendert Cornelis "Elco" Brinkman (born 5 February 1948) is a retired Dutch politician and businessman who served as List of Ministers of Health of the Netherlands, Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture from 1982 to 1989 and Leader of the Chr ...
, and Te Bos caused a stir by kissing the amazed Brinkman as he handed Te Bos the award; five years later the photograph was on the cover of André Nuchelman's study of the difficult relations between the Dutch government and popular music, ''"Dit gebonk dient tot het laatste toe te worden bestreden": Popmuziek en overheidsbeleid 1975–2001''. Hoping to reach a larger audience, the band performed at the New Music Seminar in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
in 1988, but success in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
never came about. They met with
John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...
, who was interested in producing the band's next album. Despite having built a great reputation as live-artists, the band were dropped by Polydor because of disappointing sales. The band subsequently released the album ''Hitkillers'' on the Megadisc label, an album consisting of
Nederpop Nederpop () or Dutch pop music is pop music made by Netherlands, Dutch bands and artists. The name is a play on the country's name in Dutch ''(Nederland)''. An English translation could be ''Netherpop''. Nederpop is a Dutch language, Dutch term ...
covers. In February 1989, Rossini and Schrader left the band and were replaced by Marc Lamb en Arno Kooy from The Agentz. Despite trouble with personnel and disappointing commercial success, the band's reputation seemed solid, and they were called one of the most prominent bands of the 1980s.


Middle years

The Claw Boys Claw attempted a more accessible sound on ''Angelbite'' (1990). Rumors of a cooperation with John Cale had persisted, but ''Angelbite'' is produced by Steve Parker (who had worked with British band The Fall and Dutch singer
Mathilde Santing Mathilde Santing (born Mathilde Eleveld, 24 October 1958) is a Dutch singer. Santing was born in Amstelveen, Netherlands. She started receiving national attention in 1981 after she appeared in a Dutch television program called ''Sonja Op Maandag ...
), and recorded at ICP studios in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. They played
Parkpop Parkpop festival was a free music festival held annually on the last Sunday of June in the city of The Hague, Netherlands. It was first held in 1981 and was attended by 35,000 visitors. Parkpop held the title for the largest free pop festival in ...
in 1991, and Kooy was replaced by Geert de Groot (formerly of the Fatal Flowers). The Dutch press considered ''$uga ' (1992) a highpoint for the band, and it established a style the band will follow on every album after, a circuitous and melodic "brooding swamp rock" The album was recorded at Orkater studios in Amsterdam and produced by Magic Stick (Michel Schoots, of the
Urban Dance Squad Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch rap rock band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht on December 20, 1986. The band consisted of a guitarist, bassist, drummer, rapper, and DJ. Urban Dance Squa ...
). The ballad "Rosie" was the band's first single to score in the
Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...
, and the song is still their best-known. In 1993 they played Pinkpop again and opened for U2 three nights in a row in the Kuip, the largest crowd the band had ever played for, but after 1994's ''Nipple'', recorded in the band's own studio and produced by Luc Suèr, the band lost momentum. Te Bos returned to his old profession,
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
; the band released one more CD, ''Will-o-the-Wisp'' (recorded in Smecky Barrandov Studio in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, and produced by Henk Jonkers and Frank van der Weij), and played one more memorable show: in 1998, they played in Paradiso in Amsterdam, performing covers of
Iggy and the Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...
as part of the "Marlboro Flashback" series, which even gave the Claw Boys Claw the rare opportunity for a TV-special. The band stopped performing around 2000.


Rebirth, 25th anniversary

In the spring of 2006 the Claw Boys Claw were working on a new album and wanted to start touring again. According to Te Bos, he and Cameron had written some seventy songs since 2002, some of which were released in February 2008 on ''Pajama Day'', on the Belgian label Play It Again Sam. The album was welcomed by Dutch critics, who hailed their lyrical maturity, honesty, and musical ability. Most critics noted that the Claw Boys Claw had dialed down the volume, but still praised the album—Belgian weekly ''HUMO'' said that the album contained the most exciting rock songs they had heard in years and gave it four out of five stars, and while the reviewer from ''De Recensent'' found only three worthwhile songs on the CD, the Dutch paper ''
De Volkskrant ''De Volkskrant'' (; ), stylized as de Volkskrant, is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium- ...
'' thought it a brooding and dark album containing "beautiful secrets." Dutch music magazine ''
Muziekkrant OOR ''Oor'' is the oldest currently published music magazine in the Netherlands, founded in 1971. ' is the Dutch word for ear. Until 1984, it was published as '. History The magazine was first published on 1 April 1971 as ''Muziekkrant Oor'', being ...
'' concurred, calling the album "swamp rock" full of tension, and "a record to take to bed." Starting on November 16, 2007, the group played live shows again with a new line-up. online music magazine ''LiveXS'' calling their performance at the January 2008 Noorderslag festival in
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
"legendary." The "country's most legendary live band" played their first radio show in a decade in January 2008, for
VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for ''Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep'', lit. 'Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcaster', nowadays known as ''Omroepvereniging VPRO'') is a Netherlands, Dutch Public broadcasting, public broadca ...
's
3VOOR12 ''3voor12'' () is a multimedia platform for alternative pop music of the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO. ''3voor12'' had 2 digital television channels (a clip-channel and a concert-channel), different radio channels (ranging from punk and al ...
. They continued to play all around the country, in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
on the night before the
Koninginnedag () or King's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 27 April (26 April if the 27th is a Sunday), the date marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander. When the Dutch monarch is female, the holiday is know ...
celebrations, for instance. Their most visible show in 2008 was probably at
Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...
(alongside, for instance, the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
), a festival for which Te Bos also designed the logo and all other objects, even the gate to the festival grounds. The band's dynamic live performances were honored with the 2008 "Iron Stage Beast", the VNPF LiveXS Award for best show; ''LiveXS'' called the band "better than ever" in a review of a show in the
Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a music venue and cultural center on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is housed in a former dairy and includes four music halls as well as a cinema, a restaurant and an exhibitio ...
in December 2008. In honor of their 25th anniversary, on June 2, 2008, HipCat/PIAS Benelux released ''Shocking Shades Of Claw Boys Claw'' on CD, remastered with five additional tracks. Also reissued were ''$uga ', with two additional tracks, ''Nipple'', with three additional tracks, and ''Will-O-The-Wisp'', with five additional tracks, all by EMI/Msi Music/Super D. The band continued to tour and played a festival in
Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
around
Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
2009. A new album, ''Hammer'', was released March 1, 2013.


Members


Current members

* Peter te Bos - vocals (1983-now) * John Cameron - guitar (1983-now)


Past members

* Allard Jolles - drums (1983–1985) * Bobbie Rossini - bass (1983–1989) * Marius Schrader - drums (1985–1989) * Arno Kooy - bass (1989–1991) * Geert de Groot - bass (1991-ca. 2000) * Marc Lamb - Drums (1989-2010)


Touring musicians

* Jeroen Kleijn - drums (2012-now) * Marcus Bruystens - bass (2007-now)


Discography


Albums

* '' Shocking Shades of Claw Boys Claw'' ( LP, Hipcat, 1984; LP,
Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
, 1987; CD, Hipcat/PIAS 2008) * ''Now!'' (live EP, 1985) * '' With Love From The Boys'' (LP, Polydor, 1986) * '' Claw Boys Claw 3 in 1'' (compilation; LP, Polydor, 1987) * '' Crack My Nut'' (LP/CD, Polydor, 1987) * ''Hitkillers'' (LP, Megadisc, 1988) * '' Hitkillers/The Beast Of Claw Boys Claw'' (compilation; CD, Megadisc, 1988) * '' Angelbite'' (LP/CD, Solid, 1990) * '' $uga(r)'' (CD,
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
, 1992) * ''
Nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in lactating females, breast milk, milk from the mammary gland leaves the body through the lactiferous ducts to Breastfeeding, nurse an infant. The milk can flow th ...
'' (CD, EMI, 1994) * ''
Will-O-The-Wisp In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ; ), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The phenomenon is known in the United Kingdom by a variety of names, including jack-o'- ...
'' (CD, EMI, 1997) * '' Pajama Day'' (CD, PIAS, 2008) * ''Hammer'' (CD, PIAS, 2013) * ''It's not me, The horse is not me - Part 1'' (CD/LP, 2018) *''Kite'' (LP/CD,
Excelsior Recordings Excelsior Recordings is an independent record label located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The label has over 400 releases. History Excelsior was founded by Ferry Roseboom and Frans Hagenaars under the name "Nothing Sucks Like Electrolux", releasi ...
, 2021)


References


External links


Official Claw Boys Claw websiteClaw Boys Claw illustrated discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claw Boys Claw Culture of the Netherlands Musical groups from Amsterdam Dutch rock music groups