I was born in Wormer, a small village north of Amsterdam, where my father worked at Van Gelder Papierfabrieken (a paper factory). This place has always been special to me for two reasons: one of the best Dutch bands, The Ex, is from Wormer, and their frontman Terrie still lives in the formerly squatted director’s villa of Van Gelder. In the ’80s, Eton Crop regularly played with The Ex, and we still see each other at various occassions. It springs to mind that our love for the classics of Chic was a bit too much for the Ex in those days :-)
One of my favorite albums (singles box really) by The Ex is Dignity of Labour, when G.W. Sok was still doing the vocals, because it tells the story of Van Gelder Papierfabrieken and the now defunct Wormer paper industry. It was even recorded in the remains of the factory.
Overall, I admire The Ex because they’ve always reinvented themselves musically. This is partly due to new, fresh musicians alongside long-time member Terrie, but also because of their influences from jazz and African music. After a few years of hiatus, the band started performing again with mostly new material, and the reviews have been raving.