Sitting in a Karaoke bar not singing. Sitting at a table in front of the stage with a notebook and a pen, writing this. I needed a drink and walked into this place. A Norwegian woman is singing a romantic song. A guy with a hat, tatoos and a goatee beard leans against the bar smiling at her. That must be Sam, since this is Sam’s Bar. It was cold outside, I needed somewhere warm and this was the first place I saw.

No one else wants a go after the Norwegian woman so Sam gets up on the stage and sings Imagine, reading the words off one of the numerous screens dotted about the place. There’s no escape from the karaoke. This was not a good place to come for a quiet drink.

A Vanilla Ice song plays without anyone singing, which is probably the best way to listen to a Vanilla Ice song. Many words on the screen, interspersed with a lot of Yos. Background computer-generated abstract shapes.

Copenhagen is supposed to have a good night life but it’s not happening in Sam’s bar, though it is only 6 o’clock. The shops are still open. It’s Saturday. Perhaps when people have finished their shopping they’ll come in here and have a sing. I’m not going to wait to find out. I finish my Carlsberg and go back out into the cold. I bought a pair of gloves earlier but they’re fixed together by a piece of plastic which I was desperately trying to bite my way through without success. I could wear them if I were to walk around with my hands together, but instead I decide to forget them and keep my hands in my pockets. It’s important to look cool in Copenhagen.