Born on August 17: Hans Vandenburg, mischievous spirit of Gruppo Sportivo

He was born in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1946. The funny singer remains inextricably linked to his hometown.

When, in 1976, he joined Gruppo Sportivo, a local group that had no Italian roots, Hans Vandenburg was supposed to be a one-off replacement. But, as they got along well, he quickly became the group's figurehead and main composer. We offered the most of the delicious of verses, sometimes humorous, sometimes surreal, which, half a century later, still provoke the same smiles and often downright hilarity. It was he who scribbled "Tokyo" on "Back To 78" (1978): "In Tokyo, I'm on the hit parade/In Tokyo I've got a million fans/In Tokyo they know who I am/Tokyo I'm on my way/And in my new Toyota it's not so far away." Monty Python's John Cleese and Eric Idle could have included such a refrain in the opening credits of "Life of Brian," even if it would have posed a timing problem...

Initially adopting the pseudonym Van De Fruits, Hans clearly brought a touch of humor and irony to the late 1970s pop scene. Around the same time, Henk Hofstede's Nits released the single "Tutti Ragazzi," although it's unclear why the Italian language found its way between the canals and the tulips.

With their first two albums, "10 Mistakes" (late 1977) and "Back To 78" (1978), Gruppo Sportivo established itself by churning out offbeat and often parodic hits like "Beep Beep Love," "Hey Girl," "I Said No," "Rock'n Roll," and "Disco Really Made It." These two landmark, if not iconic, albums were produced by Robert Jan Stips, keyboardist of the aforementioned Nits. If you're a fan of numbers, their first LP spent 21 weeks at the top of the charts in their native country, while the second achieved platinum status in the blink of an eye.

At the height of his fame, albeit primarily Belgian-British, Hans decided to press pause and embark on an even crazier project with Buddy Odor Stop, whose only album, "Buddy Odor Is A Gas," came with a clothespin!

After several albums in the '80s ("Copy Copy," "Pop! Goes The Brain," "Design Moderne," "Sucker Of The Century," among others), and also an inevitable hiatus to recharge his batteries, Hans continues to exploit the same formulas without, however, finding the same refreshing naiveté. As he prepares to turn eighty in 2026, Hans is still having fun on stage and has just released "Back To Nature" (2025), his fifteenth album if my count is correct.

Upcoming concerts:

September 19: Het Depot - Leuven (Belgium)

October 19: Tivoli - Utrecht (Belgium)

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Hans Vandenburg with Gruppo Sportivo on stage at the Hôtel de Ville in Charleroi (Belgium) on February 2, 1979