Heideroosjes, were a Dutchpunk rock band from Horst aan de Maas. The band were known for their energetic shows and songs with lyrics mostly in Dutch and English, and a few songs in German and Limburgs. The band, formed in 1989, consisted of Marco Roelofs, Frank Kleuskens, Fred Houben and Igor Hobus. This lineup never changed. Heideroosjes played nearly 1500 shows in Europe, United States, Japan and South Africa. The band's name is a Dutch colloquial name for a little wild plant which grows in open fields. Literally translated it means "heath roses" and was chosen for its ironic contrast with the many punk band names that reflect dark or violent themes.
History
1989–1999
After releasing two albums on their self-founded label Fairytale Records Heideroosjes got its nationwide breakthrough in 1995 by opening the prestigious Pinkpop festival in The Netherlands. In 1998 the band signed a worldwide record deal with the world's biggest punk label Epitaph records, based in Hollywood. In 1999, the band made its first TV appearance in the United States when talkshow host Jerry Springer played some live footage of their song "Jerry Rules In The Land Of The Free". In this song, taken from their album SCHIZO, Heideroosjes voiced their opinion on TV shows like The Jerry Springer Show. Heideroosjes toured Europe with familiar bands like The Offspring, Pennywise, The Misfits, Bad Religion and Less Than Jake.
2000–2010
In 2004, the Heideroosjes tour bus was involved in a serious accident. Three roadies were wounded, and one roadie was seriously injured. The band cancelled their tour but continued a few weeks later. Later that year, Heideroosjes received the Dutch Edison award for their single "Damclub Hooligan". In March 2004 the band appeared for the first time live in the US when they played at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. A raving review in The Austin Chronicle said "Now that was a lesson in rock 'n roll. They blew the other bands right of the front door". In November and December 2005 Heideroosjes did an Ode to the Ramones tour in the Netherlands and Belgium, during this tour they only played covers from their heroes: The Ramones. In 2006, Heideroosjes made international news by making a song with the mayor of Maastricht, Gerd Leers. In this song called "Dope man" they mock the Dutch soft drug policy, which in their eyes is hypocritical. A few weeks later the Dutch minister of Justice, Piet Hein Donner, recorded a rap song with rapper Meester G responding to 'Dope man' by defending his soft drug policy. Later that year Heideroosjes record their eighth album with Los Angeles-based producer Cameron Webb who worked with bands like Motörhead, Ignite, Social Distortion and Silverstein. Motörhead singer Lemmy features on the song "My Funeral". Even as Ignite leadsinger Zoli Teglas who sings in the song "Forgotten Continent". After years of touring the world including Japan, South Africa, and former Yugoslavia, Heideroosjes started a new phase in their career. In 2008 the band did a 100 shows counting comedy tour called "Manie Manie". In this show the music seemed less important and there was more focus on stories, acting and comedy. According to the band "they wanted to try something different. Just because the combination of punk and theater is such a contrast." In 2009 Heideroosjes celebrated 20 years touring with no line-up changes; the anniversary was marked by a double-album and an extensive tour through Europe. After a 'sabbatical year' in 2010 the band returned to touring and announced a new album for 2011. In September of that year Heideroosjes announced that the new studio albumCease-Fire would be their last one. "After this album and the tour, we're gonna quit" the band said. The main reason for the split, according to the band members, was "We still love to play and being on stage. But we are fed up with all the business that comes along with being in a professional band. We had a great time and traveled all over the world. We lived our dreams. And we believe it's better to burn out than to fade away". The farewell tour contained shows at the Lowlands Festival and the Sziget Festival in Hungary. At the end of September 2012 Heideroosjes waved a final goodbye with two sold-out shows in Holland and two sold-out shows in Belgium.
2019
In 2019, the Heideroosjes played 5 shows as support for the German band Wizo and scheduled several other concerts and shows on festivals in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
