The Tibbs

Formed in 2012 in Amsterdam, the Tibbs were one of the later additions to the well-established Euro soul/funk revival that ran parallel with the U.S. scene led by Daptone Records et al since the early 2000s. Fronted by powerful vocalist Elsa Bekman, the band were made up of Northern soul and funk fans Henk Kemkes (guitar), Michael Willemsen (bass), Paul Jonker (organ), Berd Ruttenberg (baritone sax), Coen de Vries (tenor sax), Siebe Posthuma de Boer (trumpet), and Bas de Vries (drums). In July 2014, the Tibbs released the EP Cleaned Out, which featured four self-penned tracks along with two covers, including ? & the Mysterians "96 Tears." This was followed a couple of months later by the Footprints in the Sand single issued on the Munich-based soul/funk label Tramp Records. 2016 saw the release of octets debut long-player, Takin Over, on Record Kicks. It was produced by Paul Willemsen (Zuco 103 and fellow Dutch funksters Lefties Soul Connection). The album featured a cover of Ike & Tinas "Cussin Cryin and Carryin On" and was followed by the single release of Dog Days in July 2016. ~ Matthew Garbutt