BLØF

The Dutch rock band BLØF came together in 1992, built around bassist Peter Slager, guitarist Paskal Jakobsen, keyboardist Bas Kennis, and drummer Henk Tjoonk. Their debut performance took place in 1993, and the following year the quartet entered the studio to cut its first album, Naakt Onder de Hemel. Issued in 1995, the self-produced and self-promoted release scored both regional commercial success and strong critical notice, prompting a distribution agreement with EMI.

Recording for the group’s sophomore effort, Helder, commenced in January 1997. Around the same time BLØF secured high-profile management and signed a comprehensive recording contract with EMI. Drummer Chris Götte came aboard after founding member Henk Tjoonk stepped away. A live album, XXL, appeared in 1998 alongside a series of charting singles; by 1999 the band was filling venues on a consistent basis. Its third studio album, Boven, arrived later that year. In 2000 BLØF received the Edison Award for Best Dutch Group and performed at the Sydney Olympics.

Both hardship and continued momentum marked 2001 for BLØF. Drummer Chris Götte perished in a motorcycle accident; Norman Bonink took his place, and the group pressed forward. A live release, Oog in Oog, honored the late percussionist, after which the musicians began work on their next studio album, Blauwe Ruis, early in 2002. Over the ensuing years the quartet collected additional awards and headlined progressively larger concerts. In 2005 the band issued a greatest-hits collection titled Het Eind Van Het Begin.

BLØF marked its achievements in 2006 with Umoja, an album whose tracks were captured across every inhabited continent with local musicians that included Eliades Ochoa, Femi Kuti, and Counting Crows. The project climbed straight to number one in the Netherlands. Subsequent touring, further live recordings, and a soundtrack occupied the next several seasons.

In 2008 the band relocated to Ireland for an extensive recording project that yielded material for two albums named after their release months: October, issued in the fall of 2008, and April, which followed in the spring of 2009. Both topped the Dutch charts. The more rock-focused Alles Blijft Anders surfaced in the spring of 2011, also reaching number one and remaining inside the Top 100 for more than a year. Even the 2012 compilation Hier: Het Beste Van 20 Jaar BLØF entered at number one, and in 2013 the group released the live album De Toegift. The studio set In Het Midden Van Alles, which appeared in May 2014, held the top position for multiple weeks and stayed on the charts throughout the remainder of the year.