The Rousers | A Treat of New Beat

Another forgotten Dutch band that ought to be better recognised are The Rousers – a powerpop group formed in the late 1970s that have somehow fallen through the cracks. Much more well-known is ex-Rousers outfit The Thoughts. The Rousers referred to their music as ‘new beat’ as a nod towards the beat groups of the 60s, which set them apart from the mod revival groups of the period who were much more selective with their references. They’ve got a great jangle sound on their first album A Treat of New Beat from 1980, which has been reissued with 11 bonus tracks from singles as well unreleased stuff (e.g. their cover of The Roulettes’ “Bad Time”). Also worth a listen is the subsequent mini-LP Touched, which came with a free four-track 7″ (actually making it an album’s worth of songs), although the sound is a bit more pop-punk there. Here’s a brilliant cut from the album, called “Ann-Louise”. The 2005 reissue of A Treat of New Beat seems to be out of print, but there are copies for sale on Discogs, or perhaps you can get hold of it through the official Rousers website.

The Rousers – Ann Louise