CBS BIOGRAPHY

the situation of the Dutch popmusic looks promising again lately: groups can perform on a regular base and there’s a lot of attention for the flourishing ‘Nederpop’.

A group that’s certainly part of this draft of new bands is The Nits. Although the band exists for a number of years, and has an LP and a single out , they have had quite some publicity because of the Eleven-city tour they made with The Tapes.

Last year, the group signed with CBS.

Henk Hofstede, keyboards, guitar and vocals: Alex Roelofs, bass and vocals, Rob Kloet, drums and vocals and Michiel Peters, guitar and vocals (to be correctly, Paul Telman is also part of the group because his contribution as engineer and treasurer is indispensable) have been together in this line up since 1974.

The band derived from a band named MIDAS, in which Henk and Michiel played. They have known each other since 1968 and wanted, after a few amateurish attempts, to escape from Amsterdam and play more often in other parts of the country.

This was no more than an attempt because Midas existed only from the summer of 72 till may 73. Michiel ended up with a steelband and Henk started to write and record his own songs and had vague future plans. They remained in contact though.

At the end of 74 there was nothing in the way of the formation of The Nits and Alex (that they got to learn at the Rietveld art academy) and Rob (that played with Michiel in an obscure band named ACCL) joined the band.

In october 75 The Nits played at a group demonstration at the Paradiso where they could play because of a casette tape with their music, that the promotors had heard and which inmediately drew their attention.

However, it took till 77 for the band to get a record contract.