Pirate culture in Drenthe

The Drents Museum is working on an exhibition about pirate culture in Drenthe. Pirate music is experiencing a revival and is currently extremely popular among young people in the northeastern part of the Netherlands. Each pirate station has a few 100s to many 1000s of listeners. Pirate festivals are invariably sold out.

Although the first radio pirates originated in the Achterhoek, the three largest pirate stations in the Netherlands now all come from Drenthe: Radio Olympia, Radio Continu and GigantFM. Many well-known pirate musicians, such as Jannes and Monica West, have their roots in Drenthe. The mainly Dutch music that can be heard on pirate stations and during pirate festivals is often not played by mainstream pop stations. The 'pirates' mainly run from attic rooms and sheds. Their studio is often attractively decorated and is usually full of visitors commenting on the music.

That atmosphere will soon be reflected in the exhibition in the Kloosterzaal and the Brink rooms from mid-March.

photo: Stokoude muziek voor piepjong publiek: Jordie Hemsens (Hemoes) draait piratenmuziek op TikTok. © RTV Drenthe/Jeanine Hofsteenge.