Artist Name

Fungus

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Album Releases view

Lief ende leid (1975)

Members
8 Male

Popularity
9

Followers
309

Origin
Vlaardingen

Genre
Folk

Style
Folk

Mood
---

Active
1972 to 1979

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Artist Biography
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Fungus: The First Folk Rock Band from the Netherlands

Fungus was the first folk rock band from the Netherlands. The band was founded in 1972 and disbanded in 1979. They are best known for their hit with the sea shanty "Kaap'ren varen" (Sailing to Raid).

History

Fungus was formed in Vlaardingen in 1972 by Fred Piek and Bob Dekenga, and was later joined by Kees Maat. In 1973, Sido Martens and Koos Pakvis joined the band while Dekenga left. Initially, the group played Anglo-Saxon folk, but after Piek delved into the field recordings of folklorist Ate Doornbosch, compiler of the NOS radio program Onder de Groene Linde, they released their first album in 1974. This album featured both English and Dutch traditional music, including the hit single "Kaap'ren varen".

Fungus's approach, with electric amplification and sharp guitar solos, was criticized by folk purists. However, the band themselves never claimed to make folk music, but rather saw themselves as a pop band. In 1974, the highly sought-after session drummer Louis Debij joined the group, and Dekenga returned to replace Maat, before leaving the band again in 1976. Martens left the band in 1975 and was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Rens van der Zalm (later known for his work with Wolverlei).

The second (1975) and third (1976) albums of Fungus featured exclusively Dutch traditional music, while the fourth album (1977) focused solely on British traditional music. After Debij left Fungus in 1978, only Piek, Pakvis, and Van der Zalm remained, and by the end of that year, they decided to disband the group. In 1979, they released a sixth album that included both English and Dutch traditional music.

Fred Piek went on to form The Amazing Stroopwafels with Wim Kerkhof. Both Pakvis and Van der Zalm occasionally contributed to The Amazing Stroopwafels' studio albums. In 1984, Fungus reunited for a one-time concert, and in 2000, a compilation album was released on two CDs. In a new lineup, Fungus performed several concerts again, with original members Fred Piek, Sido Martens, and Louis Debij.

Lineup

The main members of the group were:

Fred Piek - vocals and guitar (1972-1979)
Bob Dekenga - accordion, electric keyboards (1972-1973/1974-1976)
Kees Maat - keyboards and vocals (1972-1974)
Koos Pakvis - bass guitar (1973-1979)
Sido Martens - guitar, mandolin, and vocals (1973-1975)
Louis Debij - drums (1974-1978)
Rens van der Zalm - violin, guitar, mandolin, bagpipes, vocals (1975-1979)
Arie van der Graaf - electric guitar (1977)


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Last Edit by ComBron
13th Feb 2025

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