Personal Trainer

Personal Trainer

Personal Trainer is a Dutch indie rock band from Amsterdam. The group is fronted by Willem Smit, who also fronts Canshaker Pi and plays guitar in Steve French. Smit is a prominent figure in the Amsterdam indie scene.

Formation and line-up

Personal Trainer begins as a side project connected to Canshaker Pi and develops as an experimental, changing garage rock collective with a rotating cast of musicians. Its line-up later stabilises into a larger group. Members associated with the band include Mart Boumans, Leon Harms, Kilian Kayser, Franti Maresova, Willem Smit, Abel Tuinstra, Ruben van Weegberg, Tender Blom, Otto de Jong, Kick Kluiving, Casper van der Lans, Darek Mercks and Cees Paris.

Releases

The band releases a steady run of stand-alone songs, singles and EPs from 2016 onwards, with much of the early material staying relatively under the radar. Its first full-length album is Big Love Blanket, which appears with the band’s later, stabilised line-up.

Style and associations

Personal Trainer works in indie rock, with links to garage rock, punk rock, indie pop and crank wave. Its music is associated with acts such as Protomartyr, Pavement and Scram C Baby.