DI-RECT

DI-RECT inventively filter elements of rock, soul, pop, and indie through their own distinct vocabulary, one forged by a decade-spanning friendship and trust. Emerging from the other side of meteoric stardom, identity crises, creative dust-ups and the ongoing challenge of integrating five radically different personalities, this eclectic Dutch quintet has embraced a newfound creative abandon, less preoccupied with what they are, and more with what they could become. 
 If you take the history between Marcel Veenendaal, Spike van Zoest, Bas van Wageningen, Jamie Westland, and Paul Jan Bakker into account, it’s a remarkable thing to consider; a collection of colorful individuals that isn’t just operating at the height of their creative powers, but doing so with unprecedented success. They won a Dutch Edison Award for their 2020 album Wild Hearts, scored their biggest hit until now with song Soldier On and played their biggest shows yet at Rotterdam Ahoy. Ever since scoring a number one hit with ‘Times Are Changing’ in 2009 – sparked by Veenendaal’s charismatic voice – DI-RECT have come to define success as something bigger than just metrics or awards could explain. They are a band perpetually driven by the prospect of ‘why not?’, performing sweeping arena-sized romps and intimate house shows alike. No matter the setting, you can always count on DI-RECT to provide a dynamic, combustible mix of crowd favorites and daredevil experimentalism.