In Paradiso dozens of musicians with « social vulnerabilities » occur: « With the band I show myself again to the world »

Before the rehearsal of pop group Space Lightning really starts, Susie Arnon wants to sing a piece of her self -written hymn on Amsterdam: « Walking through the city/ temporarily without a house/ but as a warm blanket/ it offers me a home ». The singer with the pink curls is nervous. Normally the band plays covers of soul and pop numbers. This is your own song. After singing the chorus, she quickly switches to the song that she will sing in Paradiso on Wednesday: ‘Always Remember us this way’, a Ballad from Lady Gaga.

We are in the basement of the Amsterdam Music Center Q-Factory. Space Lightning practices the rhythm of the city for the festival, Wednesday in Paradiso. Dozens of musicians perform on that day who have « psychological or social vulnerabilities. » Muziekcentrum Eiwerk has established the festival, the Salvation Salvation Institutions and HVO Querido have been hooked up. Susie Arnon: « From the lower layer of the city you hear our heart beating violently. Hence: the rhythm of the city. »

HVO-Querido offers help to homeless people. Of the roughly 33,000 homeless people in the Netherlands, about half stay in Amsterdam. That is now a very diverse group that usually does not meet the sterotype image of the homeless person. The figures are estimates: only one third is in the picture of the assistance. In addition to temporary accommodation, they also offer daytime activities. Lies Schilp, music coordinator of HVO-Querido: « Everyone with us must have a form of participation. Working, participating. And the music program is a part of that. The most important thing is that someone is activated again. » The usefulness of making music is obvious, says Schilp: « I have seen people like Zombies come in. But as soon as they make music together, they walk out with radiant eyes and talking again. They become people who feel like starting the day again. Well, that saves a lot of healthcare costs, I can tell you. »

Rescue

Singer Susie Arnon lives in one of the dozens of hvo-querido reception locations. She discovered her singing voice during the Karaoke evenings in the shelter. « Yes, I sing. And I got homeless four years ago. I had lost the way and lost the bad way. In the beginning you want nobody to know. That nobody sees you. If something like that happens to you, you have to discover yourself all over again. We are used to avoiding things a bit.

Once she had found the way to the shelter, she first worked in a laundry salon and a bookbindery. It took a while before she had enough ‘peace and trust’ to choose art and music: « It was very nice to have another goal through music. And to get confidence in myself. Otherwise I might have sagged further into a hopeless situation. In the beginning of my homelessness I kept myself very hidden. Performing with the band makes me really say that I am no longer speaking to the world, and to my two -daughters, and my two -daughters speak, and to my two -daughters, and my two -daughters. and maybe even saved, yes. « 

In the rehearsal room the singers are slowly dropping. In the corner, guitarist Joris is unsatisfactory – he goes in such a way that he sometimes misses a turn. Joris has grown over his guitar, he is wearing a tour shirt from Circle of Faith. Maybe Christian metal. Singer Titia, older woman with stool, sings ‘I Will Survive’, the other singers hook in with the La-Lala-Lala section. John (66) fluttered inside. Sunglasses, fresh cap with blue stripes. He is looking forward to it today. Dances through space, makes jokes with everyone. John sings an energetic version of ‘Easy (Like Sunday Morning)’ from the Commodores.

This singer appears to be by no means homeless. Just came in once at a rehearsal and quickly made himself indispensable as a multi-instrumentalist. Susie Arnon: « Space Lightning is not only for the homeless. Many band members now have a home, or they have come to the band for another reason. You can also have psychological problems, or you come from a divorce. Simply if you have fallen from society. Everyone is welcome. »

« It is also set up in such a way that there will be structure in your life again, » says Arnon. « What I like from our band, we are a family. If there is sometimes a setback, we seek support together. If there is a fight, we learn to talk it out. And it teaches us to continue. »

The real one, it lived

Do not expect confused or intoxicated persons on stage. According to Lies Schilp you have to be at ‘a certain level of recovery’ to follow the rhythm of the band rehearsals at all. According to Arnon, the visitors to Paradiso get to see a group of people « who worked themselves out of a problematic situation. » When you see the group for the first time, she says, you might think « what kind of a gathered mess? » But when you hear them play: « You just feel the real one, the lived, the hope and the pride. » According to Schilp, that is precisely the idea of ​​the festival, to show the participants in a positive way: « These are people who also belong to the city. That’s how they have a stage to show: I am doing this now. I am now. I am here now. »

Susie Arnon: « We process our story in music without a filter. We have all experienced quite intense things and we all ended up at a care institution. If we manage to do something together, then it gives such a good feeling. There are people who have overcome something. »

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