Led by Willem Smit, the group’s conductor and cheerleader, Dutch indie champions Personal Trainer self-released their debut LP Big Love Blanket towards the end of 2022. Featuring in many Best of the Year lists in the in their home country, the group also received praise in the UK from the likes of Uncut, DIY, Dork and So Young. Marc Riley, who has had the band in for three sessions withing the past twelve months, is leading the charge at radio alongside support from the likes of Jack Saunders, Steve Lamacq, Amy Lame and Deb Grant.
Just because Personal Trainer have become a relatively stable operation, doesn’t mean they have kicked their freewheeling spirit – on the contrary in fact. “It was a funny and different approach for us,” Smit says. “Normally I make the songs together with Casper (van der Lans) and we build everything up layer by layer, deleting things and adding them and putting things together. But with “The Feeling” and Babyolifantjes” (the Dutch word for “Baby Elephants”) I thought it would be fun for all of us to be in the studio together.”
Recorded at Katzwijm Studio with Daan Duurland, “The Feeling” and “Babyolifantjes” are basically candid glimpses of what PersonalTrainer are as a live unit, save from some subtle overdubs here and there.
It’s a given that Personal Trainer will continue to seek out charmingly impulsive ways to court chaos within their big-hearted pop anthems: an exciting proposition for the band’s biggest show yet, capping off the year at TivoliVredenburg’s 2000-capacity Ronda venue on 21st December.
The signing to Bella Union marks a new and exciting chapter for Personal Trainer, who have been a tumultuous DIY-operation up until now. “It's funny: when we talked to (label founder) Simon Raymonde, I found out during our first conversation that he was in Cocteau Twins, the very first band my dad (John Cees Smit of Dutch indie legends Scram C Baby) ever saw live”, Smit enthuses. “I thought that was a funny idea too. It’s a nice, exciting new stage for the band. It feels like a new sequence of trying new things. I hope people discover Personal Trainer who might otherwise would never have heard of us.”
Known for their rousing and electric live shows, this year Personal Trainer took to the stage at festivals such as SXSW (US), Eurosonic (NL), End of the Road Festival (UK), Great Escape (UK), Wilderness (UK), Best Kept Secret (NL) and more. Having started the year with sold out UK & Netherland tours, the band recently played their biggest London show to date at The Garage. The band continue their busy live schedule in 2024.
