The movie
RK Veulpoepers BV, de Hippies van Beek
In 1976, RK Veulpoepers BV was formed in Hilvarenbeek: a festive folk band with left-wing ideals and a major hit with D’n Egelantier. The “Hippies of Beek” built a movement with businesses, communes, and a concert venue. After a turbulent period, the curtain finally fell in 1996. The musicians look back on their ideals, successes, and painful downfall.
Description
With an afterword by Zjef Naaijkens!
They’re back on stage: De Veulpoepers. Their new tour, Against the Sourness, is a spirited response to what they see as the growing "sourness" of Dutch society.
More than 50 years ago, during the turbulent 1970s, the band was formed in Hilvarenbeek. A festive, politically engaged folk band with left-wing ideals, they became legendary in the Dutch province of Brabant. They performed at village festivals and political demonstrations alike, with their biggest hit, D’n Egelantier, becoming an anthem. Around De Veulpoepers, a broader movement emerged that put socialist ideals into practice by founding businesses, communes, and a concert venue in Tilburg that is now known as 013. When a reunion in 1996 descended into a bitter dispute, the curtain finally fell on the colourful collective.
The documentary RK Veulpoepers BV: The Hippies of Beek tells the story of the rise, extraordinary success, and eventual downfall of one of the most rebellious and influential bands the Netherlands has ever known. It is a film about growing older, and about how close friendships can fall apart through deepening differences and conflicting interests. The band members look back on both their glory days and their painful collapse.
