In 2001, Fake No More is created by Steven Tolkamp (vocals), Peter Stevens (keyboards), Maurice Lohschelder (guitar), Marius Seidel (bass guitar) and Raymond Liebrand (drums). Their sole reason for being is to cover the works of the American rock group Faith No More.
After a year of rehearsing, Fake No More first sets foot on stage early 2003 on the Sneeuw Pop Festival in Dinxperlo, Holland. Their audience are immediately stunned by their performance. More energetic and thriving gigs came soon, resulting in a following by music lovers everywhere.
In late 2003, Maurice Lohschelder has a serious accident at his day job, breaking his spine. The recovery takes more than one and a half years. Alex Roelofs, guitar player for Snatch, takes over the lead for Maurice. During this time, the band also performs twice on primetime Dutch radio 3FM (during Nachtmiss Marisa and Giel Beelen’s breakfast show) and on other local radio stations. The gigs continue, and Fake No More “accidentally†takes part in The Clash of the Coverbands, a Dutch National Battle of the Bands.
"The first round was held in De Rijnhal, in Arnhem. We only wanted to do the gig to get a manager, but we went home with both 1st place as well as the Public's Favorite title. The second round we faced some tough competition, but still took 1st place.†– Steven Tolkamp, Quote from: www.xtrememusic.org
January 22, 2004. The band is facing the sold out crowd in the finals of The Clash of the Coverbands Paradiso, Amsterdam. Nine Bands begin the competition, all coming in with strong performances. The prize: The title of “Best cover band 2004†and bragging rights for the next year.
“The final gig in Paradiso, Amsterdam was absolutely stunning. The audience was fantastic, as well as the sound and lightshow. It was absolute magic we made that night, especially while Faith No More played there years ago themselves. Really awesome!†Taken from: www.xtrememusic.org
That night, the jury are impressed by the energy of the performance by Fake No More. They are voted the winners of The Clash of the Cover Bands 2004!
Since The Clash of the Coverbands, the number of gigs increases as the band starts headlining more and more shows. Another highlight of their career is at the Princess Pop festival in Enschede. The festival is an open air event for more than 2000 enthusiast visitors.
In August 2005, Maurice replaces Alex after recovering from his injuries. In October 2005, new drummer, Marlon Wolterink, replaces Raymond Liebrand. Back in Wisseloord Studios, the band records their first single, under supervision of John Sonneveld (producer for Anouk and The Golden Earring). The single, Candy Smile, is released in January 2006. Their debut album is now in progress….“Fake No More stands for powerful Rock, combining different styles. The playlist mainly contents own songs combined with Faith No More, and some steps aside. With their energic liveshow and extrovert frontman, being called “the Dutch Mike Pattonâ€, the band knows how to impress and is therefore a must-have for every occasion
