About
Also known as: De Nije Kast, De kast, Kast
De Kast started life in 1985 as an English language band called Wish To Escape, founded in Friesland by Peter van der Ploeg, his cousin Syb van der Ploeg, Kees Bode, and Dick Visser. By 1992 they had switched to a Dutch language repertoire and renamed themselves De Kast, landing a record deal and releasing their first Dutch album, Alles uit de kast, in 1993. The real breakthrough came in 1997 when they performed to a sold out Abe Lenstra Stadion in Heerenveen and scored a massive hit with In nije dei, written for the Frisian film De Gouden Swipe. That track became the first Frisian language song to chart in the Dutch Top 40, peaking at number two. From there, De Kast became one of the bigger acts in the Dutch pop scene. Albums like Noorderzon and Onvoorspelbaar both went platinum, and Onvoorspelbaar hit number one on the Dutch album chart. They played concerts at Ahoy in Rotterdam and three sold out shows at GelreDome in Arnhem, with guests including Marco Borsato and Henk Westbroek. Singing in Dutch, Frisian, and English, they managed to bring a regional Frisian identity to a national audience in a way that few acts had done before.
