The Amsterdams are a Romanian indie rock band formed in Bucharest in 2005. Their current line-up consists of Andrei Hațegan (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ovidiu Bejan (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Andrei Ungureanu (lead guitar), Dragoș Crifca (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Gabriel Ciocan (drums and percussion). The band has toured in the UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic and India and has opened for bands like The Cranberries, Wolf Parade, Nazareth, Roxette and Handsome Furs. As of January 2017, The Amsterdams have released four studio albums, an EP and eleven videos. Their second studio album, Electromagnetica, was mastered by Harris Newman (also known for his work with Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire) and features Dan Boeckner, who plays guitar on "This Burial Ground's For Two". History Formation and early years (2005-2007) The Amsterdams were formed at the beginning of 2005 by Andrei Hațegan and Andrei Ungureanu, following an advertisement posted by Hațegan. Both musicians were big fans of the British alternative scene, listening to bands like Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, Travis, Oasis and The Stone Roses. Shortly after, they were joined by the bass guitarist Dan Olaru and the drummer Vlad Stoica. The name of the band was especially chosen to express the idea of artistic freedom, or, as Andrei Hațegan puts it: The band played its first gig in 2006, in Big Mamou Club, Bucharest. That summer, Stoica and Olaru left The Amsterdams due to musical divergences, and formed a new band, called The Guillotines. Olaru was replaced by Augustin Nicolae, and shortly after the band was joined by the guitarist Ovidiu Bejan. During the following months, The Amsterdams struggled hard to find a new drummer, working with no less than thirteen people; eventually, they chose Alex Ghiță. In 2007, the band recorded two songs, "Taking Care Of Anna" and "Fireworks". "Taking Care Of Anna" was played on a local radio station, 89FM, while "Fireworks" was included on a compilation called The Next Dog Desert Island Selection, produced by Roadrunner Music. Later that year, The Amsterdams were invited to play at the third edition of UnderLondon2 Festival, in Bucharest. They were also part of the line-up for Stufstock 5 Festival, which had The Dandy Warhols as headliners. Their performance impressed the American band and led Courtney Taylor-Taylor to dedicate to them the song "Country Leaver", calling them "the best Romanian band". In autumn the line-up changed.