Founded by singer Jos Kley

In 1979, the Ex was founded by singer Jos Kley (better known as G.W. Sok ), guitarist Terrie Hessels, drummer Geurt, and bassist René. During the first six months that the Ex existed, they spent most of their time and effort on graffiti advertising. The band’s name was chosen because it was the shortest name on their list, and that made it easy to spray quickly on a wall. Rumours circulated that the choice of what instruments the band members played was drawn by straws.