The Cohens is a so-called powertrio from Nijmegen, The Netherlands, consisting of drummer Bas Rens (25), pianist Geert Nellen (25) and singer Joost Nellen aka Chino (24),. Their music can be described as notorious, energetic, a little bit nervous, and because they don’t make use of guitars it is often called surprisingly inventive. With Geert playing both piano- and basskeys and Bas slapping his drumkit like a policeofficer smashing down a communist rebellion, their combined action is pretty marvelous. With Chino screaming and roaring on the front of the stage their line-up is rather small, but the impact all the greater. In the compositions the keys and vocals make up all melodies, which are backed by clever drumrythms that are both subtle and powerful. The Cohens basically write easy-to-grasp songs, which are more than regular pop-songs because of the band’s unique composition.

In May 2008, when they were only a year together, The Cohens won the local bandcompetition ‘de Roos van Nijmegen’, which enabled them to play many clubs and festivals in the months thereafter. A couple of months later, in November, the lads also won ‘de Gesel van Gelderland’, and they qualified themselves for the national finals of the POPnl-awards in de Melkweg in August 2009. In the beginning of 2009 The Cohens released their first EP, with eight brandnew songs recorded and produced by Remko Schouten in the Ijland studio in Amsterdam.

At the very moment you are reading this, the band travels around The Netherlands every now and then to treat the audience to a stunning performance. Flexible as these guys are they are basically willing to take any gig-offer that could guarantee them a proper sound-check, a few beers for travelling all the way, and some nice chicks screaming for more from the front-row. The Cohens are one-of-a-kind, and they will perform and play as long as it takes them to satisfy their desire.