Archive FM

Dial Nits

Mondriaan Pop

The Nits are turning 50 in 2024. In this third episode, we retrace the first steps of a band that has become professional, sort of. They have a contract with a major company and they record three albums that fit into the musical style of the day.
Broadcast on:
17 Nov 2023

A celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 3

Set the dial back to 1978. There are big changes on the musical horizon: after years of prog rock excesses and ever more elaborate musical adventures, some young people in New York City and in England decide to return tot he roots of rock’n’roll. Bands like the Ramones or the Sex Pistols play fast, short, agressive songs. The new style that went by the name "punk" quickly spawns another one : « new wave » is a mixed bag of very different musical expressions. Bands such as XTC, Squeeze or Talking Heads, singers such as Elvis Costello or Tom Petty – as different as they are, they are all lumped together. This young generation is also heard in the Netherlands, where many bands pick up on this new flavor. One of the Dutch bands: the Nits. They release a trio of albums that qualify as new wave. We revisit these first albums with founding members Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Michiel Peters.

The Nits are turning 50 in 2024. In this third episode, we retrace the first steps of a band that has become professional, sort of. They have a contract with a major company and they record three albums that fit into the musical style of the day.