The Scene

The Scene is the name of at least four bands; one Dutch, one Canadian, one British and one German, but only the Dutch band ever reached wider fame.

1) The famous Dutch Rockband from Amsterdam called The Scene was formed around singer Thé Lau.

The band was formed in 1979 and had its glory days in the nineties. The band had a great variety of members troughout the years, but the sound remained the same.

Thé Lau's characteristic raw and hoarse voice and his hypnotising compositions are the central point of the band.

At the beginning of 1980, the band is called 'best Dutch band without an album' by magazine OOR.

In may of the same year, the first album is released. All the songs are sung in English save for two tracks with lyrics in Dutch. The album is received well by the magazines, yet was commercially less successful.

It took seven years to make a follow-up (Rij Rij Rij), due to various occasions. The members in 1987 are, next to Thé Lau, Emilie Blom van Assendelft (bass) and Wim Zeeman (drums).

In 1989, the band welcomes two new members: Otto Cooymans (piano) and Eus van Someren (guitar). The single 'Rauw, Hees, Teder' is released.

Wim Zeeman is replaced by Jeroen Booy in january of 1990. The band also singed a record deal with Phonogram.

The results are the singles 'Rigoreus' and 'Iedereen is van de Wereld' and the album 'Blauw', with all-Dutch lyrics. Everybody is very enthusiastic about this album, especially the people in Belgium.

One year later, the band is invited for the international Torhout/Werchter-festival. 'Rij Rij Rij' is released again.

The 1992 album 'Open' receives an Edison, a Dutch music award, followed by the 'Popprijs' in 1993.

In October 1993 the next album is released: 'Avenue de la Scene'. This album is a bit darker than the previous ones, and is a bit of a setback. The three singles get some airplay, but weren't big hits.

In april of 1996, the album 'Arena' is released on the label Island Records. This album is produced by Emile den Tex and tells the story about the battle against the nonchalance of existence. It's one of the best albums recorded bij The Scene.

Otto Cooymans leaves the band in 1997, due to 'artistic disagreements' as he calls it. He is replaced bij Dante Oei, only 20 years old at that time.

'Marlene' is the first album with Dante Oei and is produced bij Thé Lau himself and is released in 1998.

It takes until 2000 before the last album is released. The compilation album 'Rauw, Hees, Teder' contains the hitsingle 'Helden', part of a Dutch commercial. That year, the band receives a gold record (100.000 sold albums) for 'Blauw'.

In 2002, the band can't get to an agreement for a new album, so Thé deceides to make a second solo album. This appears to be the end of this band and in november, Thé tells the press that The Scene is disbanded.

In 2007 the band get together again for a series of concerts (mainly festivals). They release another album, simply called '2007', which contains new version of songs and two brand new songs.

2) There was a UK band by the same name, a mod revival band from Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

The band formed in 1978 with Ian Harding (guitar & vocals), Phill Harding (guitar & keyboards), Dave Green (guitar), Ian James (bass) and George Mazur (drums). They performed all over northern England until they disbanded in 1981. They played a mixture of soul, R&B, 1960s rock & roll and punk rock. They started out performing cover songs, but soon began mainly playing original material. The band released one record — a vinyl 7-inch single with "Hey Girl" on one side and "Reach The Top" on the other — on their own 'Hole in the Wall' record label. Both tracks are now available for free download from the band's website. George Mazur went on to play with The Godfathers. Phill Harding became a composer and sonic artist. Ian Harding went on to play in various bands including Buddy Valentine and the Lonely Hearts, The Muskrats, The Gathering, The Men From The Mountains, TNT, The Doctors of Love, and Johnny 7.

3) The Scene are also a Canadian rock band formed in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada in 2004, by Matthew Crowley (vocals, guitar), Mark Chamberlain (bass guitar), and Jeff Gutteridge (drums). All members share a common interest and inspiration from Britpop bands from the early 90's, and as such, their sound is a combination of powerful guitar rock and beautiful melodies. The Scene have played many festivals in the United States and Canada, including 2 appearances at the North by Northeast festival in Toronto, Ontario, and at the historic CBGB's in September of 2004 with New York based group Hanslick Rebellion. They have released one EP - "The Orange EP" in December of 2005. In 2007 The Scene is one of 10 bands in UBL.com's final of the Ultimate Band of Bands competition.

4) There is also a fourth band from Germany using this name.