Di-rect

DI-RECT inventively filter elements of rock, soul, pop, and indie through their own distinct vocabulary, one forged by a decade-spanning friendship and trust. Emerging from the other side of meteoric stardom, identity crises, creative dust-ups and the ongoing challenge of integrating five radically different personalities, this eclectic Dutch quintet has embraced a newfound creative abandon, less preoccupied of what they are, and more with what they could become.

If you take the history between Marcel Veenendaal (vocals), Frans ‘Spike’ van Zoest (vocals/guitars), Bas van Wageningen (bass), Jamie Westland (drums), and Paul Jan Bakker (guitars) into account, it’s a remarkable thing to consider; a collection of colorful individuals that isn’t just operating at the height of their creative powers, but doing so with unprecedented success. They won a Dutch Edison Award for their 2017 album Rolling With The Punches and played their biggest shows yet at Pinkpop and AFAS Live. It’s not something to take for granted, especially for a band in DI-RECT’s fertile stage. More often than not, that initial burning passion to make great records either stagnates or evaporates entirely over time. But DI-RECT have somehow cleared all these hurdles, no less with soaring momentum.

After eight albums total and four albums into their current makeup, the band has come to understand one vital lesson: whims of creativity don’t exactly bend to the machinery of the industry. Ever since scoring a number one hit with ‘Times Are Changing’ in 2009 – sparked by Veenendaal’s charismatic voice – DI-RECT have come to define success as something bigger than just metrics or awards could explain. They are a band perpetually driven by the prospect of ‘why not?’, performing sweeping arena-sized romps and intimate house shows alike. No matter the setting, you can always count on DI-RECT to provide a dynamic, combustible mix of crowd favorites and daredevil experimentalism.

Moreover, the five musicians that make the parts of DI-RECT’s wonderful sum are aware – and accepting – of each other’s personal aesthetic and divergent musical roots. But most of all, they are acutely aware of the improbability of where this strange musical journey has taken them. This realization hasn’t just opened a window for DI-RECT to travel beyond the boundaries of their rock genesis. Their deep synergy has also carried over outwardly through infectious collaboration. To name just one example: after backing DI-RECT for a James Brown-tribute concert, the renowned Special Request Horns joined the band to spice up the live show even further. Recently, The Dutch String Collective joined DI-RECT for the ride with recording sessions in Amsterdam-based church De Duif, reinterpreting old and new material alike in a more grounded setting, albeit with more expansive arrangements. These vibrant updated versions of DI-RECT staples were released on vinyl in February 2019.

Projects like The Duif Sessions have only spun DI-RECT’s creative wheels into sheer overdrive, as is evident by their latest single ‘Devil Don’t Care’, recorded last year in Berlin with producer Niels Zuiderhoek and mixed by Cenzo Townshend (who worked with indie pop goliaths Editors and Florence + The Machine). This time, DI-RECT unpacks with a technicolor synth-pop sprawl, gleefully kickstarting it with a familiar-sounding deep note and a powerful mantra: ‘You’ll never exist again’. The accordingly vivid music video and artwork for ‘Devil Don’t Care’ were made by visual artist Jamel Armand, further envigorating en echoing the piercing fortitude of Veenendaal's words.

‘Devil Don’t Care’ truly punctuates DI-RECT’s current mission statement: having the audacity to surrender to the vision of another can lead to an enriching exchange. Live or die, if the only direction left is to go forward, then you might as well embrace all comers.

Show less