Sounds Like Home: Musicians in Exile
In Issue 7 of the magazine, Summer Jamal found out more about the talented bunch of musicians who share songs and sounds of home through the Musicians in Exile ensemble.
By Samar Jamal
Photo by Paul MacAlindin
The low song of the cello mixes with the strum of the guitar. They are punctuated by hits of the tambourine, while palms move rhythmically on an Indian hand drum. The song is a sixties classic called Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi (meaning ‘My Love, Doom is Coming’) from the Hindi film Mr. X in Bombay. The song may have Indian heritage, but the group playing it features instruments and rhythms from all over the world: Musicians in Exile.
The ensemble was founded in 2018 as a community project by The Glasgow Barons, a community-led orchestra named after the shipbuilding barons of the Clyde. Musicians in Exile nurtures the talents of musicians who have experience with the asylum system, by providing them with instruments and a space to play.
One of the members, Angaddeep Singh Vig, explains how it allowed him to create music again: “When I came to Govan I didn’t have a single instrument, now I have a violin, guitar, mandolin, tabla, harmonium and many other things.”
The project began as a way to support vulnerable people through music. Since its inception, its members and audience have grown. The musicians have performed for the Scottish Parliament and at COP26. For Angaddeep, these have been significant milestones that he has been able to share with his dad, Parshotam Singh Vig, who is one of the lead singers in Musicians in Exile. “My dad performed for the parliament”, he says. “It’s something that he was very happy about and I remember it very well. He is very proud of that moment and even the community in the Sikh temple remembers it too.”
The group has gained popularity over the years, but their ethos remains the same – they seek to share experiences authentically through the universal language of music. The band members’ stories highlight the cruelty of the asylum system and what people are being forced to endure to simply find safety and solace. These realities are critical to share and even more urgent since the Nationality and Borders Bill has come into effect.
Musicians in Exile allow people to connect with other musicians and immerse themselves in a form of art that grants a period of release while also ensuring autonomy to tell their stories. Aref Ghorbani began as a member and now also performs and facilitates the project. Speaking about the group, he says:
“Through music, you can have the opportunity to express feelings, that's how musicians get rid of all the dilemmas that they’re facing. Their journey could have been a very long journey… and such processes can be quite life changing because you leave everything behind – your family, your loved ones, your instruments. When you get here the first thing you are seeking to gain, as a musician, apart from just sanctuary, is the opportunity to perform.”
For those who are not familiar with the instruments, it can be a learning process that also provides a release in both a mental and physical way. One of the players of the cajon (box-shaped percussion instrument) who goes by the name, Mr President, explains: “When I am at home I am stressed and then I come here and I am not stressed. I bang on this (cajon) and when I go home, I feel zero stress – so it helped me a lot.”
Musicians in Exile also allows people to seek adventure and take a break from the routine of daily life. The cajon player could easily be mistaken for a performer at a summer festival with his shorts, sneakers, windbreaker and bucket hat. It is evident he is not bound by others’ norms when he orders a cup of tea and a coffee mixed together during the break. “This cajon has taken me to new places and I meet new people,” he says.
The musicians’ latest performance was centred around the theme of ‘Home’. Through their musical performance, a combination of original songs as well as songs native to their home countries, they communicated the difficulties that come with leaving your home – and the worries for the future that are amplified by the UK’s hostile environment policy.
Paul MacAlindin, the project's founder, saysthat: “The theme was called home because all the songs that they sing, it doesn’t matter what they sing about, they are all rooted in memories of home, or insecurity about here and now, or a dream for the future”.
To keep up with updates and future performance, visit www.glasgowbarons.com