De Staat (‘The State’) is the most spectacular newcomer Dutch rock had to offer in 2009. Their debut album, Wait For Evolution – which started out as a solo project by singer and songwriter Torre Florim, baffled critics and audiences alike, and the five-piece from Nijmegen performed for sold-out clubs all over Holland. “It’s a dream come true”, says Florim.
Last year, The Staat rocked Noorderslag 2009 in spectacular fashion, garnering rave reviews and generating an avalanche of word-of-mouth support. It lauched the quintet from Nijmegen right to the top of the Dutch rock scene; and turned Staat frontman, singer and principle songwriter Torre Floris into a house-hold name. So it comes as no surprise that ‘the Dutch rockband of last year’ will play Noorderslag again for this year’s edition.
What kind of year was 2009 for De Staat?
Torre Florim: “The weirdest and one of the best years of my life; for all five of us, I suppose. It started at Noorderslag 2009. Life hasn’t been the same since. It has turned us into nomads and I quite like that.”
So what has changed?
“Now my life is centred around making music. Obviously with De Staat, but in collabaration with outside people as well – producing bands, writing songs with different partners.”
You toured the UK in the Fall of 2008, supporting dEUS. How did that come about?
“In 2008, we played the Lowlands festival. I approached [dEUS frontman] Tom Barman and gave him a De Staat button and later on a copy of our album, hoping we could support dEUS at Amsterdam’s Paradiso venue. To our surprise, they asked us to suppport them on dEUS’ UK tour.”
2009 was a very succesful year for the band. How do you follow-up on that?
“We aim to play more abroad. This year we will be playing the Glastonbury festival in Engeland. And we will be working on the second album. We recorded the first one at home. The new album should top that triple time, I’ll produce it myself. I will not use older and unrecorded songs, I’ll write new ones. The new album will be different from the first one.”
The sound of The Staat stands out from most Dutch and continental rock bands. Is that a frequently-heard comment? “It certainly is. People call our album ‘not Dutch’. I don’t know what that means. It’s a compliment, I suppose. It means we found a niche, which is a good thing. ‘Not of this world’ would be even better.”
Where do you find your inspiration for that ‘not Dutch’ sound?
“People call our music stonerrock, which it isn’t. However, I have been drawing inspiration from bands and singers that have created their own niche, like Queens Of The Stone Age, Tom Waits, Howlin’ Wolf and Battles.”
Your expectations for 2010?
“I have no idea. I hope we will be playing festivals all over the world. And I want to find a nice place to work on the second album. That’s my wishlist for now.”
www.destaat.net
www.myspace.com/destaat
