About VERA

VERA is the center of underground Popculture in Groningen, or as we’d like to call it: Club for the International Pop Underground.

We used to be a student fraternity, and that’s how we got our name Veri Et Recti Amici (true and sincere friends). Nowadays we’re a fully equipped concert venue where many legendary bands played in their early years. To name a few: U2, Joy Division, Simple Minds, Nick Cave, Henry Rollins, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden, Slayer, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer, The White Stripes, At The Drive-in, Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand, Editors, Interpol, Elbow, The Hives, Triggerfinger and Nothing But Thieves.

Every week there are about 4 concerts and a movie night. On Saturdays we have concerts downstage and a dance night.

All of our activities couldn’t take place without our volunteers. There are over 240 (!) at the moment. They work in a variety of groups like: bartending, artdivision, downstage, production and many more.

Face to face with the band!

Vera has had a photo group since 2001. Volunteers photograph every concert. Marc de Krosse has been there from the beginning.

"I prefer to be with my nose on the band. That's why I like to photograph the small concerts in the Basement Bar. I try to reflect the energy of such a band in such a photograph. That you see the movement and feel the sweat of the band on the camera. Like the performance of Loud Squirt. That was great."

"Professional photographers at big concerts often have to leave after the first three songs. We stay for an entire gig, then you also have the sweaty heads at the end. A lot more happens there than at the beginning."

We always introduce ourselves neatly in advance to the band, ask permission to photograph. In those fourteen years, I have once experienced that a band didn't want to.