The best-known tribute bands in the Netherlands

Who decides which tribute band counts as 'well known'? We kept it measurable. This list covers Dutch tribute bands that reached the Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam's big indoor arena, through the SBS6 programme The Tribute – Battle of the Bands, or that filled the large venues across the country on their own. Each band comes with its source. The order is chronological, not a ranking.

Since 2022 The Tribute has had tribute bands play each season for a panel of Cesar Zuiderwijk (Golden Earring), Angela Groothuizen and Spike, plus a public vote. The best bands then play the Ziggo Dome. According to the news programme Hart van Nederland, the season 2 final drew 1,026,000 viewers.

1Queen Must Go On (Queen)

The Nijmegen band won the first season of The Tribute in 2022. The Hague music venue Paard has billed them ever since as "winner of The Tribute – Battle of the Bands (2022)". Runner-up that year was Billy Joel Experience.

2Bouke & The ElvisMatters Band (Elvis Presley)

Singer Bouke Scholten from Emmen won the second season in February 2023. In the final he sang My Way and Suspicious Minds; for the latter the band got three tens from the judges, TV Gids reported. In April 2023 the band played an hour as headliner at the Ziggo Dome.

3Bee Gees Forever / MainCourse (Bee Gees)

Winners of season 3 in 2024. In January 2024 the local news outlet Rodi Media had already called the band "the big surprise" of the programme (in Dutch). In September 2024 the group released its first single of its own and changed its name to MainCourse, after the Bee Gees album Main Course. They perform as Bee Gees Forever by MainCourse.

4Treasure (Bruno Mars)

An eight-piece band built around singer Steven Smits from Eindhoven, formed in March 2024. A year later Treasure won the fourth season. "With the right drive and the right communication with each other, you can go a long way," Smits told Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). The win brought three nights at the Ziggo Dome in April 2025.

5Donna's Hot Stuff (Donna Summer)

A twelve-piece band built around singer Irma Derby. Season 5 ended with two winners, and Donna's Hot Stuff was one of them. In April 2026 the band played a 50-minute headline set at the Ziggo Dome. "I always used to say 'One day I want to be on stage at the Ziggo'. We made it," Derby told Rodi Media (in Dutch).

6Beach Boys Best (The Beach Boys)

The other winner of season 5. Five musicians who all sing, which the Beach Boys' harmonies demand. In the first episode they won the night with Good Vibrations. They too played 50 minutes at the Ziggo Dome in April 2026.

7Coming On Strong (Golden Earring)

The five members come from The Hague, Golden Earring's home city. The band started as a one-off show at the Zwarte Cross festival and has played regularly since 2021. In season 5 they reached the final, with Golden Earring drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk himself on the panel. His verdict after their first performance: "Gutsy of you to dare to do this" (in Dutch). At the Ziggo Dome they played 30 minutes.

8Brucified (Bruce Springsteen)

Nine musicians from Eindhoven, built around the brothers Nick and Mike Dekkers. Brucified took part in the first season of The Tribute in 2022 and finished third. "There is only one Boss," Nick told Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). "We think his music is fantastic and we try to get as close to it as we can."

9The Analogues (The Beatles)

Away from television, the best-known Dutch tribute of the past decade. The Analogues started in 2014 with one aim: to play the albums from The Beatles' studio years live, on instruments from that era, with a real string quartet and brass on stage. The Beatles never played those records live themselves. After ten years everything had been played; the final concert was on 28 December 2024 at the Ziggo Dome. "The Beatles took three years to record all those great songs," co-founder Bart van Poppel told Maxazine (in Dutch). "And it took us ten years to reproduce it all."

Also on The Tribute: tributes by artist

Looking for a tribute to a particular artist? The finals of The Tribute have included tributes to Billy Joel, Bob Marley, the Eagles, Stevie Wonder (2022), David Bowie, U2, Neil Diamond, Tina Turner (2023), Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Blues Brothers, Frank Sinatra, the Spice Girls, Joe Cocker (2024), Adele, Tom Jones, AC/DC, Guus Meeuwis and Lou Rawls (2025). Season 5 also featured tributes to Doe Maar, BZN, Destiny's Child, Fleetwood Mac, Ramses Shaffy and KISS. The names and results are on the Ziggo Entertainment website.

And the Red Hot Chili Peppers?

We leave them out on purpose: we are one ourselves, and we are not going to rank colleagues in our own niche. Want to know what De Peppers do? Read book a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band or come to the show.

Further reading

What do these musicians say about their craft? Read From the archive: what makes a good tribute band?. Which band would you like to see as a tribute? Vote in the poll. Booking a tribute band yourself? Start with the guide to booking a tribute band.

De Peppers editorial team

Written by the editors at De Peppers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band from Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands. Every fact is sourced at the bottom of the piece. Spotted a mistake? Email info@mia-automation.com and we will check it.

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