Punk spread from America and England to the rough Amsterdam of the 1970s. Smit: “Amsterdam looked dirty, the buildings were poorly maintained, there were many vacancies, and at the same time there was poverty and unemployment. So there was dissatisfaction.”
All this was a breeding ground not only for the squatting movement in the late 1970s, but also for the punk movement. “A lot of young people were not only attracted by the music, but they really had something in common with each other. They visited each other, and that often happened in squats. They could then get a practice space there.” Well-known squats at that time were, for example, the Zebrahuis and Huize Chaos on Sarphatistraat.
Then there was also a record store No Fun on the Rozengracht, where the punks gathered, and of course Paradiso. “In Paradiso there was a group of about a hundred punks who always went to Paradiso when there was a punk concert. Paradiso had become their living room.”
Fire extinguishers on stage
Paradiso started with monthly punk concerts, but soon there was one every week. Mainly Dutch punk bands performed. A legendary punk band at that time was Panic, with singer Peter ten Seldam. “Panic was a very important band and also a very sensational band. If you went to a Panic performance, there was always something going on. For example, Peter had managed to acquire a huge stock of rejected fire extinguishers. He always took them with him. He sprayed them on stage or in the audience.”