A former church just around the corner from Leidseplein is the somewhat surprising home to some of the best live music to be found in Amsterdam. Paradiso, has had a long history having started life as a church in the nineteenth century, before becoming a hippie squat in the 1960s and then developing an eclectic musical history before finding it’s home as a music venue with the feel of “cross somewhere between a circus and a church.”*
Paradiso - Amsterdam
The unique setting includes high ceilings and stained glass windows behind the main stage, making the venue feel grand and stylish. Yet the main room is small enough to feel as if you are part of a select crowd just lucky enough to see some great names. But when the music kicks in and the lights dim – a musical circus it is!
Everyone from The Rolling Stones to Lady Gaga via David Bowie and the Arctic Monkeys have played at the Paradiso. But alongside big name acts you also always have the chance of stumbling across someone new – or at least new to you! We saw Australian band The Cat Empire at the Paradiso, and their amazing use of sound and vocals suited the venue perfectly. When the Empire Horns kicked in and the stained glass windows lit up it was an amazing explosion of sound and light, and seemed a particularly fitting venue to be celebrating 10 years of the band.
Australian band The Cat Empire at the Paradiso - Amsterdam
The venue is not huge but has two levels of balconies overlooking the main room, and there are two other smaller rooms. The acoustics aren’t always great if you are at one of the sides but the venue is small enough that this is not a major problem.
Amsterdam's Paradiso - two levels of balconies
Tickets are fairly reasonably priced (obviously depending on who you go to see!) and if you keep an eye on the website (www.paradiso.nl) you can book often up to three or four months in advance. You have to be a member but you can buy a month long membership online when booking the main ticket for around €3,50.
For a great night of live music Paradiso is a great place to start.
* The description of Paradiso as a cross between a circus and a church is courtesy of Felix Riebl from The Cat Empire.
Written by Emma Harbour.
