History items

1984-1989

1984: Hermes House Band Is Born

One night in ’84, a bunch of students had a drink in their favourite hang-out, fraternity home “Hermes” in Rotterdam, Holland. What the place was really missing at the time, was some good old entertainment. So before the night was over, a band was formed. It should be a band that appealed to everybody who wanted to have some serious fun, and should leave the audience gasping for air once they played their last song. They didn’t have to think twice for a name: it would be Hermes House Band. But just five guys on a stage, that’s not very entertaining, is it?
Not in the 80’s. So they found two great looking and sounding girl singers, introduced a three-man horn section, and started rehearsing. Disco was the name, and party was the game. The band put together an exciting show of Dance Classics, as we call them now. Chic, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, you name it. Disco was still very much alive back then. Remember, it was only two years after Michael Jackson released Thriller!  It worked! The HHB played the student stages of Holland and soon earned a reputation as student’s no. 1 party band. Now it was time to move on….

What else happened in 1984?

Introduction of the first Apple Macintosh
Stonewashed jeans were hot!
Carl Lewis struck 5x gold at the L.A. Olympics
First Video Music AwardsAmadeus wins Oscar for best movie
Release of “This is Spinal Tap”, the benchmark movie for all rock musicians
The internet has a staggering 1000 hosts!
Michael Jackson’s hair catches fire during the shoot of a Pepsi commercial
“Do they know its Christmas” is released to help feed kids in Africa   

1985 – 1988: The Growing Years

During these years, the HHB expanded its horizon. They began playing more and more stages outside the student community, and recorded their first LP in 1985. The band wrote, recorded and produced the music for a student musical, the first of many to come.  In 1986, the band toured abroad for the first time. They played some improvised gigs in the south of France, wrapped up by a memorable concert at the release party for Tony Curtis’ new movie at the Cannes Film Festival.  Meantime, there was a new medium called the Compact Disc, and in 1988, HHB recorded their first CD. It was such a success that it pushed many students into buying a CD player! That year also, Holland won the European football cup and we were all very happy.  

1989: Now what?

By this time, the band’s founding fathers ended their studies and started pursuing other careers. Did this mean the end of the band? No! The band had to live on forever! The answer was simple, actually: stay with the concept, and just replace the old guys with young, fresh and creative students. A historic decision. Because of it, today’s band is the sixth generation. And the number of people who ever played in the HHB has grown to 75, and still counting…