The first time you listen to a Queen’s Pleasure song, you might think you’re listening to an unreleased Arctic Monkeys or Kooks demo but instead, they’re an exciting young band hailing from Amsterdam, where they’ve been making quite a name for themselves since their formation in 2016. Formed while they were teenagers, guitarist Teun Putker and drummer Sal Rubinstein bonded over their common musical interests when they were 15 and 14 years old, respectively. Putker grew up playing blues music influenced by the likes of BB King, Stevie and Jimmy Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Magic Sam and The Paladins amongst others. Of their initial bond, Rubinstein describes the moment that Putker played a loud catchy blues riff over “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” by Tame Impala, “I loved it so I said, let’s start a band,” Rubinstein stated. The pair put up an ad on a chat group for a bassist and lead singer, which brought on lead singer Jurre Otto and bassist Jelmer van Os. Honing their live performances over the years, Queen’s Pleasure have performed at The Kooks after-show gig during their most recent tour through Europe, and toured with The Netherlands’ Popronde. They released their first EP ‘Big Boys Loan/Nico 1995’ through the label of the legendary venue Paradiso, drawing in more fans with their explosive energy and captivating stage presence. Recently, the band has been collaborating with acclaimed producer Edd Hartwell on their upcoming debut EP ‘Panic From Dublin’, who has worked with the likes of Ed Sheehan, Jeff Beck, and The Prodigy.
Queen’s Pleasure spoke with B-Sides host Pete Mar to talk about their evolution as a band as young teenagers influenced by the likes of Arctic Monkeys and other British bands, the making of ‘Panic From Dublin’ and their big plans for 2021.
