Carlo Van Putten is the lead singer of The Convent. Formed in 1985 the band’s self financed first cd "Counting the Stars" came to the attention of Strangeways Records, based in Hamburg. Strangeways agreed to take over the distribution of "Counting the Stars" as well as finance. Mark Burgess, former lead singer of the UK band The Chameleons was invited to produce the band's second album "Tales from the Frozen Forest". He was already partially involved in a production role on the first album.

In the nineties, Carlo began to paint his canvasses in a wider arena, resulting in a collaboration with Adrian Borland from The Sound. This collaboration was entitled "White Rose Transmission" and was released in 1995, forming a watershed in Carlo's development as a singer and lyricist. The Convent’s third album was released in 1996. Produced by Yves Altana, a Corsican musician/producer living in Manchester England "Crashed Cars & Love Letters" contains some truly great moments. The latest release of The Convent is the album "...About Kings and Queens and Stolen Bicycles..."

At Live in the Living Room, Carlo plays with the line-up from Dead Guitars, his other band.