Back in 2005 when the indie-rock wave first hit, The Amsterdams caught on to a trend that was yet to appear on Romania’s music scene. Although the original lineup changed a bit, they are a somewhat long-standing presence on the Romanian music scene and they remained constant in delivering a brit-pop feel to their act.

With a name that doesn't strike as Romanian, The Amsterdams were founded in Bucharest in 2006. During the five years of activity, they’ve released two albums and had concerts in music festivals such as B'estfest, Peninsula and Stufstock (Romania), in clubs around the country, as well as abroad, in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Austria, Czech Republic and Italy. In 2010, in Bucharest, The Amsterdams have performed at the opening of The Cranberries concert.

After two appearances in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the band took over London, in a series of of shows that they held there, promoting their new album 'Electromagnetic'. Rhythms of folk rock and happy hardcore conquered Purple Turtle’s audience in the bohemian and colorful in Camden district, known for its vibrant musical life."Electromagnetic", the second album, is produced and mixed by Electric Brother and will be launched in Romania at the end of March.

Through these concerts Andrei Hategan (vocals & keyboards), Andrei Ungureanu (guitar), Ovidiu Bejan (guitar & vocals) and Nicholas Augustine Augustin Nicolae (bass), aka The Amsterdams, try to make themselves known in England, the true epicenter of indie music.

The Amsterdams have released songs like 'Taking Care of Anna','Petrolize All Mice', 'Apple', 'Chased By The Housewives' and more recently, 'Island of Love' . The song 'Coalmine' was broadcast in Britain by the national station BBC6 Music. Both 'Coalmine' and 'Island of Love' will appear on the new album, "Electromagnetic" .

The Amsterdams have worked on their rough edges, sharpened their lyrics and brought the groove back on. Some might argue they’ve become a bit commercial , while others, that they made their music more approachable to those who know good music when they hear it.

Listen to two of their songs below.

Irina Laptoiu

The Amsterdams - Apple from color nurse on Vimeo.