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Thé Lau

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Thé Lau
Thé Lau with The Scene, June 2014
Background information
Birth nameMatheus Josephus Lau
Born(1952-07-17)17 July 1952
Bergen, North Holland, Netherlands
Died23 June 2015(2015-06-23) (aged 62)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
GenresRock music
Occupation(s)Guitarist, vocalist, lyricist
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1973–2014
Formerly ofThe Scene, Neerlands Hoop Express
Websitethelau.nl

Matheus J. "Thé" Lau (17 July 1952 – 23 June 2015) was a Dutch musician and writer. Besides his solo career, he was the lead singer of the Dutch band The Scene. He was born in Bergen, North Holland.

Music career

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Lau played guitar in several bands and was a member of the Dutch band Neerlands Hoop Express. In 1979 he founded the band The Scene with Lau as lead singer and guitarist.[1] The band's most well-known songs are "Blauw" and "Iedereen is van de wereld".

Lau left The Scene in 2003 and got touring with keyboardist Jan-Peter Bast in Dutch theaters. In October 2006, he resumed the tour under title Tempel der liefde accompanied by Jan-Peter Bast and tango string quartet Pavadita.

In 2007, The Scene had a reunion with Lau and three former band members. (Jeroen Booy, Emilie Blom van Assendelft and Otto Cooymans) They started touring again, and released a new CD.

In 2010, Thé Lau topped the Dutch charts with a collaboration with Dutch rapper Lange Frans, "Zing voor me".

Writing career

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In 2000, he made his debut in literature by writing short stories De sterren van de hemel (meaning the stars of heaven). In 2003, his writings were published in a book titled Thé Lau, de teksten. His first novel was Hemelrijk in 2004, followed by a collection of music stories entitled In de dakgoot (meaning in the gutter). In 2007 his work has appeared in 1000 vissen, a collection of stories about the Amsterdam's neighborhood Spaarndammerbuurt where Thé Lau had been living and working for 15 years.

Illness and death

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Lau was diagnosed with throat cancer in August 2013 and was told he could not be cured in April 2014. He died in June 2015 in Amsterdam.[2]

[edit]
  • In vrijheid is a 2005 song Thé Lau wrote as a liberation song for Bevrijdingsdag (Liberation Day in the Netherlands).[1] He performed it on May 5, 2005 and the song became very popular for the annual celebrations of the Day.
  • Thé Lau was part of the Dutch "Ticket For Tibet" event and took part in the album release of the collective in 2008.[3]

Discography

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Source for Thé Lau discography[4] / Source for The Scene discography:[5]

Albums

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with The Scene
  • 1980: The Scene
  • 1985: This is real
  • 1988: Rij rij rij
  • 1991: Blauw (NED #41)
  • 1992: Open (NED #26)
  • 1993: Avenue de la Scene (NED #34)
  • 1994: The Scene Live (NED #43)
  • 1996: Arena (NED #35)
  • 1997: 2 Meter Sessies (NED #53)
  • 2000: Rauw, hees, teder – Het beste van (NED #69)
  • 2007: 2007 (NED #79)
  • 2009: Liefde op doorreis (NED #46)
  • 2012: Code (NED #44)
Solo
  • 1998: 1998
  • 2002: De God van Nederland (re-released in 2004 with the bonus CD Overspel)
  • 2006: Tempel der liefde (NED #63)
  • 2014: Platina Blues

Singles

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with The Scene

Non-charting

  • 1980: "Young Dogs, Young Blood
  • 1982: "The Beat" / "Bliss"
  • 1982: "Stappen" / "Allied Cigarettes"
  • 1986: "S.E.X."
  • 1987: "Ritme"
  • 1987: "Wereld"
  • 1988: "Borderline"
  • 1988: "Rij rij rij"
  • 1989: "Rauw hees teder"

Charting

  • 1990: "Rigoreus" (NED #68)
  • 1991: "Iedereen is van de wereld" (NED #62)
  • 1991: "Blauw" (NED #15)
  • 1992: "Zuster" (NED #33)
  • 1992: "Open" (NED #40)
  • 1992: "Samen" (NED #57)
  • 1993: "Iedereen is van de wereld" / "Nieuwe laarzen (van een oude leest)" (The Scene / De Dijk) (NED #16)
  • 2000: "Helden" (NED 84)
Solo
  • 2003: "Brandende regen" (NED #91)
  • 2005: "In vrijheid" (NED #48)
  • 2010: "Zing voor me (Lange Frans & Thé Lau) (NED #1)
Collective
  • 2004: "Lied voor Beslan" (by Artiesten voor Beslan) (NED #17)

DVDs

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  • 2003: The show

Bibliography

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  • 2000: De Sterren van de Hemel
  • 2003: De Teksten
  • 2004: Hemelrijk
  • 2006: In de Dakgoot
Participations in collections

References

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  1. ^ a b Avro Culturgids: Het Klassieke Hart van Thé Lau (in Dutch)
  2. ^ Zanger Thé Lau (62) overleden – Volkskrant (in Dutch)
  3. ^ Discogs: Ticket For Tibet page
  4. ^ DutchCharts.nl: Thé Lau discography
  5. ^ DutchCharts.nl: The Source discography
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