A Turbulent Ukulele Evening in Madrid

4/16/2024

I wake up at 8:00 a.m. and look around dreamily. Oh right, I’m still at Alicia’s in Madrid. Sometimes I forget where I am when I wake up in the morning. Last night, I dreamed of my old school days, for some reason. Those days are long gone, and there hasn’t been a class reunion in the past 10 years either.

Then I remember a 90-year-old woman, who I met on a German regional train telling me that she was on her way to a class reunion. All the men had already passed away, but the surviving female classmates still meet regularly. Well, maybe my class will eventually get around to it too.

I take advantage of the quiet morning to do some Spanish lessons on my phone. I had Spanish as a major subject in high school, but not much remains. Alicia texts me, and we stroll to the nearby supermarket to pick up a few groceries for breakfast. This morning, we talk a lot about linguistic topics. When do you say “Mucho gusto” vs. “Encantado/a” when meeting someone? When do you use the formal “usted” vs. “tú”? “Qué bien” or “qué bueno” for food? We have fun until my host has to leave for work.

Anticipation for the Ukulele Club Madrid

I plan the day and am really excited: Tonight is the next ukulele club! The Paris ukulele clubs already left a huge impression on me. Now I’m curious to see what the Spanish capital has to offer. Alicia plans to join after work as well. I practice a bit of ukulele, working on the songs from my online ukulele course by Craig and Sarah. I’m slowly getting into chord melody. It’s tough. But I’m looking forward to songs like “Nearness of You” or “Autumn Leaves.”

The ukulele club doesn’t start until 7:00 p.m., but I head out a bit earlier to explore the city. I love discovering dreamy streets, sitting down somewhere, and writing in my journal. As always, I arrive a little early at the ukulele club. I’ve already learned:

If you want to network at a ukulele club, you have to arrive before the music starts.

Once the music begins, it’s non-stop, and there’s hardly any time to chat. And many people leave early, before the last song is played… and that can sometimes be very late.

A Bar, Forty Ukuleles

The bar isn’t open yet, it’s just before 7. I still have to get used to Spanish opening hours. Luckily, a few other people are standing outside with their ukuleles—I’m in the right place! Alicia texts me that she’ll be a little late. When the doors finally open, I quickly find a seat and am greeted in Spanish by Alvero, who is organising the club. My response is so bad that he smilingly switches to English.

I briefly tell him about my trip, and he explains the club to me. They meet here every week, but in the summer, they move to a park. Sometimes they even organize karaoke nights. I don’t quite understand the difference between a regular ukulele night and a karaoke night though. Suddenly, the bar fills up quickly. More and more people with ukuleles stream into the already too-small bar. We have to squeeze in tightly, and some people even occupy the adjacent rooms. I try to count the people and estimate around 40—wow!

An Evening Full of Music

In front of us hangs a projector screen showing the songbook. People in the other rooms take out their tablets to follow along. It’s loud and crowded. The waitress constantly tries to weave her way through our chairs. I order a non-alcoholic beer and am happy that it comes with free nuts to snack on. I’m sitting between two Spanish women. To my left is a very lively woman who lived in the USA for 20 years and has now returned home. She loves the ukulele but “unfortunately doesn’t practice enough,” as she tells me. The young woman on my right is a complete beginner but comes to the club regularly anyway and is a little shy.

We play a wild mix of songs from “Hit Me Baby One More Time” to “Welcome to the Jungle.” Spanish songs are mixed in, with lots of laughter along the way. The woman to my left leans over and says, “You don’t understand it, but some of these Spanish songs are pretty inappropriate.” It’s hard to keep everyone in the same rhythm, especially since we’re spread out across different rooms. Alvero straps a tambourine to his foot and sets the beat. That makes it a lot easier.

This time, I’m not the only foreigner. There seem to be a few Brits, too, who loudly sing along with the English songs. But Alicia still hasn’t arrived. The bar is too full, and I’m worried she won’t make it in. I’m having a great time and am finally warmed up when, all of a sudden, the event is over. 9:00 p.m. The club lasted two hours. Quite different from Paris, where I had to leave early because of exhaution.

A Spontaneous Invitation to an Open Mic

Everyone packs up their ukuleles and says goodbye. Alicia still isn’t here. I can’t believe that’s it and start to panic a little. I wanted to show her the ukulele community in town. Is my ukulele story in Madrid already over? I want to talk to Alvero, but he’s busy. I meet Sahri, who turns out to be a good friend of Alvero. He tells me that Alvero, he, and their friend James are heading to an open mic next and invites me to join them. At that moment, Alicia arrives, and the five of us walk to another bar where the open mic is supposed to take place. I ask Alvero about other ukulele communities in Spain. He tells me that he sometimes visits the community in Valencia. The ukulele club in Barcelona also seems very active.

We find the bar nearby and have to go through a curtain to a hidden back room with a small stage. The room is quite small. About 15 people are sitting at round tables, listening to a man reciting a poem. Ah, so this is what kind of open mic it is. A young woman spots us and our ukuleles and quickly crouches over to us. “Do you want to perform something too?” she asks with hopeful eyes. Apparently, it’s a slow night. But we wave her off and find a table at the back left of the room.

A Surprise Performance with Alicia and the Guys

We grab some drinks and once again get free snacks, even pickled olives! After the poetry, someone gets on stage with a guitar. Thank goodness, there’s music too. The poems sounded beautiful, but of course, I didn’t understand anything. The guitarist is good, and the atmosphere is great. For his second song, he brings two young women onto the stage. “I’ve been scared of dentists and the dark.”

We all at our table jump up and look at each other—except Alicia. Are they really playing the most overplayed ukulele song ever? Riptide? “I’ve been scared of pretty girls and starting conversations.” Alvero rummages in his bag and straps his foot tambourine on again. Sahri grabs his ukulele and starts playing along. I follow his lead. “All my friends are turning green.” We can all play the chords in our sleep. The guitarist notices us, and we start cheering each other on. Even though there are only a few people in the room, the atmosphere is amazing.

Alicia gets along great with the other guys and mentions that she can sing. Suddenly, we’re discussing whether we should perform something too. Without rehearsal and for the first time together. Alicia is in, and we quickly settle on three songs: “Valerie” and “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse and “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Someone signs us up, and within five minutes, we’re called on stage. Alvero steps up to the mic. James borrows the guitarist’s guitar, and Sahri starts filming.

This is all very spontaneous. We’ve only known each other for about 15 minutes. But we hope you enjoy!

Alvero hands the mic to Alicia, and the two of us begin with the intro to “Back to Black.” As Alicia starts the first verse, the audience begins clapping. Her voice is just perfect for Amy. We have a blast and enjoy every second on stage. Alvero is much more advanced than I am, playing chords in different positions and even throwing in some solos. James tries to keep up on the guitar. Phew, I’m not quite there yet. The audience sings along loudly, and suddenly this evening becomes legendary!

After the performance, we leave the stage to applause and give each other a high five. That was awesome! We get deep into conversation, and James asks me about Alicia and her band. Sahri sends me the videos and tells me to reach out to him if my travels ever take me to Saudi Arabia.

The End of an Unforgettable Night

A few more songs and poems are performed. Then it’s over. We chat a bit outside the door. I thank Alvero for the club and for letting us tag along. He’s become a small role model for me since our performance. James has lived in Germany for many years and speaks German. We walk with him to the subway, and he tells us something that catches my attention.

I’ve been living in Madrid for a year now, and all my friends in the city I’ve met through the ukulele club.

James would love to see us again sometime. We say goodbye at the metro station. Ali and I head home happily and chat as usual until half past midnight before we finally fall into bed. In bed, I see that someone replied to me on “Hand gegen Koje,” who will be sailing in the Mediterranean for three months and wants to meet me personally. I can barely sleep. This evening was just too exciting. Somehow, tiredness finally overwhelms me, and I fall asleep with a big smile on my face.