Chef’Special Sees North American Success

Chef'Special by Sarah Hess for Best New Bands

Rosemont – Outside the Allstate Arena, a few members of Dutch band Chef’Special stood getting some fresh air with their tour manager, shortly after putting on an energetic performance for thousands of people. Singer Joshua Nolet, bassist Jan Derks, and keyboardist Wouter “Dub” Heeren were discussing their stellar set. Myself and two other photographers were assuring them fans were definitely impressed. From within the pit, we heard fans singing along word for word to “Peculiar,” from the Chef’Special EP. Girls were screaming out proclamations of love to guitarist Guido Joseph. Two ladies were overheard talking about how talented and good looking drummer Wouter Jerry Prudon is. It was evident that despite having only released one EP in the United States, the Netherlands five-piece is well on its way to seeing the success tourmates Josh and Tyler, of Twenty One Pilots, enjoy.

Though, the guys are basically pop stars in Haarlem. In a recent interview with Best New Bands, Joshua spoke of the band’s success at home, the excitement of joining the Emotional Roadshow tour, trying to break out in the States, and how they relate to Josh and Tyler of Twenty One Pilots:

Seriously, I think there’s not a better thing that could have happened to us this summer, regarding the whole “America Mission” for Chef’Special because we’re a live band. That’s how we broke here, in Holland, by just playing live and getting people to come back. We were selling out venues here before we had any radio in Holland. I think that’s what is really cool about Twenty One Pilots: they already had a huge fan base, before it really took off this year with “Stressed Out” and went through the roof sales-wise and radio-wise. I think in that, we’re kind of the same.

Chef’Special made its U.S. debut last fall, with a self-titled EP, which features the international hit single, “In Your Arms.” The band went on a North American tour with Aer and played a few North American festivals, including Riot Fest in Chicago. The fivesome was discovered by Josh and Tyler of Twenty One Pilots, when the two were performing at a festival in Europem and they spread word to their label Fueled By Ramen, who later signed Chef’Special. The dutch band melds a variety of genres from hip-hop, rock, and pop, to funk and reggae, in a similar fashion to Twenty One Pilots but on a whole new level. Inspired by The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against The Machine, Chef’Special has developed its own style.

That style was put on display during the band’s five-song set at the Allstate Arena, in Rosemont, Illinois. Chef’Special opened with “Amigo,” which was truly the best possible choice, considering this tour is perfect for the band to be making friends and gaining new fans. Halfway through, the band played “Biggest Monkey.”  Guido and Jan jumped up and down, while Joshua ran back and forth across the stage, singing to the audience, who were waving hands to the beat. Fans sang along to the song, which has only been released overseas, on the 2011 album One for the Mrs. When Jan and I chatted after the show, we both praised the power of the Internet, but specifically YouTube, because it has allowed curious fans to catch more of Chef’Special’s music. Clearly American fans have been playing “Biggest Monkey” on repeat because people could be heard rapping along with Joshua. Same went for “Carnivore,” from 2014′s Passing Through. Afterwards, Joshua bowed to the crowd and shouted, “Thanks for your energy, your moves, all that!” However, it was “In Your Arms” that really fueled a sing-along and made for a stunning end to the show. As the Joshua began to softly sing, fans raised their arms, waving lit cell phones in the air. The dark arena suddenly glowed a sea of light. Then orange and purple lights burst from the stage. The chorus grew louder and louder as more and more people sang, “From the day that I met you I stopped feeling afraid / In your arms I feel safe, in your arms I feel safe.”

Chef’Special will be performing with Twenty One Pilots all summer, on the EMØTIØNAL RØADSHØW tour. Follow Chef’Special on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

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Sarah Hess

Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.


You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Sarah Hess

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