Finch were one of the most technically dazzling bands of 1970s Dutch progressive rock — a wholly instrumental quartet built around the virtuoso guitar of Joop van Nimwegen. Forming when the band couldn’t find a singer they liked, they turned that into a strength, crafting powerful, complex, guitar-and-keyboard-driven music that fused symphonic prog with the fire of jazz-rock. In just three albums between 1975 and 1977 they earned a place among the ‘big three’ of Dutch prog, alongside Focus and Earth and Fire.

The short version

Finch were a Dutch instrumental progressive rock band, formed in The Hague in 1974 and led by guitarist and composer Joop van Nimwegen. Famously wordless — the result of never finding a singer they were happy with — their music married symphonic prog with hard-edged jazz fusion and formidable technical chops, built on the interplay of van Nimwegen’s guitar and Cleem Determeijer’s keyboards. They made three albums, “Glory of the Inner Force” (1975), “Beyond Expression” (1976) and “Galleons of Passion” (1977), the first of which is widely held to be their masterpiece.

An instrumental band by accident

Finch were founded in 1974 by guitarist Joop van Nimwegen, bassist Peter Vink — whose surname means ‘finch’ in Dutch, giving the band its name — and drummer Beer Klaasse, all veterans of the cult Dutch band Q65. After months of fruitless auditions for a singer, they decided to do without one altogether and commit to instrumental music. The line-up was completed by the classically trained keyboardist Cleem Determeijer, a student at the Rotterdam Academy of Music, whose chemistry with van Nimwegen became the heart of the band’s sound.

Powerful, guitar-led instrumental prog

Finch’s music is intense, intricate and thrillingly played. At its centre is Joop van Nimwegen’s guitar — fast, fluid and neo-classical, drawing constant comparison to Jan Akkerman of Focus, Steve Howe of Yes and John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra — locked in restless dialogue with Cleem Determeijer’s Hammond, Mellotron and Moog. Beneath them, Peter Vink’s busy, Chris Squire-like bass and Beer Klaasse’s drumming drive long, multi-part compositions through abrupt shifts of mood and tempo. The result sits where symphonic prog meets jazz-rock, recalling Camel and Focus but pushing further into technical adventure.

If this is your scene, the books go deeper →

Three albums

Finch left just three studio albums, all instrumental, all of them rewarding. The debut, “Glory of the Inner Force” (1975) — four long, fiercely inventive pieces — is generally regarded as their finest, and was released in the United States as well as at home. “Beyond Expression” (1976), three extended works, won them wider popularity in the Netherlands and a hard-won concert following. “Galleons of Passion” (1977), made amid line-up changes, took a slightly more melodic and reflective turn. Constant personnel upheaval finally proved too much, and the band gave its last concert in 1978.

Album by album

Finch’s three studio albums, in order. Tap any title to explore.

The players

Finch revolved around Joop van Nimwegen, the band’s leader, sole composer and remarkable lead guitarist, alongside classically trained keyboardist Cleem Determeijer, whose interplay with van Nimwegen defined the band’s sound. The rhythm section of bassist Peter Vink — later a member of the modern Dutch prog band Knight Area — and drummer Beer Klaasse came, like van Nimwegen, from Q65. The line-up shifted often: Determeijer gave way to Ad Wammes, and Klaasse to Hans Bosboom and then Fred van Vloten, churn that ultimately ended the band. Van Nimwegen went on to play guitar in the pit orchestras of many Dutch stage musicals.

Where to start

Start with the debut, “Glory of the Inner Force” (1975) — Finch’s most celebrated album and a high point of instrumental Dutch prog, four sprawling, virtuosic tracks that show the band at full, fiery throttle. From there, “Beyond Expression” (1976) makes the natural next step, in the same powerful instrumental vein. Two records that capture this extraordinary band at its best.

Why they still matter

Finch matter as one of the most accomplished instrumental bands progressive rock ever produced — living proof that a prog band needs no singer when the playing is this good. In Joop van Nimwegen they had a guitarist to stand alongside the genre’s finest, and in “Glory of the Inner Force” a record that belongs in any collection of 1970s prog. For anyone who loves the meeting of symphonic grandeur, jazz-rock fire and sheer instrumental virtuosity, Finch are an essential and thrilling discovery.

Browse the bookshelf in the footer →