Netherlands

Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the main constituent country (Dutch: land) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a small, densely populated country located in Western Europe with three island territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany. The largest and most important cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. Amsterdam is the country's capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of government and parliament. The port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe – as large as the next three largest combined – and was the world's largest port between 1962 and 2004. The name Holland is also frequently used to refer informally to the whole of the country of the Netherlands.
== Links To Peel ==
thumb|293x293px|Vera venue in Groningen
Peel did reports for Dutch TV in the late 60's and also visited at least one festival in Amsterdam, then a centre of hippy culture in 1967. In the late 70's and early 80's Peel was an announcer of the Pink Pop festival at Landgraaf in the south east of the country. Between 1984 and 1986 he presented shows for Dutch radio station VPRO and in 1992 visited Groningen during a trip around Europe for Radio 1's 'Euro Action Special', where he visited the Vera venue and interviewed the manager. Peel started coming regularly back to Groningen from 2000 when he visited the Eurosonic / Noorderslag festivals, that was broadcast on BBC Radio One.
He presented the European charts as featured on 23 June 1983 (TOTP) from Amsterdam and was filmed on various locations around the city, including on board a "roondvart....that's Dutch for a canal trip".
Peel admitted on radio that he had more friends living in the Netherlands and Germany combined than in London on his 15 November 1983 show, which had his favourite Dutch band Eton Crop doing a session that was broadcast on the programme. Many Dutch acts were played by Peel, including a Frisian punk group called It Dockumer Lokaeltsje and a Dutch language cover from Dingetje of the 80's hit Shaddup You Face by Joe Dolce. Solex and Seedling are the only artists from the Netherlands to make it into the Festive Fifty.
Peel mentioned on his 10 October 1984 (VPRO) show that he would love to learn Dutch and admitted knowing some swear words of the language. Peel would often mention that his name pronunciation in Dutch (Piel) means 'prick', claiming on his 20 December 2001 show that festival organisers in the Netherlands would invite him there because of that.
== Sessions ==
The following artists from the Netherlands recorded sessions for the John Peel Show:
*Bong-Ra: (1 session, 2002)
*Buy Off The Bar: (4 sessions, 1986-89)
*Cords: (2 sessions, 1992-93) Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions book misspelt the band's first session as the Chords.
*Donkey: (1 session, 1995)
*Eton Crop: (5 sessions, 1983-88)
*Ex: (3 sessions, 1983-86)
*Gore: (3 sessions, 1987-1991)
*Gruppo Sportivo: (1 session, 1978)
*Minny Pops: (1 session, 1980)
*Nasmak: (1 session, 1982)
*Nightblooms: (1 session, 1990)
*Persil: (3 sessions, 2000-04)
*Poppi UK: (1 session, 1988)
*Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia: (1 session, 1994)
*Quando Quango: (1 session, 1983) The Anglo-Dutch group was founded in Rotterdam by Mancunian Mike Pickering and Rotterdam-based Gonnie Rietveld, supported on drums by her brother Reinier Rietveld.
*Schlaflose Nächte: (1 session, 1981)
*Seedling: (3 sessions, 2001-03)
*Solex: (5 sessions, 1998-2002)
*Supersister: (1 session, 1973)
*Xymox: (2 sessions, 1985)
*Johnny Young & The Word: (1 session, 1967)
== Festive Fifty ==
The following artists from the Netherlands had Festive Fifty entries for the John Peel Show:
* Seedling: Sensational Vacuum #37 (2001 Festive Fifty)
* Solex: Solex All Lickety Split #19 (1998 Festive Fifty) / One Louder Solex #23 (1998 Festive Fifty)
== Compilations ==
(Peel plays of various artists (v/a) releases related to the Netherlands. Please add more information if known.)
(LP / CD - Vera Groningen - Beauty In The Underworld) VERA Records
* 19 July 1990: Dinosaur Jr.: The Lung
* 28 July 1990 (BFBS): Dinosaur Jr.: The Lung
* 06 August 1990 (Ö3): Dinosaur Jr.: The Lung (live)
* 09 October 1992: Sonic Youth: 'Broken Eye
== See Also ==
* Focus
* Groningen
* Countries
* Dutch TV
* VPRO
* OOR
* Football Compilations: From the ‘Bend It" series”, Peel twice played 'Oei-Oei-Oei-Fantastico Cruyff Barcelona', a homage to Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff.
*Disc & Music Echo: Peel Columns‎‎
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia
Category:Places
Category:Countries
Category:Maps
;Footnotes
Category:Compilations