A Punkrock'n'roll Scene Report

For a long time I had been asking Joachim to run a scene report of Madrid, but he's always so busy that years and years passed by ... Finally, after a visit of Mr. Ox himself we managed to get things done and we present you here a few hints of what to do if you come to Madrid for a weekend or a few days. One general advice is to check some internet sites and tourist guides beforehand so you can enjoy the regular tourist attractions, because since this is for a "rock&roll" magazine we're not stopping on the usual art, sightseeing and such issues. But, hey, there are quite a few interesting things to do and see in Madrid ... if you're able to wake up early in the morning after your late night party! Your tour guide is Francisco from Munster Records, and my pals and co-workers at Munster have helped with some suggestions and fav places too (if you are not familiar with Munster check out our story in a past issue of Ox mag). Now fasten your seatbelts and get ready for some party, I mean FIESTA!



ROCK&ROLL BARS IN MADRID: MALASAÑA REPUBLIC!

One big advantage for you is that most of the good music bars in Madrid are in Malasaña, very close to each other, all within walking distance, sometimes two minutes or less! Malasaña is the area enclosed by San Bernardo street to the west, Gran Vía to the south, calle Fuencarral to the east and Calle de Carranza to the north, with Plaza Dos de Mayo being the heart of the barrio. In the past you could find hundreds of youngsters drinking and partying outside in this square and nearby streets and alleys, but the law changed and now drinking in the street is prohibited. The area is packed with alternative bars, cafes, boutiques, and restaurants, and most of the good music bars are here. So you can go to different great bars all night without using any public transportation or car.

Uh, and what's a "Rock&Roll bar"? Well, I mean good nightclubs, bars, with GOOD Rock&Roll music, be it Punk, Garage, Rock&Roll, Sixties, Soul, etc. In these cool places they normally have DJs playing vinyl and CDs, and they really care. They are heavily into good music and their patrons and most of the customers are too. Some of these DJs just play one particular type of music on their special night, while others play a good broad-minded mix of everything. I particularly like this. I love when some DJ is good enough to play The Dirtbombs, The Sonics, the Saints, and The Ronettes one after each other. It's all Rock&Roll!

As explained before most of the ones you need to go to are in the Malasaña neighborhood. Mads go out late, so during the week, even on weekends, these places are not very happening at least until 10pm, even midnight. Have a couple of drinks in each place the first night and then the rest of the nights you can go to the ones you liked the best! Oh, in Madrid the most apreciated beer is Mahou (pronounced "Mau") so try to get that one. One "tercio" is a 33cl bottle, so write this down on your Moleskine notebook: "un tercio de Mahou, por favor!!".

LA VIA LACTEA

Calle Velarde 18, in Malasaña | lavialactea.net || They have been open forever (1980?) and they are always busy. Hundreds of nice show posters covering the walls (many provided by Munster!). DJs and managers include David from instrumental surf band Los Coronas and Oscar from Imperial Surfers. Sometimes it is so packed it's not nice, and sometimes the music sucks, but at other times it's the most happening place open. I really like it when Oscar is DJing.

TUPPERWARE

Corredera Alta de San Pablo 26, in Malasaña | fotolog.com/tupperware || Eva, one of the very friendly owners, describes the place as "Museo del Pop" and the place indeed looks like a 60s pop shrine, full of plastic toys, cool shit and nice murals. She and her sisters have been bartending and managing clubs in since the late 80s in the days of the legendary Agapo club. Their brother Carlos also works at "el Tupper", when he's not busy practicing or playing with his band Balboa. "El Tupper" opens everyday from 21:00 to 3:30am. Beers are cheaper than other places, 2.50, and tall drinks are 5.50. They even have cheaper prices before 11:00 when they are not too busy. The music is again a mix of rock, 60s, garage, punk, ska, mod... with different DJs almost every night.

GARAJE SONICO

Calle San Andres 12, Plaza Dos de Mayo, Malasaña. | myspace.com/garajesonico || Right in the heart of Malasaña. Not too big but has two different rooms/music. One room is Rock'n'Roll, new wave, punk, garage, soul, sixties, glam, etc. The other is Indie, pop, 80s, technopop, britpop, etc. Owner Santi is a really cool and friendly guy and has been involved in the Madrid scene for a long time. The club has been open for about 10 years (I think). Open Tuesday to Saturday, 22:00 to 3:30. Bottle of beer 3.00 Euro, tall drinks 5.00-6.00. Happy hour (2 for 1) everyday until 23:30, Wednesdays and Thursdays all the beer you want for 7.00 Euro until midnight.

GROOVIE BAR

Calle Tesoro 5, Plaza Juan Pujol, Malasaña | myspace.com/grooviebar || Drinks and Rock&Roll in a cool little rock bar. Owner and manager German has been bartending, DJing and managing good bars for 15 years. He also had a couple attempts with record labels in the past. The music is normally very good, though there are different DJs every night. Here you can hear a good selection of GOOD rock&roll music from all decades ... Rock'n'Roll, Garage, Punk, Power Por, Surf, Frat, 6Ts, Mod, Soul, R&B. Open Wed to Sat 22:00 to 3:30. Beers are 2.50 Euro and cocktails 6.00 Euro. Before midnight it's a little cheaper (if you buy two).

LA VACA AUSTERA

Calle La Palma 20, Malasaña | fotolog.com/lavacaaustera || Open for more than 25 years, another Malasaña classic. 77 Punk, New Wave, Garage, Soul, Freakbeat, Mod ... They have a different DJ every night. Tomas, the manager works for the very cool label and tour organizers Bittersweet Recordings / Love To Art Touring. Nice people. Since Tomas & his girlfriend took over the old Vaca Austera they are trying to do different things every night, different DJs, different partis, and make it more succesful. Opens 7 days a week, 21:00 to 3:00am. Beer 3.50, tall drinks 6.00 Euro.

LOUIE LOUIE

Calle La Palma, 43, Malasaña || More good music all the way down La Palma street. Many say the good years of "el Louie" are behind, when the original owner Kike Louie run it. It is still good and there's good rock&roll music every night they are open. Walls are covered with posters of bands such as THE BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, THE DICTATORS, RADIO BIRDMAN and such.

TEMPLO DEL GATO

Calle Trujillos 7, between Plaza de Callao, Plaza Santo Domingo, and Sol | templodelgato.com || For years this has been my very favourite place in Madrid, where I feel at home. Maybe it's because I DJed there for a couple of years! For many years they had the best rock&roll DJ in Spain (not me but Jimmy Garcia) but lately they have different DJs. For a while they even had shows and on their tiny stage bands like OFFSPRING (opening for NoFx!), DIDJITS, MEANIES, and many more played live. Even if it's not totally the same it's still a very good place. Not in Malasaña so you can find all kinds of people here not only rock&rollers and kids. Still home for me. Viva el Templo!

ROCK PALACE

Calle Vara del Rey 5 | rock-palace.com || This is not exactly a bar... it is a rehearsal place, but they have a very nice bar for the locals, cheap prices, good music on a bad sound system, and lots of bands hanging around. Owner Norah Findlay was the guitar player in THE PLEASURE FUCKERS and THE SIN CITY SIX. Lately they are having "unannounced" shows by mostly local bands (they have no license for live bands). A very cool place. One of the epicenters of Madrid's scene for sure, and home for many members of the Madrid "Rock&Roll Mafia". Most of the waiters and employees play in good bands (RIP KC, ZINC, BULTACOS, etc.). Yeah, this place is a must you will not find on any guide. It is only 5 minutes walking down from Atocha train station, or from Metro station Palos de la Frontera.

BAM BALAM CAFE

Calle de la Villa, 3 | myspace.com/bambalamcafe || German from the Groovie bar and his lovely wife run this one too. This is a little different than all the other "night-bars" above because it's more like a Cafe. Beers and cocktails of course, also food (toasts, tapas, raciones, deserts, coffee... all with good black music: Soul, funk, R&B, swing, reggae, ska, hammond, boogaloo ...! A really nice place to have a coffee after "siesta" or the firsts beers of the night with something to eat. It's located very close to the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, and Calle Mayor, in the oldest and most pintoresque part of the city. Open Wed to Friday 19:30 to 2:30 and Saturdays 17:30 to 2:30 and Sundays 16:30 to 23:00.

PICNIC

Calle Minas 1 (corner with Calle del Pez), in Malasaña | myspace.com/barpicnic || Lounge, Café, Bar, Arte…. A brand new place where you can have a coffee, tea, or cocktail while listening good music. Also cakes, and salads. Eva from the Tupperware (see above) is the soul behind this new cool café. They plan to have art exhibitions too, and even acoustic shows in the basement floor. They have wi-fi too. A nice place for your afternoons/evenings and then go party somewhere else (all the Malasaña bars are close by). Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 17:00 to 02:00

LA AGUJA

Calle Ave María 25, Lavapies | myspace.com/laaguja || Madrid's rock&roll bar list would be incomplete without La Aguja (The Needle). They only play vinyl, they love music, and have very good taste (psych, rock, soul, garage, punk, etc.). Fernando and the rest are very nice people, tell them you read about them in Ox thanks to Munster! Oh, you can eat here too.

WHERE TO SEE LIVE BANDS IN MADRID

For live shows the best would be checking a Madrid Guide or something to see whats going on when you're here. There's this internet site called www.ipunkrock.com which I recommend. Go to the "conciertos" section and you can search for the shows in "madrid". It's not always totally up to date but it's pretty accurate and it lists the small shows most big city guides ignore. In Madrid, there are many small venues and local bands playing, but as anywhere else, most are not very good or remarkable (for weird people with a peculiar taste like you and me). Or, if you go to any of the bars listed below they will sure have lots of posters and flyers of what's currently going on. Here's the list of the best ones for what we all like:

GRUTA-77

Calle Cuclillo 6 with Calle Nicolas Morales. In the Carabanchel neighborhood, metro station Oporto is very close. It's a 20 minute metro ride from downtown. After the show the Metro is closed so you have to get a cab back (10 euro ride maybe) | gruta77.com || Very cool place to see bands. What you can hear here is Punk Rock, Garage, Surf, Rock&Roll, Rockabilly, Ska... all good stuff. They have shows almost every night, and many of them are good. Resident DJs are Indio (manager of the club and singer of old punk band Tarzan) and The Swamper. If they would be located downtown they would definitely be "kings" of Madrid rock-scene... since they are a little away people normally go there because of the shows, not to have a drink. But, they deserve to be high on Madrid's ranking! Open every night. Sunday to Thursday 21:00 to 04:00 and Sat and Sundays 22:00 to 06:00. Beer is 3.30 Euro, talldrinks are 7.00 Euro Friday and Saturday they have happy hour from 22:00 to 23:00.

LA PEQUEÑA BETY

Calle Reina 4 | myspace.com/littlebety || Sound is not great, it's small, and there are a couple of big columns in the middle, but this place has become, in a little more than one year, a great place to see shows of not huge bands (capacity is about 100 I guess). Check their MySpace for the schedule, pretty impressive. Lots of local bands but many international acts, too. They are more into sixties, mod, rock, pop, and garage than punk, but some punk bands play here too every now and then. Manager David worked for Munster 10 years ago (did he learn something about how to do things, or maybe about how NOT to do things?). He runs the place with his lovely wife Patricia. An additional bonus is that they recently took over the restaurant on the ground floor, so now you can also eat there, while listening to good music! All in one, a highly recommended place for having drinks, seeing a band, and eating too. They even have a couple of choices for you krazee vegetarians!. They open Tuesday to Saturdays 13:00 to 14:30, and 21:00 to 02:30. Beer is 3.00 Euro, cocktails 6.00 Euro.

WURLITZER BALLROOM

Calle Tres Cruces 12 (Gran Via) | wurlitzerballroom.com || They have lots of live bands, many Spanish and lots of international bands too. I've heard that the doormen are not always very nice but I guess that dealing with all the drunk punks and garage-heads of Madrid at 4AM requires this sort of staff! The stage is small and if you want to see the band you really need to go to the front rows, wich is good because to go to the toilettes you need to go all the way to the front! Apart from the live bands (punk etc.) what you can hear here is the usual mix good open minded DJs deliver: Punk, Punk Rock, Garage, 60's, Rock'n'Roll, Surf, Hi energy Rock etc. They are open later than most other bars (don't ask me why, they must have a different city license), so apart from the live shows it's the place where the survivors of the other bars go after 3:00 am. Open every night from 22:30 to 05:30 (6:00 am on weekends). Beer is 3.00-4.00 Euro, cocktails 6.00-7.00 Euro.

EL JUGLAR

Calle Lavapies 37 | salajuglar.com || In the multi-ethnic Lavapies district. Small venue (cap.150) with some interesting shows. Check their schedule. The rockin'est place in the Lavapies district, where there are not many "rock" bars or venues. The neighborhood is interesting though, with thousands of Moroccan, Pakistani, Chinese, etc bars, restaurants and shops. There's a subway station very close (Lavapies).

The three following venues have good bands every now and then, but they are good only to see the bands and leave. They are not "rock" places we could recommend.

Go see the band and leave for a good place to party the rest of the night.

EL SOL

Calle Jardines, 3, very close to Puerta del Sol and Grab Via (Metro: Sol) | elsolmad.com || Open since 1979. 450 capacity, shows most nights, a few good international bands a month, check their schedule. They open late, shows start 11:30pm. After the shows they open as disco/club.

LA BOITE

Calle Tetuan, Plaza del Carmen | boitemadrid.com || Very close. Smaller than El Sol, hold about 300. It's a gay disco with no interest for rock&rollers and punks (except for gay punkrockers who are more interested in the gay side than the punk side!), BUT sometimes they have very good shows of American and European bands punk/rock/garage bands, starting around 10:30 and finishing at midnight, check their schedule to see if there's anything going on.

MOBY DICK

mobydickclub.com || Shows several nights a week. Check schedule, sometimes they have good international bands (mostly americana, pop, indie). It's posh, so you probably want to see the show and take off for Malasaña. It's close to the Real Madrid football stadium, for those who care ...

SIROCO

Calle San Dimas, 3, close to San Bernardo. || siroco.es || Open for almost 20 years, they have shows 4 nights a week, and open as a club almost everynight. Most of the bands who play here are small Spanish bands. Only a few blocks from Malasaña. If you go there have some beers first at the typical Spanish "Bodega" on the near corner.

RECORD STORES IN MADRID

Sadly there are not many left, and there are only a handful of good ones and very few who sell good used records. If you are here to buy records these below are probably the ones you should visit. Hey, you can always find interesting stuff. I'm not into record collecting but I know people who go recordshopping several days a week, so I imagine it's possible to find something! Most of the record stores I'm listing are in the area between Puerta del Sol, Gran Via, and Callao. A few second hand record stores too, and for used records don't forget to go to el Rastro (fleamarket) on Sunday morning.

BABEL

Calle Costanilla de los Angeles 5, close to Plaza Santo Domingo and Opera and Callao || Maybe the best in town, since they have both new and used records, CDs and lots of vinyl. Cheap stuff and collectors' records as well. Really cool and friendly people. Thumbs up for Babel and tell them we sent you.

ESCRIDISCOS

Calle Navas de Tolosa 4, close to Plaza Callao || In business for about 30 years (different locations). CDs and vinyl. They are more pop, americana, oldies, etc oriented, but they always have the newest punk and rock records too.

MELOCOTON

Calle Salud 10, close to Gran Via || They basically sell collectors stuff, mostly vintage sixties vinyl, pricey but worth seeing. Nice guys, a little like buying from the Freak Brothers. They specialize in 60s but have other stuff too.

LA METRALLETA

Plaza de las Descalzas, close to Santo Domingo, Callao, and Sol || Maybe the biggest second-hand record store in Madrid (there are not many anyway). Lots of junk, sometimes you can find good records. Plus there's no other "cheap" stores left so check it out. It's located in the entrance of the parking garage of Plaza de las Descalzas, very close to Babel.

SATANASA

Calle Miralrio Baja, El Rastro || Records (cool selection of both second-hand and new) and other stuff (lamps, furniture etc.). They don't specialize on any style in particular, but have a good selection of good music (from jazz, blues, psych, to hardcore and punk). Classic and very good stuff mainly. Worth checking when you go to el Rastro. Opens Sundays 11:00 to 15:00 only.

EL RASTRO (FLEA MARKET)

La Latina district, around de Plaza de Cascorro, Metro La Latina / Tirso de Molina / Puerta de Toledo || Sunday mornings only. A must if you're in Madrid during the weekend (even if you went to the hotel at 5am). It's the biggest (only?) good fleamarket in Madrid. You can find second-hand vinyl records in both record stands and little shops. Prices can be bargained, so be smart!. From 10:00 to 14:30. Better go early, after noon it's too crowded. Be VERY careful with your wallets, purses, and backpacks.

There's also a handful of little stores with a few bins of good records and also other "cool" stuff like plastic toys, clothes, retro merch, etc. These are some good ones worth visiting: BOWERY on Calle Luna 18 (close to Gran Via, same owners than Garaje Sonico bar); LE TRIP on Calle Manuela Malasaña 24 (in Malasaña, owner Toni runs the very cool label Liquidator); UPBEAT, on calle Espiritu Santo 7 (in Malasaña for reggae, old ska, punk, etc.); and LA INTEGRAL on Calle Leon 25 (Close to Calle Huertas).

BEST BANDS FROM MADRID

Yes, I have not forgot you're here for the music, so here's our list of favourite bands from Madrid in alphabetical order. If you're lucky they will be playing while you're here!

BULTACOS

myspace.com/bultacos || A good punk band with one pretty new album out on Rock Is Pain Records. The guitar player Ikerne played with THE SAFETY PINS for a while, while bass player Dalton has been around for 20 years or more when he started with THE WIPE OUT SKATERS. Drummer Chris came from the US 4 years ago and decided he'll never leave Madrid again! Pretty solid band, check ‘ em out! They will play in Germany this fall, read about it in Ox.

LAS CHARADES

myspace.com/lascharades || They must be the best pop band in Madrid right now, though their label Bcore is from rival city Barcelona. Three girls and one guy. Check them out online, they have music and videos available. Probably too pop for the average Ox reader (maybe not), but worth listening or seeing them live if they play in Madrid when you are here.

LOS CHICOS

myspace.com/loschicosrocks || People who like KING KHAN, BARRENCE WHITFIELD, THE RAUNCH HANDS, and in general an outta control party will love this crazy bunch from Madrid. Two bald twins on guitar, the singer of LOS CHINGALEROS screaming, and a saxophone. Greasy garagey rock&roll at punk speed!. Any band touring Spain has probably seen them going crazy in the front rows.

THE IMPERIAL SURFERS

These guys have a single or two out in Germany on Soundflat. For those who like frat-rock, twist, beat, and surf, the way they used to do it in the early sixties. The drummer Oscar is a very dangerous party companion, he works at La Via Lactea and can party for days in a row. Beware! Oh yes, the guitar and bass player were in THE TUNA TACOS before.

MOHO

myspace.com/moho666 | myspace.com/dishammer | myspace.com/lfaa | myspace/desguacebeni || Another of the best bands in this country. If you are into BLACK SABBATH, MELVINS, HIGH ON FIRE, ELECTRIC WIZARD, BONGZILLA and stuff like that. They too have a brand new album (their 3rd) called "Chotacabra" this summer and have toured Europe several times mostly on their own (playing squats and small punk/hardcore places, and some festivals too). They really are like a steamroller so check 'em out! Some of the members are also in LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER, DISHAMMER and DESGUACE BENI. Punk, HC, Metal, Thrash, Grindc, etc. Intense!

MOTOCICLON

myspace.com/motociclon || A kickass band inspired by early DICTATORS, the NWOBHM and the first Spanish hard rock bands as the mighty BARON ROJO. MOTOCICLON is a band that, essentially mixes Punk and Heavy Metal. But Punk and Heavy Metal, not ancient atmospheric gothic goats guts metal, nor that Punk that when you pronounce it, it dyes your hair and drops your pants. No, PUNK and HEAVY METAL!! They will have a new album, their 2nd, out next fall.

MULETRAIN

myspace.com/muletrained || They were born from the ashes of AEROBITCH, a pretty well known punk band who released some records in Germany. For my money MULETRAIN is the best punk/killer band in Madrid if not Spain. They have been together for about five years now and will have their third full-length out next fall (on Beat Generation with Cargo Germany distributing it). Halfway between early american hardcore and POISON IDEA, MULETRAIN are a high energy punk band if there's any. Check their MySpace site for music and videos, and Lord have mercy on you.

RIP KC

myspace.com/ripkc || They started very young (average 14!) doing hardcore alla NoFX and such, but then evolved in to become the most amazing drug-fuelled progessive band in the country and maybe Europe! Very long songs with endless loops and riffs, but really (really) good. Their latest amazing LP is available in Germany thru Cargo Records, so you could order from your favourite store if you wish. You really gotta be into this sort of hippy/zonked-out stuff, but as I said they are really great at what they do.

LOS TRES DELICIAS

myspace.com/tresdelicias || Madrid garage punk for those into THE GORIES and raw-crude shit. Two guitars, half a drumkit, and pretty wild garage crap. They only have a couple of singles out, but maybe you'll be lucky enough to see them in Madrid when you come!

ZINC

myspace.com/zincmyspace || Together for more than 10 years and with three full lengths and some other releases out, Zinc is a very powerful punk/HC band. Their early influences were bands like NoFX, SAMIAM, or SNUFF, but along the way they have enrichened their blend with many other different ingredients. Singer Dulce has another band called LAS VECCHIAS, a female pop-punk combo in THE DONNAS or MUFFS VEIN. ZINC will be doing a full European tour this October, stay tuned.

AND MANY MORE! There are many more and we're running out of space here, so here's the list for those who want to "google" them listen... please do! JUANITA Y LOS FEOS, ASIATICS, LAS VECCHIAS, MARGARITA, THE JACKPOTS, FUMESTONES, CAMPAMENTO NEC NEC, CAPITAN ENTRESIJOS, TDK, LOS CABALLOS DE DÜSSELDORF, CATTY STITS, FABULOSO COMBO ESPECTRO, SOLEX, GRABBA GRABBA TAPE, REZNIK, COHETE, HALFORD EXPERIENCE, GINFERNO, GRUPO SUB1, NEO JUNCO, DON PALOTE, SILLA ELECTRICA and the greatest band in Europe (ha!): NEW DEMOLATORS!



EATING IN MADRID

While in Madrid please try to avoid at any cost the usual american horrors McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, KFC, BUT ALSO some domestic shitholes like VIPs, Pans & Co., Cañas Y Tapas or Rodilla. Try to have regular food in regular bars or restaurants. It is amazing how many places there are where you can have food and alcohol, like dozens in every block! If you avoid the most tourisy streets you'll save some Euros. Fixed price menus (Menu del Dia) are a very good choice. You can have a nice full meal for around 10.00 Euros or less. Normally only on weekdays and only for lunch (not dinner). Lunch is normally between 13:30 and 15:30. Another option are "tapas", where you order a bunch of different things to share, but this is normally more expensive than having a regular lunch or dinner. Most typical "tapas" from Madrid could be "patatas bravas" (fried potatoes with a spicy sauce), "boquerones en vinagre" (raw anchovies marinated in vinager), "bocadillo de calamares" (fried calamari rings in a french bread sandwich) but there are dozens of specialties. Vegetarians might have some problems in many non-vegetarian places, since the offer of veggie dishes is very limited in many. Still, you can probably manage, otherwise there are some vegetarian restaurants too in many neighborhoods. Since I am a mean meat-eater I needed to ask my friend Clara (screamer on SILLA ELECTRICA) for some good ones. Her picks are... Yerbabuena on Bordadores 3, close to Plaza Mayor, El Granero de Lavapies on Calle Argumosa 10 (Lavapies), Artemisa on Tres Cruces 4, very close to Gran Via (and Wurlitzer Ballroom) and Al Natural on Calle Zorrila 11.



SLEEPING IN MADRID

If you follow our advice you will not have much sleep, but it shouldn't be difficult for you to find accomodation, whatever your budget is. Sadly Madrid is not the very cheap place (for visitors of European countries) it used to be only a few years ago. Don't ask me if it was the Euro or what, but nowadays Madrid is much closer, in terms of prices and cost of living to most European big cities. In any case, a double room in the cheap "hostales" (not youth hostels but budget hotels, sometime family owned/run) normally cost around 35 euros with shared bathroom or around 45 with bathroom. Slightly better "hostales" go for around 50-60 euros. Good hotels (3 stars) downtown are normally over 100 euros a double room for those who can afford it. But some have cheap offers for the weekends, or if you book way in advance, etc. You should check a couple of websites and find what suits your needs. I'd say that most 45 euro hostales are normally good, and you're not gonna spend much time in the room anyway. Oh yes, you can also go to a "youth hostel" and share rooms and all that. Location should be important when deciding, don't forget to check google-maps or similar to see where the hostal you're booking is. The closer to the good bars the less far you'll have to stumble back there at dawn. Since most good rock&roll bars are in the same area I'd normally recommend these places to stay:

HOSTAL TOKYO (HS*)

Calle La Puebla, 6. 1º Dcha. 28004 Madrid |hostaltokio.com || Nice and convenient, well located, two blocks off Gran Via, very close to the Malasaña district where most R&R bars are. All rooms with bathroom. S: 30.00; D: 45.00; Triple: 60.00

HOSTAL DON JUAN

Plaza Vázquez de Mella, 1, off Gran Via, close to Chueca district | Phone 915 227 746 / 915 223 101 || A very nice one, close to Chueca and also Malasaña. Double room is 55.00 and single is 40.00... I think. Friendly staff, clean and comfortable, and well located.

HOSTAL AGUILAR (HS**)

Carrera de San Jeronimo 32, 2º | hostalaguilar.com || This is very nice too, but a little further away from Malasaña, and very close to Puerta del Sol. Still a very good choice. Rooms with bathroom, TV, phone, AC. Single: 43.00; Double: 55.00; Triple: 72.00

Or you can check the website of the "asociacion de hostales", though it's only in spanish (brilliant!!!) ... aehcam.org go to "establecimientos" and select the hostal there for details.

As for Youth Hostels, you can try these two below, price is around 18.00 per person:

CAT's HOSTEL

Calle Cañizares 6, close to Plaza de Tirso de Molina, Lavapies, and Puerta del Sol | catshostel.com || Located in a 17th century building, but it's all new and clean etc.

MAD HOSTEL

Calle de la Cabeza 24 | madhostel.com || Same owners, similar philosophy, deep in the heart of Lavapies barrio. Check their website.



WHAT'S LEFT TO SAY

Though this is pretty much a naked list of bands and places, my personal taste and feelings are scattered here and there all throughout the text. Like ... Madrid beats the shit out of Barcelona or any other city in Spain, or the rest of Europe as well, when it comes to RAWKANDFUCKINROLL. Right on! Yes, I was born in Madrid and I have lived here all of my life, thus my opinions might be biased, you might argue... Well, I think you COULD be right, maybe, perhaps Madrid only rocks in my mind ...? So, to have a different non-Spanish perspective I asked a few friends of mine who currently live in Madrid but were born in other countries. This is what they think about Madrid ...

"The first time I went to Madrid I was given my first opportunity to snort a powdery white substance with Kike Turmix, the late singer of THE PLEASURE FUCKERS. I turned it down and helped him finish his pizza instead. Then we hit the streets, which were full of freaks like I'd never in my life seen before! Kike was spinning records in some r'n'r bar ... I tried to stay up til the party was over, but I ended up passing out on the sidewalk outside the bar. I guess that white stuff would have helped." Pete Menchetti (Reno, USA). Pete runs Stickerguy and Slovenly Recordings, and is always moving from city to city.

"Rock&Roll arrived late to Madrid but now they are on top of things and we have, WOW!, a ‚Sala Heniken‘, a ‚Hard Rock Cafe‘, and a ‚Chesterfield Cafe‘ too, and lots of bars serve Budweiser... but... if you hate all these and you try a little harder you can have a tortilla de patata and a cold Mahou and see CAPITAN ENTRESIJOS (Madrid's punkrocker supreme) drinking on the corner of the bar, still." Olaf Ladousse (Paris, Belgium). Olaf has lived in Madrid for 15 years, so he must know. He's a great graphic artist and performs with his avantgarde / noise / experimental / ripoff band LOS CABALLOS DE DÜSSELDORF, LCDD (with Munster promo man Murky!)

"Landing in Madrid, discovering Malasaña, its bars, and its Rock'n'Roll scene. The locals find it changed, but for a newcomer is totally insane... From La Vaca to el Groovy, from La Via to el Louie Louie, and then going down all the way to el Wurlitzer, stopping by La Pequeña Bety ... what a TRIP! You gotta be in good shape to survive, because here you can smell the timeless motto: Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll. Here John Lee Hooker's ‚One bourbon, one scotch, one beer‘ transforms into un chupito, una copa, una caña! But, also, the magic word that changes all is ‚alegria‘ (fun, joy, happiness). I call Madrid Mad-city, and that's why I love it so much!" Elodie Bruzy (Toulouse, France). Elodie has lived here for a few years, and has a duo with her German friend Sabine called CATTY STITS.

"For me I don't think I would trade Madrid for any other place in the world when it comes to rock and roll and all the things that come with it. Many times you go to another city and ask where the ‚rock n roll‘ places are and either it doesn't exist, there's only one place, or they don't know where it is. If somebody asked me the same question I wouldn't really know where to start, other than probably generically pointing them towards Malasaña. In Madrid people seem truly passionate and voracious in their quest to consume rock and roll: concerts, beers in bars, buying records, playing in groups, going to hear your buddy spin records, etc., which is a nice change from the apathetic, arms-crossed, ‚meh‘ attitude that for me seemed so common in the ‚rock scene‘ in the US. Madrid is not pretentious. The scene is so healthy that I don't have time to go to all the shows I want to or there aren't enough hours in the night/morning to visit all the bars I want to go to in one night. It's incredible to think that in past years Madrid was probably even more vibrant in the late 80s/mid 90s, but since I unfortunately wasn't here to enjoy that, I definitely ain't complaining about what we have now and I can honestly say that the 4 years I've lived here have been the most fun and incredible ones of my life." Chris Bongers (Wisconsin, USA). Chris play drums in LOS BULTACOS and will be touring Germany in the Fall with them and ZINC.

"I've done some travelling and I feel there's a magic about Madrid that I've never felt elsewhere. It'll build you up through experiences you can't really find anywhere else. The people, the buildings, the history, the music, the endless raucous fun. For me, Madrid is about letting this buzz lift you to a new level and the high is that this feeling of surprise adventures and excitement stays with you no matter what time of day or night. This wild buzz never seems to end." Jessica Shaw (Detroit, USA). Jessica once lived in Madrid for a few years (and made some slave-work for Munster), and is still fooling around with the idea of coming back, someday.

"Madrid is my favorite city in the whole world! I've partied in lots of great cities, but nothing compares to Madrid - for the bars, the concerts, the DJ's, the record stores... but what makes the nightlife the best is the fun, friendly people (like Francisco)!." Emma Fuentes (San Francisco, CA, USA). Thanks Emma, I love you, I'll send you the money "mañana"!

Francisco Santelices (Munster Records)