Three men who have always remained 18 (in their minds) and wanted to make some old-fashioned noise again, that was the idea. But it got a bit out of hand, because now there is the first single Go Away (with video) from a whole album full of energetic guitar songs, and the three are eager to perform. Starting on January 26 at Scooters, Leeuwarden.

The love for heavy music has always been there for singer/bassist Sipke de Boer, who is world-famous in Friesland with the party band de Suskes. That guitar beast also likes to let loose every performance, but making old-fashioned noise for three-quarters of an hour… that was something Sipke hadn’t done in a while. The spark was reignited by a childhood story from a Facebook friend. “Could I also make a grunge song?” Sipke wondered. He certainly could. In no time he made Better than Me: a song of one and a half minutes with two chords. “Nice and simple, no frills.” The song also has that wonderful soft/hard dynamic that we mainly know from Nirvana, and that is perfect for pogoing.

And it didn’t stop with that one song. Sipke had tapped into his grunge vein and it kept flowing. “It went very fast. I had thirteen songs.” Punchy, mostly uptempo songs with passionate vocals, catchy melodies, and lots of dynamics. But even a sensitive song like Jacob (about Sipke’s younger brother who passed away) is not shunned by 3A7. “I also call it campfire rock, because it should sound good on just one acoustic guitar.”

Originally, Sipke was going to record the songs himself and then continue with his other projects, but the music had stirred something more. The fire flared even higher when he spoke to guitarist Jan van der Wal, an old music mate who has been living in Westerland (North Holland) for years. “Jan asked if I still knew a band or had one to play in.” A smile appeared on Sipke’s face. His songs were suitable for the campfire, but they also screamed to be played with a band. “Uh… I might have something. Do you maybe know a drummer?” Sipke then asked.

Enter Menno Zijlstra: slightly younger, also Frisian by origin and living near the A7 (but in Purmerend), and according to Jan a drum beast perfectly suited for this music. But whether it really clicks, you only know after plugging in the guitars, the drummer has tapped the beat, and the first notes are played. To get used to each other, they played Chop Suey by System of a Down, an intense song with many tempo changes. “Oh, that’s pretty tricky,” Sipke thought beforehand. “But it hit immediately.” Menno indeed proved to be the drummer Jan had promised.

The fun was palpable from that first rehearsal and has only grown since. “This is a real hobby project,” says Sipke. It’s also always a party to rehearse in Westerland. “When a song runs smoothly, you get enormous energy from it.” And if not, the listeners do: on the album ARE YOU R3A7Y 2 ROCK?, which will be released before summer 2025, the songs abound with energy, a solid foundation, but also crystal-clear sound, emotional vocals, often complemented with beautiful harmonies. It’s amazing that with just three musicians, they create such a full band sound. “Jan plays over two amplifiers, with a slight delay, and that sounds very full.”

It’s not a muddy grunge sound, but it is music in which you hear the ‘90s. It feels a bit like the men are experiencing their second youth. Or did they never really grow up? “We are all eighteen, and the rest is experience,” says Sipke. The drummer is ten years younger than the rest (and that’s a good thing, given the division of tasks) to have consciously experienced the grunge period, but as a fan of hardcore bands Blink 182 and Korn, he fits perfectly in 3A7.

And the band name… have we mentioned that Sipke also lives near the A7? That was convenient when coming up with the band name, but above all practical in terms of travel time. The plan is for 3A7 to perform a lot. “We are eager to play it for people.” On Sunday, January 26, the three young dogs can finally let loose at Café Scooters in Leeuwarden. That afternoon, the first single (+ video) Go Away will also be presented.