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left: Taimane
top: The Nomads (live), I Muvrini
bottom: Jill Barber (live), Crash Test Dummies
Hoi ,

Zo'n breed palet aan muziek, wat is de gemeenschappelijke factor? Alle artisten hebben iets te melden, zijn bijzonder, voegen iets toe!

Hier de november selectie van bijzondere buitenlandse artiesten die voor festivals beschikbaar zijn.
Een overzicht van al onze bands kun je op onze website vinden.

Paperclip Agency is officieel partner in de Keychange campagne, voor een betere gender-balans op podia.

We geven graag meer informatie, als je nog vragen hebt.
De rest van deze mailing is in het Engels.


Vriendelijke groet,

Paperclip Agency
van den Havestraat 6 A, 6521 JS  Nijmegen, the Netherlands
T +31 24 323 9322
Website, Facebook, LinkedIn
participant in Keychange
talent buyer for Conincx Pop Festival

 

NEWS

Taimane's live debut in the Netherlands
In June 2025, Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso and composer Taimane will play her first three shows in the Netherlands. Barefoot on stage, ukulele in her hand and with a smile radiating the warmth of the Aloha spirit, she transforms every concert into a magical and unforgettable experience. She merges a wide array of genres, from Bach to rock, flamenco infernos to tribal hymns. With the ukulele often seen as restricted, she is summoning a seemingly limitless palette of emotions. In 2019 and 2023 Taimane won the "Favorite Entertainer of the Year" award at the prestigious Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards. See below for dates.

Russian protest group Pussy Riot will be back in June with their breath-taking performance Riot Days
End of June, the Russian protest group Pussy Riot will be back to confront all of us with their breath-taking performance Riot Days. This performance is a combination of live concert, electronic music, projections and theater. It shows the history of the protest group Pussy Riot, and their devotion to the Ukrainian people.

Canadian singer-songwriter Jill Barber scores high on Spotify
The Canadian singer-songwriter Jill Barber released her album "ENCORE!" in June, full with covers of French chansons. Her warm, smooth voice gives the songs an extra depth. On Spotify she has more than 1,7 million listeners per month. Early March she will come to Europe to enchant us with her voice. She will be available for festivals too.

Sachal Vasandani releases new single
On September 24, Sachal Vasandani released a new single from his upcoming album "Best Life Now".
On the song "Right On Time" he is joined by critically acclaimed vocalist Gretchen Parlato on this slow-burn duet. As the second single from his upcoming album "Best Life Now", the song is sexy and full of longing. It hints at the depths of the forthcoming album, delivered by a true jazz artist who is adept at making a wide variety of influences serve his masterful storytelling. 

Alex Henry Foster comes back to the Netherlands
In July, Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows played at Conincx Pop Festival in the south of the Netherlands. It was an amazing show! In October '25 the new album will be released, in fall '25 the Canadian band will be back for shows.

Elisapie released new video
Almost a year after the release of her album "Inuktitut", Elisapie is back with "Quviasukkuvit (If It Makes You Happy)", a reinterpretation of the popular song by Sheryl Crow. The song by Sheryl Crow took over the radio waves in Nunavik/Canada, when the Inuk artist Elisapie lived there as a teenager. She translated the song into her mother tongue, produced by her close collaborator Joe Grass. After winning the JUNO Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year with Inuktitut in March 2024, Elisapie is now in the running for the Polaris Prize, which will be awarded at a gala at Massey Hall in Toronto on September 17.

Afrika Bambaataa exonerated - first accuser takes back claims
The first accuser of Afrika Bambaataa takes back claims that he was sexually assaulted by Bambaataa, seemingly decades ago.
Ronald 'Bee-Stinger' Savage also says "Bambaataa is not a pedophile".
The two recently reunited in a 'healing' moment, as AllHipHop (click to read more) reports.
None of the other couple of accusers, who came forward not long after Ronald Savage did so in 2016, has so far filed charges at all, or has done so successfully.
Savage came out with his accusations shortly before he released a book written by himself.
After the accusations, both Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation's names were damaged tremendously.
We at Paperclip Agency heard about the accusations in 2017, and seriously considered removing Afrika Bambaataa from our roster.
But first we investigated quite a bit.
We do strongly believe in the principle 'innocent until proven guilty'. We also have often seen that in HipHop, heterosexuality and toxic masculinity are often too dominant.
We also listened to John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, who had worked with Bambaataa before, and said in 2017 on the accusations against Bambaataa: "it’s not anything that would occur to me as being a possibility. I’ve been around child molesters all my life [in Catholic churches]. I think I could have smelled one. A man is innocent until proven otherwise. There it stands.” Lydon was banned by the BBC in 1978 when he 'smelled a rat' with regards to massive and predatory sex offender and child molester, as well as BBC-star, Jimmy Savile, who was only exposed as such àfter his death in 2011 due to cover ups within the BBC.
Ruza 'Kool Lady' Blue, who worked with Bambaataa and other hiphop-artists for decades since the '70s, also saw no merit in the 2016-accusations against Bambaataa.

Remembering Keith LeBlanc
In April, Keith LeBlanc passed away after a long period of illness, at the age of 69.
It has taken me (Rob Berends) months to finally admit that this means it's time to get over it, and also to remove Tackhead from my roster.
Keith was one of the kindest musicians I have ever worked with.
It was a pleasure working with Keith as a drummer for Mark Stewart & the Maffia, Tackhead, and Little Axe.
Before that, Keith was studio musician for the Sugar Hill Gang and later also at the Tommy Boy Studios.
In 1991, I booked a European tour for Keith's own project, entitled 'A Night Of Interference' (with Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald, Tim Simenon and Kenji Jamma (both from Bomb the Bass), Adrian Sherwood a.o.). 1994 saw the tour 'Another Night Of Interference' (with Doug, Skip, and Adrian again, plus Melle Mel and Afrika Islam).
One of the best drummers and one of the best smiles is no more.

 

THOUGHTS WE SHARE

Rob Berends writes:
Myth around Paperclip Agency

Lately a persistent myth crops up again, online.
The myth says that Ruud Berends is co-founder of Paperclip Agency.
To set the record straight: he is not.
He joined quite soon after I started the operation in the second half of 1981 (now just over 43 years ago). Our dad stimulated the both of us to join forces.
A little later the company grew from two agents/bookers to three, and in 1989 to five.
My first band was Siglo XX from Belgium. When Ruud joined, they were still our only band.
Not that long ago, Siglo XX members confirmed that they first worked with just me, and were happy later on to see Ruud join.
The band is still befriended with both of us.
I know, the live-music-biz is full of myths, but the facts and the truth do matter, even if the myth is persistent.
Ruud has achieved so many things in his live-music-career that he deserves credit for, also during his more than 18 active years at Paperclip Agency until summer 2000 (when he took a year off, before leaving the company in 2001), that the myth can easily be adjusted.

Hilde Spille writes:
Exchange
All relationships are a matter of exchange, of give and take. If it's expected to work, there has to be a balance between both, in business as well as in personal life. Talking about personal life, Rob and I are together as a couple for more than 32 years. Our business relation started 29 years ago when I stepped in at Paperclip Agency. It both works, because we have a balance in giving and taking. Rob takes care of the financial administration, I make the newsletters, website etc. At home, we cook in turns, same for doing the dishes.
In some relationships the balance is gone, like when A wants to take something that B does not want to give, or is not able to give. It gets really annoying, if A starts to complain about it. Isn't this similar to the UK, that is now complaining that the EU does not want to cooperate in making it easier for UK artists to enter the EU? It's like blaming the EU for Brexit! The UK idea to make it easier for UK artists, is simply not compatible with EU laws. Something the UK, as ex-EU member, should know.
I think it could all be solved by a more equal exchange, where there is a balance in taking and giving. Often it starts with giving something that the other party desires, before you can ask for something in return. Some call this a more 'diplomatic' approach, it might be a more successful approach for the UK.
In personal life it can be much easier. When you start by giving the other person a smile or a compliment, the return is immediate. Most likely you will get a smile back, maybe even a nice conversation. Everyone cheers up. Maybe that's the secret in personal relationships :-)
 

ARTISTS AVAILABLE FOR FESTIVALS

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10cc (GBR)
website, facebook1, facebook2
Legendary band with ultra-high quality pop/rock songs that reached the charts many times.
Merely reading the titles should bring the songs to your mind: Dreadlock Holiday, I’m Not In Love, The Wall Street Shuffle, The Things We Do For Love, Rubber Bullets, I’m Mandy Fly Me, etcetera.
Check the recent documentary ‘I’m Not In Love – The Story of 10cc’ here.
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)      
 
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10cc's Graham Gouldman & Heart Full of Songs (GBR)
website, facebook, wiki
10cc co-founder and current band-leader Graham Gouldman, together with three seasoned other musicians, presents the songs that he wrote or co-wrote during his long career as a songwriter. The shows are intimate and semi-acoustic, with lots of stories about the songs and about Graham’s career. Not only 10cc-songs are presented, but also songs such as “For Your Love” (The Yardbirds), “Bus Stop” (The Hollies), and “No Milk Today” (Herman’s Hermits) that are Gouldman compositions, as well as songs from Gouldman’s recent solo-albums such as “Love and Work”, “Modesty Forbids”, and his brand-new solo-album "I Have Notes" (Lojinx-import).
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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22-Pistepirkko (FIN)
website, wiki, youtube, spotify, bandcamp, soundcloud, instagram
Maybe the best pop group from Finland ever, 22-Pistepirkko are back after an hiatus of 7 years!
The band formed in 1980 in a rural village in the north of Finland, and later moved to Helsinki.
The first new single Snake Charmer / Kind Hearts Have a Run Run was released on the very appropriate date 22022022, and is 'the real thing'.
New studio album "Kids Hearts Have a run Run" out now! (Universal).
Bookings for The Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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24-7 Spyz (USA)
wiki, facebook, bandcamp
The Heavy Metal Soul pioneers from the South Bronx are about to rock the world again in 2023 with the release of their seventh studio-album “The Soundtrack To The Innermost Galaxy”. Their energetic shows have always rocked the crowds, while at the same time the band does not shun experiment and cross-over.
New album “The Soundtrack To The Innermost Galaxy” out soon! (The Gumbo Recording Company-Cargo).
Bookings for all of Europe (by Rob)
 
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Afrika Bambaataa (USA)
facebook, instagram, zulunation, wiki
Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is known as the “Grandfather” and “Godfather” and The Amen Ra of Universal Hip Hop Culture as well as The Father of The Electro Funk Sound.
(Tommy Boy Records)
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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Antilopen Gang (DEU)
website, facebook, instagram, youtube, soundcloud
Antilopen Gang (Koljah, Danger Dan, Panik Panzer) produce original hip hop, with lots of energy and fun, with real instruments, with humor, with love, but also with a strong stance against the extremist middle class and right-wingers, against homophobia, and against self-complacency.
Their current album is called ‘Abbruch Abbruch’.
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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Jill Barber (CAN)
website, facebook, instagram, bandcamp
Songs of romance and nostalgia, embracing Stax rhythms and a Philly soul backbeat to go along with Jill’s warm sultry vocals.
After first listen, what sets Jill Barber apart is her distinctive voice. But it's her ability to write an immediately memorable song that has made her one of Canada's most recognizable artists. Jill Barber has become renowned for writing songs that evoke feelings of a bygone era.
Current album “Homemaker”, new album "ENCORE!" with French chansons due June 2024! (Outside Music-V2)
Bookings for all of Europe (by Hilde)

2025:

Sun. Mar. 02 - FRA - Sarzeau - Espace Culturel l'Hermine
Mon. Mar. 03 - EUR
Tue. Mar. 04 - DEU - Düsseldorf - Zakk
Wed. Mar. 05 - NLD - t.b.a. (t.b.c.)
Thu. Mar. 06 - DEU - Heidelberg - Karlstorbahnhof
Fri. Mar. 07 - DEU - München - Ampere
Sat. Mar. 08 - EUR
Sun. Mar. 09 - EUR
 
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Bulgarian Voices Angelite - former Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (BGR)
website, facebook
The sensational success of this choir started in 1987 under the name "Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares". The choir had switch to the name "The Bulgarian Voices Angelité" and has released more than 13 albums. After more than 15 years of absence they are back!
Current album "Heritage" (Jaro Medien - Music&Words).
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)

2025:

November - NLD
 
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Crash Test Dummies (CAN)
website, facebook, instagram, youtube
More than 25 years ago, these Canadians published their album "God Shuffled His Feet". It was their most successful album, with 45 weeks in the Dutch top 100 album charts, and made it to no. 6! Their hit song "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" has been watched more than 11 million times, another memorable song of them is "Superman's Song".
Album: “God Shuffled His Feet” (BMG/Arista).
Bookings in the Netherlands (by Hilde)
 
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Dub Pistols (GBR)
website, facebook, instagram, soundcloud, youtube
‘A perfect mix of dub, big beat and triphop’.
The last few years revered as one of the UK's best live acts!
Two singles/videos from the album: "Cool Out Soon" (remixes) and "Stand Together".
2023 saw the release of the 9th studio album "Frontline". Check the single "Nice Up".
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)

2025:

Thu. Nov. 06 - Sat. Nov. 22 - NLD
 
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Elisapie (CAN)
website, facebook, instagram, bandcamp
Canadese Inuk singer-songwriter with a strong bond to her language Inuktitut, musical it’s a combination of indie and folk, of tradition and modernity.
New album “Inuktitut” out now! (Bonsound)
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)
 
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Eljuri (USA)
website, facebook, instagram, soundcloud, youtube
Cecilia Vilar Eljuri is a multi-award winning artist, born in Ecuador and based in New York. She is one of the top Latina guitar players of the world, an even better guitar player than Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix, according to some! She usually performs her engaged, activist songs of rock, pop, latin and reggae as a power trio.
Current album "Reflexión" (Manovill Records)
Booking for the Netherlands (by Hilde)
 
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Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows (CAN)
website, facebook, instagram, spotify, youtube
Alex Henry Foster is musician, producer and composer who advocates human rights. With his band The Long Shadows he creates an intense, raw post-rock experience on stage.
Before covid, they played in front of a packed house at the Montréal jazz festival.
Current album "The Power of the Heart" (Sony)
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)

2025:

End of June until end of August - NLD

October / November - NLD
 
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Hardwicke Circus (GBR)
website, facebook, instagram
This fresh 5-piece from Carlisle, in the far North-West of England, delivers an exhilarating sound that mixes blues-rock with sometimes punky rock'n'roll, reminiscent of The Rolling Stones, The Boomtown Rats, Tom Petty, or Graham Parker. Still, they sound very much present-day, with a clear social agenda.
Hardwicke Circus has played a lot of shows in the U.K. and Ireland already, including some of the major U.K.-festivals, and several shows in London. The future looks bright now that the band has been picked up by manager Dave Robinson (formerly Stiff Records, Island Records).
Debut album "The Borderland" out now! (Alternative Facts Records-import).
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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Hazmat Modine (USA)
website, facebook, youtube
The band distills American music into an essence from its myriad forms: Blues, Country, R & B, Rock-n-Roll, Jazz, Gospel, World Music - yet it adds to this mixture something raw and mysterious that feels at once familiar and new.
Current album "Bonfire" (Jaro Medien-Music&Words), new album due spring 2025!
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)

2025:

Fri. May 16 - Tue. June 10 - NLD

Fri. Aug. 01 - Sun. Aug. 17 - NLD
 
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Huun Huur Tu (RUS)
website, facebook, soundcloud, youtube, wiki
Tuvan throat singers. The music is based on native Tuvan folk traditions in instruments and singing. In recent years western instruments like guitar and electronics are added.
This tour will be opened by a brand new film about the Tuva region, based on the book “Terra Incognita Tuva”.
Current album “Live at Triskel” (Jaro Medien-Music&Word).
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)

2025:

May - NLD
 
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I Muvrini (FRA)
website, facebook, Dutch website
Corsican singer-songwriters since 30 years, combination of traditional polyphony with pop.
The live shows of I Muvrini are known for the engagement of the group for tolerance among humans. The song texts also speak about a great respect for nature.
New album "Più Forti" out now!
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)

2025:

Thu. Feb. 20 - NLD - Heerlen - Parkstad Limburg Theaters
Fri. Feb. 21 - NLD - Tilburg - Theaters Tilburg
Sat. Feb. 22 - NLD - Leeuwarden - De Harmonie
Sun. Feb. 23 - NLD - Hoofddorp - C.
 
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Jan James (USA)
website, facebook, instagram, bandcamp
Jan is a blues-rock artist through and through, with a very warm voice. Live she's accompanied by guitar player Craig Calvert or by a whole band. Jan and Craig developed a musical chemistry that has evolved into a big sound and feel that is colored with blues, soul and the sweet dynamics of the best rock.
The current album "Justify" is a pure and commanding showcase of Jan's talent from start to finish (Blue Palace Records-Bertus).
Current album "Time Bomb"
Bookings for all of Europe (by Hilde)
 
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Sass Jordan & the Champagne Hookers (CAN)
website, facebook, instagram, youtube
Canada’s ‘Queen of Rock’, known from her hits: “Make You A Believer”, “High Road Easy”, “So Hard”, and many more.
With her album "Rebel Moon Blues", Sass turned to blues. Sass Jordan has always been a blues singer, it just took her 40 years to realize it. Her last two albums contains several remarkable cover songs, plus some originals.
Current album "Bitches Blues" (Stony Plain Records)
Bookings for all of Europe (by Hilde)
 
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Minimal Compact (ISR)
website, wiki, bandcamp, facebook, spotify
Formed in Amsterdam in 1980, Minimal Compact were part of the original post-punk explosion – and remain one of its most distinctive voices. The band developed a unique mix of propulsive rhythms, spacious bass lines, rich keyboard textures, mesmeric guitar lines, and vocal melodies with a Middle-Eastern inflection. They sounded like nothing that had gone before.
Well-known releases include the album 'Deadly Weapons' (with club-hit ‘Next One Is Real’) and 'Raging Souls'.
Minimal Compact have now reconvened, together with producer and long-time collaborator Colin Newman (of post-punk legends Wire), to record part of their material in the best possible way, with a brand-new song as a bonus. The result is the album 'Creation is Perfect', out now!
Current album 'Creation is Perfect' (2019) (MC-Konkurrent).
Booking for the Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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Nexø (DNK)
facebook, instagram, bandcamp, youtube
A fast and furious mix of 80s hardcore and 21st century punkrock, Nexø is angry and upset, and although their new album "False Flag" is only their second, the band-members all have over a decade of musical experience in different bands (like Patchanka and Larica). And the music shows it! The lyrics are relevant and the band radiates hope and determination: 'The times are not a'changing, we are changing the times'.
New album "False Flag" out now!
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Rob)
 
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The Nomads (SWE)
website, facebook, instagram
The godfathers of the Swedish garage rock scene.
The Nomads started in 1981.
Current album ‘Solna’ received rave reviews (Universal for Scandinavia, Devils Jukebox for the rest of Europe); 2013 release: “Loaded Deluxe EP” on coloured vinyl with brand new tracks!
Bookings for all of Europe except SWE (by Rob)

2025:

Sat. April 26 - BEL - t.b.a. (confirmed show)
 
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Pussy Riot: Riot Days (RUS)
website, facebook, trailer, youtube1, youtube2
Protest art collective based in Moscow formed in 2011 with approx. 11 women participating. They staged unauthorised provocative guerrilla punk rock performances in unusual public places, which brought 3 of them to prison camps. Maria Alyokhina was one of them. She wrote a book about it, “Riot Days”. The book is the basis for this multi-media performance. Read also the great interview in The Music.
Book: “Riot Days” (Bertelsmann Pinguin).
Bookings for the Netherlands and Belgium (by Hilde)

2025:

Tue. June 24 - NLD / BEL
Wed. June 25 - NLD / BEL
Thu. June 26 - NLD - t.b.a. (t.b.c.)
Fri. June 27 - NLD / BEL
Sat. June 28 - NLD / BEL
Sun. June 29 - NLD / BEL
 
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Taimane (USA)
website, facebook, instagram, youtube
Taimane translates to 'diamond' from Samoan, she is best known for her fierce and inventive style of playing the ukulele. With the fierceness of a rocker and the grace of a dancer, Taimane and her music are wowing ever-larger audiences. She has the ability to morph genres - from classical to rock to flamenco - and stretch her instrument far beyond the familiar melodies of Hawaii.
Online she's an influencer with over 15 million views on youtube and over 25.000 online followers.
Current album: "Elemental" (Taimane Records-import)
Bookings for the Netherlands (by Hilde)

2025:

Wed. June 11 - NLD - Arnhem - Luxor Live

Fri. June 13 - NLD - Utrecht - TivoliVredenburg
Sat. June 14 - NLD - Hoofddorp - Cpunt
 
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Sachal Vasandani (USA)
website, facebook, instagram, youtube, soundcloud
Rooted in jazz, Sachal Vasandani is known for his singular voice, with a tone and unique phrasing that mark him as one of today’s most compelling artists.
On his upcoming album he is accompanied by a full band, he goes funky! You can best compare it with Frank Sinatra singing with The Meters!
Current album “Still Life” (Edition Records), new album due February 14, 2025!
Bookings for all of Europe (by Hilde)

2025:

summer - EUR

November / December - EUR