Minny Pops

Minny Pops is an Amsterdam post-punk and electronic group formed in 1977 and active to the present. The project is closely associated with Wally van Middendorp, who is the creative centre of the band and a figure in Amsterdam’s underground Ultra art movement. He also founds the Plurex label in early 1978.

Formation and early line-ups

The band takes its name from a primitive Korg rhythm box called Mini Pops. Its first line-up is a mostly electronic set-up with Wally on vocals and drum machine, bassist Frans Hagenaars, guitarist Peter Mertens, and two dancers, including Wally’s brother Rob. The group makes its live debut at the Brakke Grond in Amsterdam on 12 December. Early in its history the band shares some musical territory with acts such as Suicide, The Normal and Human League.

Early recordings and Plurex releases

Minny Pops records quickly after forming. Its first single, Kojak, appears on Plurex in March 1979 and is backed by Footsteps and Nervous. The track uses borrowed dialogue from the US television series Kojak and works as a parody. The band’s debut album, Drastic Measures, Drastic Movement, follows in September 1979 on Plurex. A line-up change in June brings in guitarists Dennis Duchhart and Stef Emmer before the album is recorded.

In 1979 the group performs mainly in the Netherlands. Notable dates include the Melkweg with Red Crayola and Scritti Politti in April, a support slot with XTC at Paradiso in December, and a Plurex promotional tour around the country with the Comsat Angels in September.

Factory Records period

Minny Pops gains wider attention after linking with Factory Records. After supporting Joy Division in Den Haag and Eindhoven in January 1980, the group plays the Factory Club in Manchester in April and also appears at the Bury riot gig and a headline show at Derby Blue Note. By this point Frans Hagenaars has left, and the first keyboard player, Wim Dekker, joins, becoming part of the group’s core with Wally.

Back in the Netherlands, the band records a live EP, Live, in June 1980 after touring with The Tapes. In August it returns to Manchester to record the Factory single Dolphin’s Spurt at Strawberry Studio in Stockport with producer Martin Hannett, alongside the Names’ recording session for Nightshift. The single is released as FAC 31 in January 1981 and couples a harder version of the title track with the new song Goddess. The line-up for this session includes Wally, Wim, bassist Leon van Zoeren and interim guitarist Pim Scheelings. Martin Atkins designs the sleeve in a style that echoes Philips corporate branding.

In November 1980 the band plays the LSE in London with A Certain Ratio and the Au Pairs and records a four-song Peel session for BBC radio. The session includes Dolphin Spurt, Mono, Jets and Ice Cube Wall. It is described as the first Peel session by a Dutch band. In December the group supports New Order in Rotterdam and then tours North America, playing New York, Hoboken, Toronto and Boston.

Later work and changing membership

Minny Pops reduces its live activity while writing material for a second album. In April 1981 it returns to Britain for shows with the Comsat Angels and Delmontes in London and support dates with New Order in Nottingham and Birmingham. In October it tours the Netherlands with the Names and also plays a one-off show in Italy. A final Dutch tour in December 1981 is the last set of live performances before a pause.

Material for the next album is developed from a July 1981 demo tape. Een Kus appears as a flexi disc with the Dutch magazine Vinyl in October 1981, and Kogel is issued in live form on a free 7-inch with a re-release of Drastic Measures. The resulting album, Sparks In A Dark Room, is released on Factory Benelux in May 1982. It features a new line-up: Wally, Wim Dekker, bassist Pieter Mulder and drummer Orpheus Roovers. Two singles are also recorded from this period: Time / Lights on Factory Benelux in April 1982, and Secret Story / Island on Factory in September 1982.

By the time Sparks In A Dark Room is mixed in February 1982, the band is already moving apart creatively. Wim Dekker, Pieter Mulder and new drummer Ruben Ootes record an instrumental EP, Werktitels, under the name Smalts. Wally also acts as master of ceremonies on the Crepuscule package tour Dialogue North-South in February 1982, and his spoken material from that event appears later as Raving Lunatic on the souvenir release Some Of The Interesting Things You’ll See On A Long-Distance Flight.

Wim and Wally are later commissioned to write the score for the musical play Poste Restante, which is recorded in October and released by Plurex as an LP. A reunion album, 4th Floor, follows in 1985. The group effectively disbands after a meeting in August 1983, although Wally continues to work in label management roles for Boudisque, Megadisc, PIAS and Sony.

Related projects

Wim Dekker, Ruben Ootes, Pieter Mulder and Zip Boterbloem later reform as Smalts in 2002 and release the CD It’s Good To Be On A Well-Run Ship on Staalplaat.