Time Bandits
Established in 1980, Time Bandits is a Dutch band operating at the crossroads of pop, funk, disco and rock. Founding member and frontman Alides Hidding has been the only permanent member throughout the years. Time Bandits was active from 1980 to 1987 and then, after a seven year hiatus, from 1994 to the present. They… Read moreShow less
Established in 1980, Time Bandits is a Dutch band operating at the crossroads of pop, funk, disco and rock. Founding member and frontman Alides Hidding has been the only permanent member throughout the years. Time Bandits was active from 1980 to 1987 and then, after a seven year hiatus, from 1994 to the present. They enjoyed considerable chart success in the Netherlands between 1981 and 1986: eight chart hits, with three singles landing in the Dutch Top 10: 'Live It Up' (#9, 1981), 'I'm Specialized in You' (#2, 1983), 'Listen to the Man With the Golden Voice' (#7, 1983) and 'I'm Only Shooting Love' (#6, 1983). Some of their singles also charted abroad, notably France, Portugal and the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart in North America. Here is a Time Bandits timeline... 1980 Vocalist Alides Hidding scores a solo hit with the single 'Hollywood Seven' and then forms Time Bandits with bassist Peter Smid, session drummer Tommy Bachman, keyboard player Otto Cooymans and guitarist Carl Carlton. 1981 Swedish keyboard player Åke Danielson and drummer Joris Alberda join the group. In December the band has a hit with 'Live It Up', which also hits the number one spot in de U.S. Hot Dance/Disco charts. 1982 The single 'Sister Paradise' fails to enter the charts. The band's self-titled debut album is released, but fails commercially. 1982 is a very disappointing year for the band after their promising start in 1981. 1983 The single 'I'm Specialized In You' hits #2 in the Dutch Top 40 and also becomes a big hit in France with over 450,000 copies sold. 'Listen To The Man With The Golden Voice' enters the Dutch Top 10 in April. The second album, Tracks, is released. 'I'm Only Shooting Love', the first single from this album, enters the Dutch Top 10 in October. The single does well in France, the U.S. and Australia and the band gets to tour Australia and New Zealand. 1984 'Reach Out' enters the Dutch Top 40 in May. Bassist Smid and drummer Alberda leave the band and are being replaced by Dick Schulte Nordholt (bass) and Kim Haworth (drums). Hugo de Bruin is the band's new guitarist. 1985 More modest chart success ensues with 'Endless Road'. Hidding goes to the U.S. to work with Dan Hartman. By doing so, he more or less loses the band. The album Fiction is released in the autumn under the Time Bandits moniker. The single 'Dancing On A String' enters the charts in October. 1986 The single 'I Won't Steal Away', co-written by Hidding and Hartman, becomes a modest hit (it will turn out to be the band's final chart hit) and a new Time Bandits incarnation tours Europe. 1987 In February Hidding again leaves for the U.S. to work with Dan Hartman. The singles 'We'll Be Dancing' and 'Wildfire' fail to chart, however, and the album Can't Wait For Another World performs poorly. Following this, Alides Hidding decides to bury the Time Bandits moniker and moves to Los Angeles where he starts composing songs for the likes of Jennifer Rush, Helen Schneider, Trini Lopez and The Nylons. He also co-writes with people like Dan Hartman, Charlie Mitnight and Dwayne Hitchings and writes the music for the cartoon series Star Street. 1990 Åke Danielson writes the score for the film Let The Music Dance. 1996 Under the name Blueville, Åke Danielson releases the album Blueville Serenade. 1997 Since 1994 Alides Hidding has been performing with a new line-up of Time Bandits. The set list mainly consists of old rock, soul and pop tunes and of course all of Time Bandits' greatest hits. 2002 During 'The Reflex Of The 80s', an evening at the Rotterdam Ahoy, a new Time Bandits roster plays some hits. 2003 The album As Life? contains new recordings of Time Bandits hit singles, supplemented with cover versions such as Hey Jude, Papa Was A Rolling Stone and Purple Rain. 2012 Time Bandits returns with a new album, Out of the Blue. 'Old hands' Hidding and Danielson are now backed by drummer Olaf Noordanus and bassist Gerold Olieberg. 2022 After various line-up changed, Time Bandits' 2022 line-up comprises Hidding, Olaf Noordanus (drums), Marco van der Velden (bass), Ugene Latumeten (keys) and Pascal Harting (guitar). This line-up performs live for about two years, then dissolves. Alides Hidding resurfaces in September 2024. He still performs under the Time Bandits name, backed by a revolving roster of musicians.