In the ’90s, a party without dance anthems such as We like to party, We’re going to Ibiza and Brazil was not considered a party. Sixteen years later, the band who gave us those gems, The Vengaboys, showed us that they can still bring the roof down, even if it’s in a mall.
A crowd of 1,200, mostly aged 25 to 35, sang along at the top of their voices as the Dutch dance band lip synced and gyrated suggestively on stage. "Mumbai let’s talk about sex. Why not let’s just have some sex, on the beach?" said Donny Latupeirissa, one of the members, before thrusting into the song, Sex On The Beach. And the crowd followed along.
WE WILL SURVIVE
“That’s the real high, seeing the crowds singing along. Our music reminds them of a happy time. Retro is cool now. That’s why we’ve been doing this all these years, and will continue. We don’t care where we perform, as long as we do. We get paid to party. Who has that?” says member Kim Sasabone.
The Vengaboys are actually named after Dutch producers known as Danski and Delmundo, who are the creative brains behind the music, which is then performed and sung by Latupeirissa, Sasabone, Robin Pors and Denise Van Post-Rijswijk. The band has sold almost 25 million albums worldwide and they are showing no signs of slowing down. “We do around 100 shows a year,” says Pors.
The rest of the time, when they are free, they are partying as well. “I don’t think there is even one day in a week we don’t party.” And how many times have they been to Ibiza? “Oh, a million. The best time was when we sat in a pool and gave interviews. Can we do that now? Mumbai is so hot!” says Sasabone, fanning herself with her Oriental fan.
MAD TIMES
When they talk of their maddest shows ever though, some surprises pop up. “We performed for a group of six-year-olds in Denmark,” says Pors. They must have left out their hit Boom Boom, I want you in my room then. “No way. They don’t know what it means. They just sing along Boom!” says Latupeirissa, “What age were you when you heard it?”
When I say 16, he laughs, “Oh, you know what that meant!” Their second most favourite show was one in India in 2001. “Muslim groups wanted us banned! We were so excited,” says Sasabone. This is a fun lot and that just gets more obvious when they reveal their favourite party trick. “Have a lot of tequila, and then a lot of sex,” says Pors. Okay now!
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From HT Brunch, May 24
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MAD TIMES
When they talk of their maddest shows ever though, some surprises pop up. “We performed for a group of six-year-olds in Denmark,” says Pors. They must have left out their hit Boom Boom, I want you in my room then. “No way. They don’t know what it means. They just sing along Boom!” says Latupeirissa, “What age were you when you heard it?”
When I say 16, he laughs, “Oh, you know what that meant!” Their second most favourite show was one in India in 2001. “Muslim groups wanted us banned! We were so excited,” says Sasabone. This is a fun lot and that just gets more obvious when they reveal their favourite party trick. “Have a lot of tequila, and then a lot of sex,” says Pors. Okay now!
Follow @aastha82 on Twitter
From HT Brunch, May 24
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch