Moby Dick, the joint that opened in a former brothel to give visibility to emerging gangs, turns 30

Thirty years ago, Alberto Delgado, a law student, and his friend Daniel Castillo, from Fine Arts, embarked on an adventure that, initially, they did not know very well how it was going to end.

They both liked music and, despite having little knowledge of the business, they decided to set up a place that would serve as a meeting place to get to know each other and to see groups play live.

The challenge was wanting to open it in the northern part of the capital.

At that time, most of the drinking and live music joints were in the center and where they wanted the business was a hostess neighborhood, full of

, whorehouses and brothels.

But the desire to do something different did not dissuade them and on March 26, 1992, in an old brothel on Avenida de Brasil number 5, the doors of

opened , named after the famous song by Led Zeppelin and also as a tribute to the renowned novel.

Despite the difficult beginnings and the various economic crises, the bet paid off and three decades and some

later, the venue continues to be

a refuge for inveterate night owls and the stage for multiple bands that meet in a place that, despite numerous renovations, still has in its decoration the famous white wooden whale accompanied by oars, mermaids and other ornaments inspired by the sea.

The owners Daniel Castillo and Alberto Delgado at the 20th anniversary of the room.

"We had to learn little by little how the business worked, and we always surrounded ourselves with the best team. We started without a stage, the one we had was removable, but right away there was great interest, both from the groups that wanted to come and play and from the public "In addition, we were pioneers in the area, because there weren't many small-format venues like ours. Over time, the neighborhood also changed, until today it became a place to go out for drinks, concerts, clubs, entertainment" , says Alberto Delgado, managing partner of Moby Dick.

celebrations

30 years later, the enthusiasm remains intact to continue being one of the emblems of live music in Madrid.

"We don't stop renewing ourselves and we don't stop working," says Delgado.

For

, Moby Dick has prepared a luxury program throughout the month of March that includes performances by groups such as The Capaces, Mueran Humans, Asunción, Los Petersellers, Compro Oro, Los Pilotos or Mohama Saz , among others, and which will culminate with

(the date on which the room was inaugurated), with Silvia Superestar as master of ceremonies and with an Antikaraoke with a live band as the main course (free admission until full capacity; more information and program here).

From Chavela Vargas to Total Loss

Moby Dick, was born as the great opportunity to act for many new groups that were beginning, national and international.

They were hired and, most of the time, they were charged to enter to see them.

Groups that achieved success and are now well-known, such as Madrid's

, who in 1997 only managed to gather an audience of 50 people,

, The Libertines,

, Pereza, Love of Lesbian, Lori Meyers, Snow Patrol,

or Butterfly Effect, among many others.

The Dover group at the Moby Dick bar.

But fame and "the care with which artists have always been treated", according to Delgado, eventually turned the venue into one of the

,

Over the years, it has attracted singers of international stature such as

(The Ramones),

, who sang two rancheras a cappella while attending a charity concert in 1993, the Swedish singer -songwriter

or the American

Also on the national scene it is difficult to find a Spanish band or artist that has succeeded in the last 30 years that has not gone through Moby Dick.

From

, such as Siniestro Total, Glutamato Ye-Yé, Pistones, Los Enemigos, Kiko Veneno, Burning, Los Ronaldos, Danza Invisible, Los Secretos, Gabinete Caligari, A Penguin In My Elevator or Dead Bullfighters to bands of the 90s like Los Planetas, Nick Lizard, Sidonie, Mutant Children, Iván Ferreiro or Los Coronas.

Thus, until completing the nearly 7,000 concerts.

Caligary Cabinet.

A record that has given a lot and with many anecdotes, such as when the singer of the British

climbed the local ropes and used the mirror ball as a

while shouting "Destroy the disco", or the concert

's special

in 2004 performing

before a full capacity, or the first time that some very young Lori Meyers played in Madrid and they did it as opening act for The Sunday Drivers.

Other moments to remember are the mythical phrase "we had never touched so far north" said by

on the Moby Dick stage in what was his last performance in Madrid before he died in 1997, and the first concert after confinement, on the last Saturday of May 2020, in which Los Punsetes played.

"We were the first room in Spain that opened with a concert. It was something cosmic, there were about 30 people, with the fixed place drawn in chalk on the floor... It was a very strange

, but also very emotional because you could see the desire people had to go out, to listen to music", says Hugo García, head of Communications for Moby Dick.

Anthony Vega.

For 30 more years

Not everything has been easy in these years.

The different crises, the pandemic and the change in customs and schedules have made maintaining a project like this, to which its owners have fully dedicated themselves, complicated.

"The main business that sustains many concert halls, such as the consumption of drinks, has declined, which means that we then depend on the ticket, which in many cases is not enough to cover all the expenses generated by a concert, something that before It was paid for very well with the subsequent sale at the bar," says Delgado.

But the mood is intact and they hope to celebrate another 30 years as a benchmark for live music in Madrid.

"The keys to our success have always been the fantastic team that we have had (and have), the commitment to sound quality and the care given to the artists. Many want to come and play here because they know that they always sound good, they have a better time and we take great care of them," says Delgado.

Photo of the current Moby Dick.

All this and the fact that most of the groups have not toured for almost two years due to the pandemic has meant that Moby Dick is now receiving an avalanche of requests to perform live and has already

.

"They are looking forward to playing, especially the bands from abroad. Moby is very famous on the international circuit of small groups, who come to Madrid for the first time and are not going to fill a Riviera but they are very demanding with the sound. They do not care about the location and that's why they look for us", concludes Hugo García.

Data of interest:

Location

: Avenida de Brasil, 5.

Hours

: Wednesday to Sunday.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, DJ sessions, from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Price

: ticket with drink, from 11:30 p.m., 10 euros.

The price of the concerts varies.

More information

: www.mobydickclub.com.

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