DIRTY SLIPPERS: SULITURNÉ, OPEN DISCUSSIONS AND WORKING WITH BIG NAMES

FEATURE & INTERVIEW | DIRTY SLIPPERS BAND & SULITURNÉ by Morgan Hermiston

Dirty Slippers are a Hungarian, UK based alternative rock band. Over the band’s lifespan, they have gradually integrated Britain into who they are. They’ve played sold out shows in the likes of Scotland, Newcastle, and London, and have even recorded music at Abbey Road Studios. They have worked with huge names in music, like producers George Shilling [Oasis, Frank Turner, The Corrs] and Tim Palmer [U2, Bon Jovi], and are increasingly receiving more airtime on UK radio stations. While their music may be making its mark, Dirty Slippers are aiming higher, with a different niche to bring to Britain that could elevate their stance…Suliturné.

In 2011, Dirty Slippers’ singer and guitarist Lázár Lobó-Szalóky founded a project called Suliturné, which can be translated as “Schooltour“. For the last 15 years, the band has reached out to schools in Europe, where they have played a show for teenagers. This rock show was followed by open discussions about topics, from drugs and addiction to mental health and bullying. Lázár says that “music opens the door” for these open talks, with each subject having the potential to affect them in both their teenage and adult life, without feeling like they’re being lectured to by their teachers. The statistics and numbers show the programme’s success already. More than 300,000 young people have been involved across over 800 schools, with at least 250 schools waiting to be included. 92% of students who provided feedback also said they’d recommend the programme to someone else.

If all of that wasn’t impressive enough, Dirty Slippers have reached out to some huge names in music. This includes Frank Turner, David Knopfler of Dire Straits, Sum 41‘s Jason “Cone” McCaslin, Billy Lunn from The Subways, Wolf Alice, and even the two aforementioned producers. All of these acts, and more, have helped to extend the programme beyond schools and into Friends of Suliturné.

Seeing someone you listen to supporting a cause like this is crucial for the teenage mindset to show that the discussed subjects aren’t isolated issues. The band are currently seeking to reach out to sports stars, Olympic champions, major football clubs and international footballers. If a teenager doesn’t listen to much music, they may enjoy sports, so they’re giving these young people motivational messages from those they may look up to.

You might be wondering why we’re highlighting this to you. This isn’t just a “you should listen to this band” kind of article – even though you should – but it extends the idea that music can open opportunities for deeper conversations among some of the most impressionable people in our society.

Even though the initial 15 years of this programme have been primarily in mainland Europe, Dirty Slippers and Lázár are preparing to bring this to the UK. Creating a circular moment between their own music careers and this intriguing initiative, it’s definitely a cause I, myself, support wholeheartedly.

If you think back to high school, the likelihood of you having a fully immersive discussion about bullying and addiction, for instance, with your teachers isn’t very high. These conversations were probably structured and scheduled to fit around a strict curriculum, and were probably very repetitive if you heard them more than once. From someone who is navigating a life in music completely sober from all substances, I think it’s so important that we don’t scare or lecture teenagers. If young people can be met with music, or messages from sporting legends, and see these subjects in a different light, it may create a more comfortable and accepting environment for them to listen and divulge information. After all, drugs, addiction and bullying don’t just affect the person with first-hand experience, but also those around them.

Interview

I asked Lázár why he thinks Suliturné has lasted as long as it has, and what made him begin the initiative in the first place. He said that aside from not wanting them to be lectures, each “class” doesn’t pretend that these topics only happen to “other people“, and they don’t implement scare tactics. In regards to why he founded Suliturné, “there’s something in the philosophy behind it“, he said, “my father is a teacher, and my mother is a doctor, so education and helping people were always very present in the world I grew up in…Suliturné became my own way of carrying some of those values forward“.

Lázár also told me what would be different in this British version, compared to other European countries. “I don’t want to export a Hungarian programme to Britain unchanged, I want to build the British Suliturné with British schools“. He said that “the basic principle would remain the same: live music first, conversation afterwards,” and that they’d “want to work with British teachers, youth professionals and partner organisations to understand the realities young people are facing locally and adapt the discussion accordingly“. He added that “what I wouldn’t change is honesty, teenagers can detect a corporate lecture from a mile away…if we come to Britain, I want British students to feel this was made with them, rather than imported for them“.

If you recognised any names in the impressive list earlier in the article, then the list of others that they’d love to work alongside is equally exciting. Lázár said he’d “absolutely love to involve artists such as Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, Olivia Dean, and Biffy Clyro,” and mentioned that they’re approaching a sports avenue too, “because young people don’t only find their heroes on a stage, sometimes they’re on a football pitch or an athletics track“. Concluding, he added, “Ultimately though, fame isn’t enough. I want people who genuinely have something positive to say to a 15-year old, who might be having the worst year of their life. One sincere sentence from the right person can sometimes stay with a young person for years“.

Find Out More

Lázár mentioned that Dirty Slippers and Suliturné have “become almost impossible for me to separate. One takes us onto stages, into studios, and one across borders“.

If you want to find out more information on Suliturné, their website is here. You can also see videos from the likes of Billy Lunn as part of Friends of Suliturné.

If you just want to find out more about Dirty Slippers as a band, then you can check out their website and socials, as well as listen to their released material.