10 great Dutch underground bands

The last few years I've seen hundreds of bands, a lot of which were crappy, but some of them are really great. In this post I'll share 10 great Dutch underground bands that deserve more attention. My tastes range from hardcore punk to indie to garage rock, so it's a diverse bunch. I've added links to their MySpaces and websites, and for some of the bands an mp3.

Check them out, and let me know what you think of them.

Indie / Alternative

Hit Me TV
Formerly know as Skip The Rush, these guys recently changed both their name and sound. Danceable, catchy, intelligent indie. Placebo with a dance beat.

Website: www.hitmetv.net
MySpace: www.myspace.com/hitmetv

Paralyzed
Alternative rock with some metal and emo influences. Catchy, good loud-soft dynamics.

Download a song: Paralyzed - What goes for a dream

Website: www.paralyzed.nl
MySpace: www.myspace.com/paralyzedband


Garage punk / Garage rock

Rene SG
Rene SG put the speed in speedrock. They strip down punkrock beyond its essence. Three chords, one yell, 30 seconds, and still catchier than most bands. For fans of Zeke.

Download a song: Rene SG - Piece of Shit
Website: www.renesg.nl
MySpace: www.myspace.com/renesg

Sack-o'-Woes
Some of these guys have been playing punk since I was just 4 years old. Garage punk with an hardcore edge. Great riffs. For fans of the New Bomb Turks.

Download a song: Sack-o'-Woes - Afterlife
Website: www.geocities.com/sackowoes/
MySpace: www.myspace.com/sackowoes

The Prunella Scales
Back from the dead. Recently started again after a 4 year break. No-fi punkrock. If you like the previous two bands, you'll love these guys.

Download a song: The Prunella Scales - Hey Bruce
MySpace: www.myspace.com/theprunellascales

Furio
Speed rock 'n' roll from Amsterdam with ex-members of the Travoltas, House of Destructo and the Tonies. In their newer songs they started adding NWOBHM elements.

Download a song: Furio - Evil is here
Website: www.furiomusic.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/furiomusic

The Quotes
Melodic and catchy garage rock from Rotterdam with (ex)members from The Apers and Wiseguy. For lovers of 60s garage rock.

Website: www.thequotes.org
MySpace: www.myspace.com/wearethequotes


Punk / Hardcore

Malkovich
One of the bigger bands in this list. Hard to pinpoint a genre for these guys. Hardcore/post-hardcore/screamo/noisecore: Extreme is another way to put it. Dissonant, loud, yet swinging and catchy.

Download a song: Malkovich - 039
Website: www.iammalkovich.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/malkovich

Pantherland
Modern hardcore influenced by bands like The Bronx, Suicide File and older Refused. Recently got a new drummer, which is a great improvement. I'm looking forward to the new recordings.

Website: www.pnthrlnd.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/pantherlandband

Left in the Middle
These guys started out as a melodic hardcore punk band, but slowly switched their sound to a more metal/speedrock sound. Great live show.

Download a song: Left in the Middle - Creating More Distance
Website: www.litm.nl
MySpace: www.myspace.com/leftinthemiddlerock


I hope you like at least some of these bands. I'm always searching for new bands, so if anyone's got some good recommendations, let me know!