Claw Boys Claw

Our regular visitor, Richard, came up with a Dutch candidate for our blog and it was an excellent choice!  Without further delay, here's his write-up of this cool band: 

Claw Boys Claw began as an Amsterdam garage-band. From the early eighties bands like The Suspenders, L'Attentat or Odorex never went anywhere. L'Attentat at least made a nice album, but that was it.

Allard Jolles (drums) and John Cameron (guitar) stuck their heads together and with Bobbi Rossini (bass) started a dirty rock and roll band. When they met graphic designer and choirboy Peter Te Bos, they found their first definitive form.

Their first album was made on a tight budget. 500 gulden forty years ago, 250 dollars.  The Shocking Shades, released on their own Hipcat label, was in essence a live in the studio album.  Despite the meagre sound quality, the album was an underground hit. It opened all the right doors and within weeks they performed on Rotterdam's Pandora Musicbox Festival beside Nick Cave, Gun Club and all their other heroes.

In the following years they made amongst others the Hitkillers album of covers, they had band members come and go, and they toured all the small and large venues in The Netherlands more often than many.  They remained one of the top Dutch bands for a decade, until the plug was pulled in 1997.

Another ten years later, Peter Te Bos and John Cameron decided it was a good time to breath back life into the Boys. Again they played everywhere they could, released new material and were revered as never before. In October 2024 Allard Jolles, founder of the band died, aged 66.  In December 2025 (at time of writing), Peter Te Bos hopes to reach the respectable age of 75.  

Claw Boys Claw will tour one last time through The Netherlands before they will cease to exist.  This double cd is testament to the fun of Rock, Acid-Punk, Roll and hard-work-music. May you enjoy this trip through all their albums!