Share the Vibe: tunes by Iris Penning

Not only is Iris Penning the City Poet of Eindhoven, she’s also a singer-songwriter and sings her own poetic pop songs. In this eleventh Share the Vibe playlist, the Eindhoven native shares her favourite (all-Dutch) tracks with us!

Q. How do you describe your connection with Eindhoven?

A. I was born and raised in Eindhoven. I love the raw edges, the graffiti, the industrial vibes, the little hidden artists' spots, the rock bands, the conviviality, the no-nonsense attitude, I love ‘houdoe’ and ‘cheers’ and I love the people who make this city what it is. 

Q. You picked some songs. What does this list mean to you? Why these tracks?

A. I've compiled a list of 10 top Eindhoven songs. The musicians are from Eindhoven, the music goes far beyond that. Because my heart is with the Dutch language, the ten songs on this list are all Dutch. 'Kom van dat dak af' and 'Ben ik te min' are classics, but there's probably something there that you didn’t know is from Eindhoven. I love it!

Q. Which song describes Eindhoven for you? Why this song?

A. There are two songs that scream Eindhoven for me:

1. I remember walking home from school when I was about 14 years old. I heard a drum set in the distance, reflecting against all the walls of het Witte Dorp. I followed the sound. As I came within audible distance, the chorus began: "KOM VAN DAT DAK AF!" A rougher version. Fifty steps further, I saw them. Peter Pan Speedrock. On a roof on the Heezerweg. Just like that, unannounced, during the day, an iconic Eindhoven band being rebellious and quirky. Awesome. 

2. My musical journey started at the Augustinianum school. There they had something called Augpop, where you could form bands and were coached by Rik Polman. For an Augpop reunion I formed a band with former schoolmates and learned a repertoire. Rik Polman didn't know anything when I asked him on stage. I gave him the microphone and took a step back, he looked at us grinning and waiting. As soon as the drummer started the song Rik changed his attitude from the nice teacher to the front man, the confident entertainer, the singer of Bots. The whole audience felt that energy and started singing along loud and clear. ‘WAT ZULLEN WE DRINKEN, ZEVEN DAGEN LANG’... It felt like a national anthem, fraternisation, fun, beer flying in the air, arms around each other, and, of course, singing.

Q. Who would you like to sing a duet with?

A. Unfortunately, I missed my chance to sing a duet with Armand. May he rest in peace. Luckily there is still time to work with Björn van der Doelen and Lenny Kühr! These are both collaborations that I'm pretty sure will actually happen. Fine people, wonderful musicians, heroes they are. By the way, a collaboration with Bertus Borgers or Fresku seems quite an honour to me as well.