by L.D. Stardust
Videos by Desi Estévez
The Anti-Karaoke on May 23, 2025, was one of those evenings with a slightly smaller audience than usual, but the magic, energy, and camaraderie were at their peak.
As always, a good mix of veterans (singers and those just participating in the audience) came to greet Rachel and reminisce about the time—whether at Apolo or Sidecar—when they used to come 10, 15, or even 20 years ago. It's always a powerful moment to discover a new personal story that's another thread in the fabric of the long, 20-year history of Anti-Karaoke!
It was also a wonderful surprise to see Suso and Gonzalo, our original sound technicians from the old Sidecar days ten years ago! Later, Gonzalo, who enjoys the special status of being one of the very few sound guys who dared to perform, would get out from the booth and onstage to rock us hard, just as he used to in the past.
Before the show, our official A.K. war photographer Desi Estévez took a photo of both with Rachel to commemorate the reunion.
Rachel kicked off the show with a trip to the early ‘80s and her own adolescence: specifically, the Simple Minds’ hauntingly romantic anthem “Don’t You Forget About Me”, and the emblematic track in the John Hughes movie “The Breakfast Club” that formed the backdrop for many a horny teenage makeout session.
She continued with one of the many Pixies songs that appear in Anti's repertoire: “Wave of Mutilation”.
Max from Brazil, who was visiting Barcelona and new to the A.K., was the first “civilian” to sing. Although it's not easy to be the first, he did very well with AC/DC's “Highway to Hell.” Throughout the night, he, along with this girlfriend Isabel, would end up being one of the most passionate attendees of the show.
Max's partner, Isabelle, also from Brazil, had chosen the A.K. as the place to celebrate her birthday. She amazed us with her powerful, professional-quality voice when she sang Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."
It's surprises like these that come our way from time to time that make Anti so exciting and unforgettable.
Eloi, already a fixture at the Anti-Karaoke, returned to the stage to rock the audience hard with one of the show's most popular hits, "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters.
Lynn, a beloved A.K. veteran and one of its most charismatic performers, returned to the stage and blew us away with her powerful performance of The Strokes’ “Reptilia”. As Rachel always says, it’s not at all necessary to have a great singing voice at the Anti-Karaoke… but it sure helps!
It's always good to see the multitalented actor Adrian at the A.K. This time, he sang a rousing "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones.
Whiplash, an authentic A.K. soldier who distinguishes himself as much for his fantastic voice as his great taste in music, rocked the house with Van Halen’s “Panama”.
Das Indignadu continued the 1980s vibe with a majestic rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." A timely choice because Springsteen, a true American patriot and lifelong champion of the working class, has recently been directly threatened by the USA's orange Mussolini for protesting his administration's assault on the country's democratic institutions.
Malasombra, who we believe sang for the first time at Anti, sang the ‘90s hit "Only Happy When It Rains" by Garbage.
Our Anti-Apuntatrix, Kalamardo, delighted us with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” appropriately accompanied by a…. deer 😆
A.K. veteran Siol has found a new musical niche: clubbing hits. This evening he got the whole club jumping and singing along to "Freed from Desire" by Gala.
Subutai, another Anti-Karaoke veteran and also a great visual artist, surprised us when he opted for Bonnie Tyler's “Holding Out for a Hero”… and even managed to make it rock!
The parade of Anti-veterans continued, with the intervention of Tank Girl, a great anti-tainer who lent her great voice and expressive interpretation to Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares to You.”
Sara and Marta debuted on the anti-stage with a fun and festive performance, complete with choreography, of the Tom Jones classic, "It's Not Unusual." We hope they come back soon!
Urban Jungle, the most faithful anti-karaokean fan of Bon Jovi and accompanied by our beloved Fabri, did not disappoint with his passionate rendition of “Living on a Prayer,” which got everyone in the club singing along to the chorus.
Then came the most iconic and celebratory moment of Anti-Karaoke: “Jackie Time,” in which Rachel sings Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and delivers Jack Daniels directly from the bottle to the audience’s mouths. This time, Rachel did it with a sense of renewed confidence, thanks to the her new invention she was wearing underneath her outfit: the “butt bra”.
El Sospechoso, famous in A.K. world for his high-energy performances, stayed true to form and rocked the room with The Hives' “Hate to Say I Told You So”.
Simone, a new Anti-Karaokean recently arrived from Italy with a beautiful voice, returned to the anti-stage to sing a new addition to the repertoire: “Tomorrow Is Closed” by Nothing But Thieves.
It was great to see the lovely Nancy again, whose performances always drive the crowd wild. On this occasion, she rocked the house with System of a Down’s “Toxicity”.
The Former F*cking Technician—Gonzalo, who was actually the sound guy at Anti-Karaoke during its previous era 10 years ago—not only came to the A.K. as an audience member after a decade, but also sang Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." It was an incredible surprise to see him back there in the "Manicomio en el sótano”.
The dynamic duo of Lion King and Siol began the show’s climax with a resplendent performance of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside”.
Carol, Cris & Subutai gave us a fun trio version of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now.”
It is always a gift to the show when Ennio from Rome shows up. The man famous for his charm and signature dance moves to ‘80s classics did not disappoint; this evening he debuted a new song in the A.K. repertoire, Level 42’s “Lessons in Love”.
Tank Girl returned to the stage one more time to sing the '70s Aerosmith anthem, "Dream On".
Isabelle from Brazil also returned to the stage for a second time, following up her stunning debut with another amazing performance; this time, "Sweet Child O'Mine" by Guns 'n Roses. We have word that she'll be coming back this Friday, so we're in for a huge treat!
Adrian and Rachel sang a duet of "Whole Lotta Rosie" while Rachel handed out toilet paper printed with Trump's face (made in China, of course). The song ended up turning into a collective chant of "F*ck Trump". It was possibly the most furious "Whole Lotta Rosie" ever!
Lion King and Pedro continued with the duet format when they collaborated on an epic performance of Guns 'n Roses "Welcome to the Jungle”.
Appropriately, the show wrapped up with the traditional group performance of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" with all onstage. A monumental finale to an amazing evening!
And this Friday, June 6 at Club Sauvage, we’ll be back for more!