The Dutch indie pop band Handsome Poets consists of singer Tim van Esch, drummer Daniel Smit, guitarist Erik Bruil, keyboardist Nils Davidse and bassist Ricardo Szabó. The group came together in 2009 and in January 2010 the song Blinded was released as a single, which was recorded for the film Chance. The song was picked up by national radio stations and this brought the band publicity. The single eventually reached number 32 of the Mega Top 50 and the band won the title of 3FM Serious Talent.
In 2010 a second single by Handsome Poets was released called Dance (The War Is Over). This became a 3FM Megahit and the song even appeared in television spots for the RTL 5 program So You Think You Can Dance.
In the winter the men spent a lot of time in the studio to record a full-fledged CD. This CD, titled Handsome Poets, was finally released on March 25, 2011. The day before, the band was on De Wereld Draait Door with their third single: (We Can’t Be) Saints.
On April 10, 2011, Handsome Poets won the 3FM Serious Talent Award, which they received during their performance in the Melkweg in Amsterdam. Prior to this 3FM Serious Talent Tour, the band played with Chef’Special and The Hype. The band also played as the opening act for the Zeeland band BLØF several times. In the summer of 2011, they played at 60 festivals, including Lowlands, Concert at Sea, Xnoizz Flevo Festival and Appelpop. In December, they closed the year with a Handsome Poets Christmas tour.
From December 2012 to January 2013, the band toured the Netherlands with a sold-out club tour. They played in venues including Effenaar, Paradiso and Tivoli. They concluded the tour with performances at Eurosonic and Noorderslag.
In November 2014, Handsome Poets was named Esquire’s best dressed band. (Source: De Tamboer) (Photo: Jeannes photography)
