Chef'Special Rocks Music Week

Funk/rockers Chef'Special continued their rising notoriety with a gig at the MTV Mobile pop-up store last night. The Haarlem-based band played the small show as part of MTV Music Week. L/R: Wouter Prudon, Joshua Nolet, Guido Joseph of Chef'Special on Nov. 7, 2013 (photo:Lucienne de Boer) Music fans packed the storefront on Amsterdam's Kalverstraat as they listened to the band plow through a fast-paced set of nearly an hour. Along with their new single, "Peculiar," Chef'Special got the crowd wound up with the tense, slow rap song "Biggest Monkey." During the all-acoustic show it was no surprise the band played the indie rock-styled ballad, "Birds," and they also drew the audience into a sing-along of "My Night Off." The band is growing in popularity, with an upcoming February show in Paradiso that has already sold out, and a regional tour expected to follow. Lead singer Joshua Nolet mentioned that he is excited to go to this weekend's MTV EMA, especially for the chance to hook up with both up-and-coming and more established musicians. "It's great being a part of what you used to look up to," said guitarist Guido Joseph, reflecting on how much he and his bandmates watched MTV growing up. MTV Music Week runs through Sunday, November 10th, leading up to the MTV EMA. The awards show location changes annually, with the 2013 edition taking place at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam.