The Ex

The Ex are a Dutch punk band from Amsterdam, active since 1979. They begin in the squatting movement in Wormer and Amsterdam and emerge from the Dutch punk explosion as an anarcho-punk group, with early influence from bands such as The Fall and Mekons. Their debut album, Disturbing Domestic Peace, appears in 1980.

Sound and development

After their first few albums, The Ex move away from straightforward punk and develop a broader sound that combines punk with noise, free jazz, improvisation, avant-garde elements and Ethiopian rhythms. Their style also spans post-punk, art punk, experimental rock, noise rock and ethio-jazz. Over time, they become known for a distinctive, wide-ranging approach rather than a fixed genre identity.

Albums, collaborations and work with others

The Ex release fifteen studio albums of their own from 1980 onwards. They also record studio collaborations with Chumbawamba, Dog Faced Hermans, Tortoise and Sonic Youth, and work with improvisers including Tom Cora and the Instant Composers Pool (ICP). They tour with African musicians Konono Nº1 and Getatchew Mekurya, and they work with recording engineer Steve Albini.

Membership

The Ex have had many line-up changes over the years, with nineteen different members in total. Terrie Hessels is the only remaining founding member and performs as Terrie Ex. Katherina Bornefeld joins the band in 1984 and remains a long-term member, while Andy Moor joins in 1990. Original singer, lyricist and frontman G.W. Sok leaves in 2009 to focus on solo work, and Arnold de Boer of Zea takes over vocals. Other members include Luc Ex, Rozemarie Heggen, Han Buhrs, Ex Orkest, Geurt van Gisteren, René de Groot, Cobie Laan, Joke Laarman, Bas Masbeck, Nicolette Schuurman, Wim ter Weele, Johannes van de Weert and Sabien Witteman.

Labels and related projects

Many of the band’s records appear on their own label, Ex Records. Members also run smaller labels for solo releases and collaborations: Terrie Hessels runs Terp Records, Andy Moor runs Unsounds and Arnold de Boer runs Makkum Records. The Ex distribute these releases through their website, alongside recordings and publications by G.W. Sok.