Mid 2009, after spending almost 10 years together, lead singer Tim Akkerman decides to leave the band, leaving the others flabbergasted behind. The rest of the band wants to move on and decides to look for a new singer. Public broadcaster BNN registers their search for a new lead singer. The eventual programme consists out of 9 episodes, a mix between reality and documentary, broadcasted primetime every Sunday at 9.30 p.m. It gives an insight into who DI-RECT actually is, with a clear profile of each band member and it clearly states how the band makes it’s choice for a new singer. After months of hard work, the band is fully convinced of Marcel Veenendaal as their new lead singer. A characteristic personality and appearance with an amazing voice, someone the guys already worked with during their tour ‘DI-RECT does Tommy’ in 2008. Someone else they worked with during that tour was Vince van Reeken, keyboard player and songwriter. Together with Marcel key player Vince van Reeken is now officially part of DI-RECT. After an intensive cooperation as a co-writer en key player, Vince is now a full worthy band member of DI-RECT and as of now DI-RECT consists out of 5 equal band members.
The band is more motivated than ever before and almost explodes of energy and creativity. Their new single ‘Times are changing’ is released on the 9th of November in 2009, with an overwhelming result. Within one week, the single already hit all the charts:
- 1 in iTunes
- 1 in download top 50
- 2 in single top 100
- Megahit with 3FM
- Superclip with TMF
- Best watched video on YouTube
After the release of their first single, the band immediately went of to the studio to work at a new album. Together with James Lewis (Arctic Monkeys, Simon Webbe) as their producer and Kevin Hughes (Natasha Beddingfield, Kris Allen) as their writing guide, they spend weeks in The Hague, Liverpool and London to make the album completely as the wanted it and as the felt it should be.
In 2010 on the 23rd of April, their second single ‘This is who we are’ is released of the equally named new album. This single again straight away hits the charts of all national radio stations, it becomes ‘Alarmschijf’ with 538 and superclip with MTV’s TMF. It immediately enters the Top 10 of iTunes, Download Top50 and the single Top 100.
May 14th their new album ‘This is who we are’ is released and with an enormous positive vibe welcomed by a diversity of national media like Telegraaf, Spits (festivaleditie), FHM, Off the Record, Oor, LiveXs, 3voor12 (online), Nu.nl, Feedback magazine, VPRO gids, Music Maker, etc. It entered the album top 100 on 3rd place.
1999 – start DI-RECT
In 1999 Jamie Westland is still a teenager, but already proven to be an extremely talented drummer. In his hometown The Hague he plays in several bands, mostly with much older en very experienced musicians. His dad Dick is enormously proud, however he does notice that Jamie’s co-musicians are not only very experienced as musicians! Rock & roll is fine for him, but he does believe his son is still slightly young at that time and he encourages him to look for musicians of his own age. After an extensive search within the Hague music scene, he finds three young musicians: Tim Akkerman, Spike van Zoest and Bas van Wageningen. Immediately there’s an intense chemistry that results in the rock band DI-RECT.
The rock band records their 1st demo with 5 songs, including their 1st hit single ‘Just the way I do’. The demo ends up in the hands of Holland’s well known Radio3 DJ Rob Stenders. He takes up Just the way I do in his morning playlist of his ‘Stenders Early Show’. Manager Edwin Jansen who hears the song, straight away signs the rock band up with AT Productions.
2001 – First Album: Discover
DI-RECT releases their debut single ‘Just the way I do’ which gets stated as Megahit bij Radio 3FM. It enters all major airplay lists and their video clip is shown on The Box, TMF and MTV. The single gets picked up by the Belgium radio as well. The follow up My Generation is even more successful, a skatepunk version of the legendary The Who-classic, edited in DI-RECT style.
Even before the release of the album ‘Discover’ and while they’re still relatively unknown to the public, they are asked to rock the crowds of the major festival Lowlands in the Netherlands and Marktrock in Belgium, which is the start of a series of major festivals. DI-RECT plays at Noorderslag, Pinkpop (60.000 visitors) and The Hague Parkpop (400.000 visitors), in addition to their regular tour and club tour.
Their first ballad Inside my Head is released as a single. The song enters the top 10 and is nominated for an Edison Award. After that the hitsingle Free is released, also from the album ‘Discover’.
Even before the release of the album ‘Discover’ and while they’re still relatively unknown to the public, they are asked to rock the crowds of the major festival Lowlands in the Netherlands and Marktrock in Belgium, which is the start of a series of major festivals. DI-RECT plays at Noorderslag, Pinkpop (60.000 visitors) and The Hague Parkpop (400.000 visitors), in addition to their regular tour and club tour.
Their first ballad Inside my Head is released as a single. The song enters the top 10 and is nominated for an Edison Award. After that the hitsingle Free is released, also from the album ‘Discover’.
2002 – Singles, Pinkpop & Indonesië
DI-RECT is asked to make the title song for the movie Adrenaline, the first single of their next album. In 2002 DI-RECT travels to Indonesia where the single ‘Just the way I do’ enters the top 5, just like ‘Inside my Head’. DI-RECT tours around Indonesia where they are being treated as true superstars. In Indonesia they participate in many radio shows and TV shows, including one of the biggest live shows of Indonesia, with over 12 million viewers.
At the end of this successful year DI-RECT receives a TROS Mega Award, a public award of the Mega Top 100 Association, for being the most popular band of the year.
At the end of this successful year DI-RECT receives a TROS Mega Award, a public award of the Mega Top 100 Association, for being the most popular band of the year.
2003 –Golden Record & Second Album: Over the Moon
At the beginning of 2003, during Club MTV, DI-RECT receives their first Golden Record for their debut album “Discover”. Around the same time DI-RECT is part of the great live spectacle “Vrienden van Amstel Live!” with an audience of 10.000 people. Again they are up for several awards, during the Edison Gala in March, DI-RECT wins the Edison Public’s Award Single of the Year with “Inside my Head”. The rock band is nominated for four MTV Networks’ TMF Awards and wins two of them, Best National Rock & Best Video for the video clip of Adrenaline.
Around this time their second album Over the Moon is released, for which they will receive a Golden record as well. All 4 singles from this album turn out to be great hits: ‘Adrenaline’, She, Rollecoaster & Don’t kill me Tonight.
In 2003 DI-RECT sets gigs at major festivals and they record a live DVD during an amazing show in Paradiso and in December they take off to Curaçao for a tour over there.
2004
In 2004 the rock band can again be found in a completely sold out Ahoy for 6 nights in a row with “Vrienden van Amstel Live!”. This time they interact with The Nits, Krezip and Van Dik Hout. Shortly after this the band takes off to tour around Italy as the support of the Italian rock band The Shandon.
This year again DI-RECT receives a MTV Networks’ TMF Award for Best Video with “Rollercoaster”. They also receive several awards at the Sena Guitar Awards 2004: Tim receives the Favorite Guitarplayer Award and Spike the Favorite Supporting Guitar Player Award. The same year they receive the Hague Pop Award for Best Live Act.
2005 – Third Album: All Systems Go & MTV Road Rally!
They start the new year with the release of their first single Hungry for Love of their new album to come All Systems Go!. The single reaches the Top 5 of single charts, the Top 3 of the airplay lists and it becomes the ‘Alarmschijf’ with Radio 538. The clip reaches the status of Superclip with MTV Networks’ TMF.
Again the rock band takes off for a tour through Curaçao. Upon their return, their new album enters the Mega Top 100 as number 1. During the 3FM Awards DI-RECT receives a 3FM Award in the category of Best live Act. Shortly after that the 2nd single of the album is released, “Cool Without You”. The song enters the Top 10 of the single charts and the Top 2 of the airplay lists. That month the rock band again rocks the stage of MTV Networks’ TMF Awards and receives the award for Best National Pop Act.
In May DI-RECT can be seen at the major festival Pinkpop, on the mainstage at the most important day of the festival. Amongst others they surprise the audience with Blind for You together with Wibi Soerjadi, a premiere for the classical pianist. Followed up by their 3rd hitsingle of the album Webcam Girl, which immediately turns into 538’s Alarmschijf.
During the fall the rock band heads over to the States to enter MTV’s Road Rally. Starting in San Francisco, taking up the challenge to find their way to the Big Apple by playing as many gigs as possible, only equipped with a crappy van, a couple of instruments, no money, no credit cards and no phones. MTV’s Road Rally is followed by a huge clubtour through The Netherlands: ‘All Systems Go!’.
2007 – Fourth Album: DI-RECT & Night of the Proms
They start out 2007 with their first theatre tour, rocking 36 theatres in a row. Shortly after that they release their first single of their new album: A Good Thing, followed by enormous airplay by Holland’s largest radio stations 3FM and 538. The self titled album DI-RECT is released in March and enters the charts in the top again.
The 2nd single of the album I just Can’t Stand is released in May. The 3rd single Johnny is released in July and enters the Mega Top 100 at the second place.
In October the rock band is again nominated for MTV Networks’ TMF Awards and receives the TMF Rock Award.
In November DI-RECT is present at the prestigious Night of the Proms in Ahoy where they proof to be able to rock the 70-piece orchestra Il Novecento nine nights in a row with the especially for this occasion arranged special compositions of “Rollercoaster”, “A Good Thing” and “Blind for You”.
2008 – DI-RECT Live & Acoustic & DI-RECT doet Tommy
They start out 2008 with another theatre tour, with its final show being recorded on DVD: DI-RECT Live & Acoustic.
This same month DI-RECT is asked by producer Jacques Senf, the same producer who brought The Who to Europe, to do the rock opera “Tommy” of The Who. Jacques Senf recognizes the young version of The Who in DI-RECT. DI-RECT does Tommy started in the fall of 2008, with an extremely successful premiere on the 16th of November. At the same night the band presented the likewise album, recorded that summer. This album contains a Dutch version of the legendary rock opera of The Who. The premiere was the start for another 80 shows at least on different stages throughout The Netherlands. An enormous peak in their glorious career.
2009 – Departure Tim Akkerman
At the beginning of 2009 all their international gigs seem to pay off. DI-RECT closes a deal with Moon World Records for the territories Spain & Portugal.
However, around February 2009 lead singer Tim Akkerman informs the band of his decision to quit the band and to start focusing on his solo career as a singer- songwriter. The other 3 band members, Bas van Wageningen, Jamie Westland and Spike van Zoest are surprised and completely stunned by his irreversible decision. They respect Tim’s choice, however they are confronted with the inevitable fact that they no longer have a lead singer.
On April 10th they share the stage with Tim for the last time in a fully packed Old Luxor in Rotterdam. A heavy and emotional closure for DI-RECT with Tim as a lead singer.
At the same time after many hours and weeks of going over options, late night discussions and thinking everything over, Spike, Jamie and Bas decide they want to continue with DI-RECT. DI-RECT will go on and they will start their search for a new lead singer to complete their adventure again.
This made DI-RECT go through the entire country to search for the right lead singer, a search that was completely documented by public TV Broadcaster BNN.
After many shared activities, sharing the stage, going out, jamming together and more, 2 singers made it until the end. In a fully packed Paard van Troje in The Hague, Marcel Veenendaal and Sven van Hees tried their best to fight their way to victory on November 8th 2009. During the finals, presented by Coen Swijnenburg and Sander Lantinga, it ws up to Jamie, Spike & Bas to make the heaviest decision in their careers. After a long time of insecurity the band finally is complete again and they can start with the next episode of their careers.
Together with Marcel key player Vince van Reeken is now officially part of DI-RECT. After an intensive cooperation as a co-writer en key player, Vince is now a fullworthy band member of DI-RECT and as of now DI-RECT consists out of 5 equal band members.
2009 / 2010 – a new DI-RECT
With the new formation including Vince van Reeken and Marcel Veenendaal, the band is more motivated than ever before and almost explodes of energy and creativity. Their new single ‘Times are changing’ is released on the 9th of November in 2009, with an overwhelming result. Within one week, the single already hit all the charts:
- 1 in iTunes
- 1 in download top 50
- 2 in single top 100
- Megahit with 3FM
- Superclip with TMF
- Best watched video on YouTube
After the release of their first single, the band immediately went of to the studio to work at a new album. Together with James Lewis (Arctic Monkeys, Simon Webbe) as their producer and Kevin Hughes (Natasha Beddingfield, Kris Allen) as their writing guide, they spend weeks in The Hague, Liverpool and London to make the album completely as the wanted it and as the felt it should be.
In 2010 on the 23rd of April, their second single ‘This is who we are’ is released of the equally named new album. This single again straight away hits the charts of all national radio stations, it becomes ‘Alarmschijf’ with 538 and superclip with MTV’s TMF. It immediately enters the Top 10 of iTunes, Download Top50 and the single Top 100.
May 14th their new album ‘This is who we are’ is released and with an enormous positive vibe welcomed by a diversity of national media like Telegraaf, Spits (festivaleditie), FHM, Off the Record, Oor, LiveXs, 3voor12 (online), Nu.nl, Feedback magazine, VPRO guide, Music Maker, etc. It entered the album top 100 on 3rd place.
