Clouseau
Encyclopedia
Clouseau is a Belgian pop
group, having success in Belgium
and the Netherlands
since being established in the late 1980s. Apart from a brush with English material in the early 1990s they perform in Dutch
. Their biggest hits are Daar gaat ze (a #1 hit in the Netherlands in 1990, and rerecorded in English as Close Encounters) and Passie (Passion, a #1 hit in the Netherlands in 1995).
, a character he enjoyed imitating and after whom he had named his radio station
.
Initially, Clouseau only performed at local venues. Singer Koen Wauters
soon left the group to sing for another local band, but in 1987 he was persuaded to return.
The same year they were discovered at the Marktrock
festival in Leuven
, Belgium. Their first single Brandweer (Firemen, also a pun which can be interpreted as "Burning again") sold 427 copies. Their television
debut followed in November of that year.
In 1989 Clouseau participated in the Belgian tryouts for the Eurovision Song Contest
with the song Anne. Clouseau came in second, but Anne became an enormous hit in Belgium and a (minor) hit in the Netherlands. The popularity of Clouseau in Belgium skyrocketed, and that year Clouseau produced its first album, Hoezo? (Whaddayamean?).
In 1990 Daar gaat ze topped the singles charts in both Belgium and the Netherlands; several more hits followed. On September 30, Tjen Berghmans left the group after a dispute.
In October 1990 Clouseau released their second album, Of zo... (Or so...). In March 1991, Karel Theys departed, leaving Clouseau as a three-piece. A month later Clouseau came in 16th in the Eurovision Song Contest with Geef het op
, but their participation resulted in a European breakthrough.
album; Close Encounters (of which the title-track is a translation of Daar gaat ze) was a huge success in Germany. The Dutch fans were less keen on the idea of Koen Wauters singing in another language and rather bought the live-album that was released during this period.
In 1992 Clouseau released a Dutch-language
album, Doorgaan (Keep on going). At the same time, they supported Swedish group Roxette
on their European tour performing the Close Encounters-material.
The second English-language album, 1993's In every small town was recorded in Los Angeles
. However, the album failed critically, receiving little attention outside the Benelux
countries. Since then, Clouseau has refrained from producing English-language music.
In 1995 they released the Oker album which featured the single Passie. In 1996, founder Bob Savenberg left the group. At the time he hosted the television format of the Ultratop 50. Bob Savenberg now works with upcoming artists as a manager.
In September 1996 Clouseau released the Adrenaline-album which was promoted with a large tour.
On December 22, 1998 singer Koen Wauters married the Dutch television journalist and one-time MTV-presenter Carolyn Lilipaly
(they divorced in 2002). 1999 saw the release of In Stereo. Clouseau were heading for a new direction. A live album was released in 2000, and Clouseau were touring Belgium and the Netherlands where they did their last tour to date.
and the title track became a huge hit. Whilst the fans were waiting for new material, the two remaining bandmembers presented the 2003 and 2004 editions of Idool (the Belgian version of Idols) on VTM
. In October 2004 they released the Vanbinnen (Inside) album.
Since 2002 Clouseau are playing multiple Christmas shows at the Sportpaleis Antwerp. These concerts are a huge success with tickets selling out well in advance and each year's series surpassing the previous. In 2005, 13 shows attracted over 200,000 visitors in total. Due to Koen's Dakar
-participation they couldn't add any further dates.
In 2006 Clouseau performed in Antwerp at the 0110 concerts for tolerance, organised by Tom Barman
, singer/guitarist with dEUS. At that moment seven shows were added for that year's Christmas stint (Clouseau Speciale Editie).
The band released their latest CD Vonken & Vuur ("Sparks & Flames") in March 2007 with De Tegenpartij (The Opposition Party) being the first single. The Dutch release followed a month later.
Their 20th anniversary was celebrated with a tribute-album; Braveau Clouseau.
Late 2007 Koen Wauters expressed his disappointment with Clouseau's dwindling popularity in the Netherlands over the last ten years; the record company chose not to promote albums assuming that they'd sell themselves. Although Koen regrets this move he stated that he had no intention of regaining lost ground, let alone appearing on "egomaniac"-presented radio-shows. He also reckoned that Clouseau have become surplus to requirements now that the Dutch are embracing their own acts again, of whom only Marco Borsato
matches the band's recent glories.
On December 5, 2008 Clouseau played the first of their Crescendo Christmas-shows.
In 2009 they expressed their tiredness of Belgian communal tensions in a pro-Belgium song, a novelty in Flemish commercial popular culture. They toured across railway-stations and played a one-off show on Dutch soil during their festival-tour.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group, having success in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
since being established in the late 1980s. Apart from a brush with English material in the early 1990s they perform in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. Their biggest hits are Daar gaat ze (a #1 hit in the Netherlands in 1990, and rerecorded in English as Close Encounters) and Passie (Passion, a #1 hit in the Netherlands in 1995).
1987-1990
Clouseau was set up by Bob Savenberg, who named the band after Inspector ClouseauInspector Clouseau
Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther series. In most of the films, he was played by Peter Sellers, with one film in which he was played by Alan Arkin and one in which he was played by an uncredited Roger Moore...
, a character he enjoyed imitating and after whom he had named his radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
.
Initially, Clouseau only performed at local venues. Singer Koen Wauters
Koen Wauters
Koen Maria Gaston Wauters is a Flemish singer, active with the band Clouseau, television presenter, and occasionally actor and race car driver.-Biography:...
soon left the group to sing for another local band, but in 1987 he was persuaded to return.
The same year they were discovered at the Marktrock
Marktrock
Marktrock is a popular crowd-puller music festival held each year around the August 15, in the heart of the university town of Leuven, Belgium.There is also a smaller Marktrock festival in Poperinge which is held the last Saturday of August....
festival in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium. Their first single Brandweer (Firemen, also a pun which can be interpreted as "Burning again") sold 427 copies. Their television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
debut followed in November of that year.
In 1989 Clouseau participated in the Belgian tryouts for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with the song Anne. Clouseau came in second, but Anne became an enormous hit in Belgium and a (minor) hit in the Netherlands. The popularity of Clouseau in Belgium skyrocketed, and that year Clouseau produced its first album, Hoezo? (Whaddayamean?).
In 1990 Daar gaat ze topped the singles charts in both Belgium and the Netherlands; several more hits followed. On September 30, Tjen Berghmans left the group after a dispute.
In October 1990 Clouseau released their second album, Of zo... (Or so...). In March 1991, Karel Theys departed, leaving Clouseau as a three-piece. A month later Clouseau came in 16th in the Eurovision Song Contest with Geef het op
Geef Het Op
"Geef het op" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in Dutch by the band Clouseau.In 1989 Clouseau, named after Peter Sellers' character Inspector Clouseau in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, had participated in the Belgian tryouts for the Eurovision Song Contest...
, but their participation resulted in a European breakthrough.
1991-1999
Afterwards it was announced that Koen Wauters received an army call-up; because of his Clouseau-commitments he only had to serve four weeks and didn't need to shave his head. Fall 1991, Clouseau released their first English languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
album; Close Encounters (of which the title-track is a translation of Daar gaat ze) was a huge success in Germany. The Dutch fans were less keen on the idea of Koen Wauters singing in another language and rather bought the live-album that was released during this period.
In 1992 Clouseau released a Dutch-language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
album, Doorgaan (Keep on going). At the same time, they supported Swedish group Roxette
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
on their European tour performing the Close Encounters-material.
The second English-language album, 1993's In every small town was recorded in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. However, the album failed critically, receiving little attention outside the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
countries. Since then, Clouseau has refrained from producing English-language music.
In 1995 they released the Oker album which featured the single Passie. In 1996, founder Bob Savenberg left the group. At the time he hosted the television format of the Ultratop 50. Bob Savenberg now works with upcoming artists as a manager.
In September 1996 Clouseau released the Adrenaline-album which was promoted with a large tour.
On December 22, 1998 singer Koen Wauters married the Dutch television journalist and one-time MTV-presenter Carolyn Lilipaly
Carolyn Lilipaly
Carolyn Lilipaly is a Dutch news anchor and actress.Dutch-Moluccan Carolijn Lilipaly was born in Middelburg. Her father is former Dutch Labour Party parliament member John Lilipaly. After studying law, she became a presenter for MTV Europe in London. Carolyn was the host of MTV Hit List UK, MTV...
(they divorced in 2002). 1999 saw the release of In Stereo. Clouseau were heading for a new direction. A live album was released in 2000, and Clouseau were touring Belgium and the Netherlands where they did their last tour to date.
2000-2009
In 2001, Clouseau released the disco oriented CD En Dans (And Dance); the artwork was designed by Marcel VanthiltMarcel Vanthilt
Marcel Céline Gerard Edgard Vanthilt is a Belgian singer and television presenter. -Early Life:Marcel Vanthilt was born on 24 august 1957, in Lommel, Belgium. After attending high school, Marcel studied at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and attained a bachelor degree in political sciences. He...
and the title track became a huge hit. Whilst the fans were waiting for new material, the two remaining bandmembers presented the 2003 and 2004 editions of Idool (the Belgian version of Idols) on VTM
Vlaamse Televisie Maatschappij
vtm or Vlaamse Televisie Maatschappij is the main commercial television station in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking north of Belgium.It went live in 1989 and quickly became the Flemish market leader...
. In October 2004 they released the Vanbinnen (Inside) album.
Since 2002 Clouseau are playing multiple Christmas shows at the Sportpaleis Antwerp. These concerts are a huge success with tickets selling out well in advance and each year's series surpassing the previous. In 2005, 13 shows attracted over 200,000 visitors in total. Due to Koen's Dakar
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
-participation they couldn't add any further dates.
In 2006 Clouseau performed in Antwerp at the 0110 concerts for tolerance, organised by Tom Barman
Tom Barman
Tom Barman is a Belgian musician and film director.Barman studied at the film school of St.-Lucas in Brussels, but didn't finish his studies because of he wished to pursue a career in music. He began by forming the rock band, Deus in Antwerp, in 1989...
, singer/guitarist with dEUS. At that moment seven shows were added for that year's Christmas stint (Clouseau Speciale Editie).
The band released their latest CD Vonken & Vuur ("Sparks & Flames") in March 2007 with De Tegenpartij (The Opposition Party) being the first single. The Dutch release followed a month later.
Their 20th anniversary was celebrated with a tribute-album; Braveau Clouseau.
Late 2007 Koen Wauters expressed his disappointment with Clouseau's dwindling popularity in the Netherlands over the last ten years; the record company chose not to promote albums assuming that they'd sell themselves. Although Koen regrets this move he stated that he had no intention of regaining lost ground, let alone appearing on "egomaniac"-presented radio-shows. He also reckoned that Clouseau have become surplus to requirements now that the Dutch are embracing their own acts again, of whom only Marco Borsato
Marco Borsato
Marco Borsato is a Dutch singer. He started performing in Italian before switching to Dutch in 1994. He is married to Leontine Ruiters and has three children.-Biography:...
matches the band's recent glories.
On December 5, 2008 Clouseau played the first of their Crescendo Christmas-shows.
In 2009 they expressed their tiredness of Belgian communal tensions in a pro-Belgium song, a novelty in Flemish commercial popular culture. They toured across railway-stations and played a one-off show on Dutch soil during their festival-tour.
Members
- Tjen Berghmans (up to September 1990)
- Karel Theys (up to March 1991)
- Bob Savenberg (up to 1996)
- Kris WautersKris WautersKris Wauters is a Flemish artist, active with the band Clouseau combined with his brother Koen Wauters....
- Koen WautersKoen WautersKoen Maria Gaston Wauters is a Flemish singer, active with the band Clouseau, television presenter, and occasionally actor and race car driver.-Biography:...
Band
- Frank Michiels (Percussion)
- Hans Francken (Keyboards)
- Herman Cambré (Drums)
- Eric Melaerts (Guitar)
- Tom VanstiphoutTom VanstiphoutTom Vanstiphout is a Belgian musician who has made two solo albums and has toured with Clouseau, Jan Leyers and Milow.-Biography:...
(Guitar) - Vincent Pierens (Guitar)
Discography
- Hoezo? (1989)
- Of zo... (1990)
- Close Encounters (1991)
- Live '91 (1991)
- Doorgaan (1993)
- In Every Small Town (1993)
- Het Beste van (1993)
- Oker (1995)
- Adrenaline (1996)
- 87- 97 (1997)
- In Stereo (1999)
- Live (2000)
- Ballades (2001)
- En Dans (2001)
- Live in het Sportpaleis DVD ("Live at the Sport Palace, Antwerp") (2003)
- Vanbinnen (2004)
- Clouseau in 't langClouseau in 't langClouseau in 't lang is the name of the concert given by the Flemish band Clouseau in 2005 at the Antwerp Sportpaleis Merksem. The name was inspired by the 6 meter wide, 40 meter long catwalk in the concert hall from which the band played...
DVD ("Live at the Sport Palace, Antwerp") (2006) - Vonken en Vuur (2007)
- Zij Aan Zij (2009)