This was my second visit to Subversion, the first as the guest of Mistress Elegance in September 2006, when it was held at the über sleek bar Abacus, by the Bank of England.

Beloved of City hotshots, Abacus is sybaritic sophistication, with its smoked mirrors, plush leather sofas, deep pile carpets, no expense spared sound system and bar prices to match.
It was a fabulous evening.

Fast forward a year to the polar opposite, down to earth, does what it says on the tin, London Metropolitan University Student Union bar, that is HUB Club.

Housed in a nondescript office block in Aldgate, it’s a spacious venue set over two floors, with separate dance and chill out areas on the ground floor. The music is a mixture of hard dance anthems and funky tunes with some unexpected blasts from the charts of the past thrown in. The volume is perfectly pitched to get the adrenalin going, and still have a conversation without sign language.


The HUB Club has nice, clean, bright loos on both floors and is very airy and well ventilated, a welcome change from many venues.
Fag enthusiasts, ahem, had to make do with a drag in the street. (enough tranny jokes, thank you. Ed.)
The upper floor houses the bar which is not only dirt cheap, but had very friendly and pretty efficient staff. Adjacent to the bar were more sofas and tables, and if you totter round in high heels as I do, it’s nice to know you can get a seat fairly easily if you want one.

At the other end of this floor is a large play area with a splendid array of deliciously naughty dungeon equipment, supplied and monitored by David and Annie of Playpenz www.playpenz.co.uk Although these two look scary, they are in fact leading lights of the Colchester Rotary Club, and North Essex Jam Making Champions for the third year running, but don’t let on I told you!


The crowd is an allsorts mixture, very friendly and chatty and not prone to cliques, gawpers or gropers as some clubs are. As with most fetish clubs, Subversion has a strict dress code to ensure that everyone has made an effort. Be it burlesque style corsets, latex or lace, soldiers or sailors, naughty nurses, French maids, cross dressers or near naked slaves, you will be most welcome (but do remember to keep your “privates” covered, even if only with tape!).

Subversion is the perfect place to come and see the fetish scene at its best, to look, to learn, to try if the fancy takes you, to dress to the nines, meet nice people and above all to have a guaranteed great night out.

Frankly, Subversion would be outstanding in a workmen’s hut, because it always has a fabulous atmosphere, and that is down to the consummate professionalism, attention to detail and hard work of the promoters, Mistress Absolute and Bobette. After all, where else do you get such stylish touches as complimentary platters of fresh melon, strawberries and pineapple served through the night to nourish the inner party animal?

Go, enjoy, tell your friends, and kick yourself for not having been before.
©HIRH Princess Natascha of Belgravia & Mistress Elegance
Pictures curtesy of Bobette

The evening started with a surprise visit from the Alchemist who decided, on the spur of the moment, to don my military attire and accompany me to this event (sadly he declined my kind offer of a corset and high heels to “set his outfit off”!). We set off by car and got to Kings Cross in record speed (he’s not called the Alchemist for nothing!). Unfortunately, even the Alchemist was not able to find us a nearby parking space on this freezing night, such is the difficulty of parking nearby. I was thankful for my long “Herr Flick” style leather coat but not so thankful for my high heeled shoes!
We moved quickly as the short queue was dealt with by the efficient TG crew. Inside the atmosphere was already buzzing, comfortably full of happy party people dancing and socialising. We decided that first we would take a wander round and see what we had in store for the night.

Canvas is laid out predominantly on one floor (with the exception of the down-stairs Cloakroom), extremely good news for wearers of high heeled shoes, and has three distinctly separate areas.

Whilst TG has world recognition on the fetish scene, it is also well known on the dance party circuit and as such is one of the few fetish parties that is able to successfully cross into both.

As is usual with the TG crowd, everyone had made an effort to look their best, with fantastic costumes being de-rigueur. TG is, without doubt, the fetish equivalent of Ladies Day at Ascot. Be it PVC or rubber, militia or maid, extravagant drag queen or a “nearly nude”, no one could be accused of having given that evening’s outfit little thought.

The door policy fortunately makes it impossible for anyone to get inside without having a suitable outfit to wear, effectively barring those who merely wish to come and gawp and/or grope!

The DJs in the main dance room were, as usual, pumping out the best of hard dance tunes to the pleasure of the frenzied dancers; those more adventurous becoming, perhaps, a pole dancer for the first time.
The remaining dance and chill out area was a sight to behold. This is traditionally the burlesque room and has always suggested the glamour of a bygone age. Here at Canvas this theme had really been accomplished with aplomb. The walls were bedecked in elegant gold and red flock wallpaper (think Banqueting Hall, not local Indian restaurant!), ornate gilded or jewelled mirrors (all the better for checking one’s appearance) and sparkling glass chandeliers abounded.

It really did look like a “top end of the market” ballroom rather than the warehouse venue that Canvas is. Here, seating was ample with plenty of sofas to allow time to sit, chill, meet new friends, and perhaps even allow a thoughtful slave to provide a therapeutic foot massage.

As this is TG, the night would not of course be complete without a visit to the “dungeon”. Here at Canvas, an underground Crypt was unfortunately not available. However, ample equipment was provided to ensure that their dungeon did, nevertheless, serve its purpose. This was certainly upheld - judging by the “happy slappy” sounds of play.

This room also provided for several performances of rope bondage skills throughout the night, culminating in some rather erotic play involving two lovely ladies, a rope harness and a rather large strap-on. (Use your imagination!)

All in all, once again, TG has lived up to its reputation and provided us with a damned good night of entertainment and unique glamour.
© Mistress Eli

More great photos by Marcus T.

We arrived at Mass around 11.15pm and luckily did not have to battle the queues to get inside. However, once inside, the queue for the cloakroom began almost immediately. It was going to be a very busy night. Having vested ourselves of our coats, it was time to case the joint and see what was on offer.

New Years Eve has to be one of the biggest nights of the year for partying and TG New Years Eve is no exception to this. After having pigged out over Christmas, everyone is in fine party spirit (a G&T please!) and the place is heaving.

People in wondrous costumes were everywhere, the usual doctors and nurses and uniformed officers, bunny girls and bikini boys and all sorts of freaks and freakesses. This is the place to see and be seen.

In the main room, the dance floor is a mass of movement, bodies gyrating frantically to the banging sounds of top hard dance tunes and smell of warm latex wafting in the air. Obviously these people were keen to get to a flying start shifting those Christmas calories of the hips.

This being New Year’s Eve, the room was awash with colour as the clocks struck midnight, the party poppers exploded and silvery confetti rained down on us, welcoming in another year of fun, fantasy and fetishism.

The second dance room with its eclectic mix of tunes was no less busy. All the seats were taken and the dance area as again packed. The music was pumping out and the tunes were a splendidly unexpected mixture of 80s electronica (sing a long or reminisce if you’re old enough!), a bit of dub, some tunes from the days of “swing” and even a classical masterpiece or two (now, that was unexpected!).

This is the room of the pole dance, and amateur pole dancers abounded - beautiful girls and guys shimming up and down the poles like professionals. As the music would suggest, this room has a burlesque feel and looking around people were certainly dressed the part. This is the place to wear that fabulous hat, and why not team it with as many feathers as possible, some lace, and perhaps a corset and some killer heels? Girl or guy, either way, this outfit works!

In between the two dance rooms I saw a group of ladies that would not have looked out of place at the Court of Louis XIV - the powdered wigs, the pale make-up and ubiquitous beauty marks and the ornate gowns. I wondered briefly if I had turned up at a showing of Dangerous Liaisons as I wandered off.

Down at the very bottom of Mass is the Crypt and what better place for a dungeon than a church crypt? Here the music is more of a soundtrack to the activities going on around, nothing too banging or too fast down here. Take for example, Shirley Bassey belting out “From Russia with Love”; don’t we all love a Bond film over the festive season? Fortunately the dungeon provides ample seating, although on this packed night, even these had queues. Dungeon furniture is also provided and comprises in the main part of various apparatus in which to strap someone securely, perhaps over a bench or stool or upright on the St Andrews X, and then tantalisingly torment that person in a variety of devilishly delightful ways! This was certainly play at its best and everyone had a beaming smile, even when sporting a bright red and stripy bottom!

This was also the location for some great Japanese rope bondage displays, and as this was after all a party, what better way than to use pretty fluorescent coloured ropes with which to suspend someone overhead, leaving them “just hanging around”!

Certainly Torture Garden is the place to be yourself (even that self you don’t know yet). Rejoice in its splendour and join the fantasy. This is a fancy dress dance party for grown up people, with a very special twist!

Thank you Torture Garden for a very splendid year!
©Mistress Eli
Torture Garden

The TG birthday ball has always been one of the high points of the fetish calendar and parties at the SE1 are generally a blast, so this was bound to be a winning combination.

The SE1 is a cavernous club situated under the arches of London Bridge station. This is the ideal venue for any party requiring lots of different areas without overlapping sound problems and there are 6 distinctly separate areas to play with.

As we wandered though this vast club, we encountered the “Peepshow installation” surrounded, appropriately, by peeping Toms and Tomasinas; next we encountered the extremely strange “Kamelyan – Skinphony”, a harp made up of a prostrate body, back pierced with meat hooks, strings attached (think leg of lamb at butchers!), to become a bloodied “instrument” for the enjoyment of the musician and audience. Not perhaps for the faint hearted.

There was other entertainment on offer, such as medical fetish performances by Mistress Olivia and E.Vie; various bondage demonstrations throughout the night; fire displays and tall stilt walkers. There were even fun fetish fashion shows in the main dance room (or I should say “Fashion Club Arena”), with designers such as Libidex, Northbound, Pretty Pervy, Jane Doe and of course TG Clothing, displaying their wares.

What makes TG rather different from other fetish/BDSM parties is that there is also emphasis on the music, performances, decoration and drama rather than merely focusing on the dungeon equipment in the play area. Although some of this may however be put down to the crowds. A couples’ area was also provided, just off the dungeon, although this was rather over-crowded due to its ideal chill out location and seating. This area was well monitored to prevent the voyeurism of the “wanky-man” syndrome!

For me, my favourite room was the “Opium Den Cabaret Ballroom”, a large area complete with a stage and numerous large round tables, around which we could sit, watch the proceedings and socialise. One of the highlights of the night for me was the wonderful “Dynamos Rhythm Aces”, a live swing band, performing classics such as Frankie goes to Hollywood’s “Relax”, in swing style complete with a double bass. This room was also host to fabulous burlesque cabaret performances from Masumi Max, Miss Lily White and Ryan Styles, whose act is a pure genius of mime.

The DJs in this area kept the tunes in line with the atmosphere and theme and we were entertained with energetic polkas, jives, rock n roll and an assortment of other eclectic beats in keeping with the lounge lizard style. I’m sure I saw Elvis, sporting an incredible quiff, jiving the night away with Marilyn Munroe.

The audience as usual were dressed to impress. The costumes were fetish, burlesque, outlandish, but never boring. There were latex clad lads and lassies, doctors, nurses and surgeons in gowns; geisha girls (and boys), animals and beasts, Indian princes, dandies and fops and so much more. Guys and girls in top hats abounded as did those wearing feathers and veils. Wigs and false eyelashes were certainly the order of the night, and that was just the chaps!

All in all, Torture Garden sure knows how to throw a party. Wow, what a wonderful night.

©Mistress Eli

Torture Garden

Another Saturday night at Torture Garden, the first of the new year in fact. “Animal Love” being the theme for this Valentine’s extravaganza.
This being Torture Garden, the costumes were as usual beautiful, brazen & bizarre. As well as the well-heeled ladies and gentlemen who could so easily have come from a Victorian Opera House, the officers in uniform, the burlesque, the ridiculous and the naked, animals abounded on this bestial night.
There were extravagant foxes, looking for all the world like the hunter rather than the quarry. There were dogs and cats and ponies. Even a blue mouse with an extremely large penis, led by the tail by an elegant Mistress clad also in blue.

Tickets had sold out before the night, the Valentine’s Ball being one of the highlights of the TG events. To avoid the usual over-crowding, the bar/restaurant had been opened for the night, providing food, drinks and additional dungeon area, catering for pre-party Valentine’s suppers for those romantically inclined with music to match the mood. This provided very welcome extra space for drinking/sitting/chilling/beating one’s slaves etc. And what a difference that extra space did indeed make.

For this Valentine’s night, the Vega$s Wedding Chapel had come to TG. Romance in the air, so why not get married for the night/a few nights/for ever? And no divorce required! Whatever the duration, the Elephant Man Elvis was on hand to perform the necessary ceremonies.
The dungeon in the crypt was full to the brim again, literally no room to swing the proverbial cat. But perhaps a little room to swing some smaller mammal, such as perhaps a cute mouse? A little extra room in the “couples area” allowed for a sit down, but alas even here queues were forming.

In the “Animal Lust Club Zone”, the music was dirty, hard and pumping, Allen TG, George E, Jimmy Mofo, Stefan and Jacob Moss kept the crowd on their feet, whilst projections of pictures in keeping with the “animal love” theme surrounded us. In the “Animal Love Ballroom”, the music was far more diverse. In keeping with the neo-burlesque style, DJs David TG, OAP, Suikeban, Nono and Jimmy No Shame kept the tunes going with remixed blasts from the past, up to date hip hop and funky beats.

Whilst weaving my way between the crowds, I encountered a rather unusual and totally ridiculous prize “wrestling” contest at one point, fighting with all due style and panache by a gentleman wearing a furry suit and very large feet, compered with flair by “Tank Girl”. Well, variety is certainly the spice of life.

Again, Torture Garden held my captivation for the evening and, believe me, that is no easy task. As far as fancy dress party in a fetish environment goes, there is nothing better than a night at Torture Garden.

Mistress Eli

As a cross-over between the hard dance/fetish and burlesque scenes, TG is often the average “vanilla” clubber’s first taste of a fetish party and is sometimes seen by those as a fancy dress party with a big emphasis on the dance side. TG does however have a “darker side” but this is fairly well hidden unless one should venture down to the crypt where a well stocked dungeon is located. More about that later…..

Everyone’s dress has to conform to the dress policy which is fairly broad but keeps out the “I can’t be bothered” jeans & trainers types. Such a cold evening so for most people a quick change in the loos on arrival. In go rather normal looking warmly dressed individuals, and out came, well, perhaps birds of paradise go some way to describe the visions that emerged.

The costumes ranged from fetish, burlesque, evening, fantasy and most of all fun. A lot of hard work or a lot of hard cash, or maybe both had gone into these wondrous creations. I saw doctors and nurses, soldiers and sailors, trolley dollies, geishas & French Revolution aristocrats, dandies and pure tramps. Perhaps the hardest costume to understand however was the rather tubby middle aged man who had decided to wear his navy towelling dressing gown – come on, absolutely no one has a fetish for that surely! You know who you are. My words of advice…. DO try harder next time.

From a music angle, the “main” room rocked, pumping out hard dance tunes all night to a packed dance floor. The main room was also host to some great stage acts such as the beautiful kimono lady and her Japanese rope bondage demonstration, handing out tastes of sake as the clock struck midnight. I also saw fantastic stage dancers with elaborate costumes and headwear worthy of Ascot. TG has also hosted acts as diverse as fire eaters and pole dancers and suspension acts.

The second room played an eclectic mixture of funky beats and provided well needed seating for those needing to chill and rest those poor aching feet, clad in impossibly high heeled shoes – and I’m not just talking women here.

And finally, a trip down to the crypt where the dungeon equipment is located. This was so out of the way and not sign-posted so if you were not looking out for this, it was possible to remain blissfully unaware of this BDSM element of the party.

Unfortunately on this packed New Years Eve, the dungeon was very crowded and there was hardly room to wield a whip (let alone swing a cat). The atmosphere was good and there were some beautiful scenes of domination/submission being played out by some rather beautiful people, where room was permitting. Seating room and slaves were aplenty, great again for those poor aching feet. A bit of footworship and the occasional living footstall do after all go down a treat with a weary mistress. But as with most slaves, a little punishment is often needed. Oh Mistress, please let me be your first beating of the New Year. Hmm, it’s so lucky I brought my trusty riding crop then, you lucky guy.

All in all, TG certainly lived up to my expectations and in some ways exceeded them. I shall certainly go back again and very soon. From a fetish club viewpoint, TG is the more commercial side of the scene with a bias more for the costumes and dance than the BDSM play. This makes it a more “safe” choice of fetish party for those new to the scene wishing to dress up but not sure about the rest. TG is also a fabulous and fun night out for those more used to the harder play elements that abound in the fetish/BDSM world.

Mistress Eli
more info

If you arrive suited & booted and ready to party then excellent – enter the throng and away you go! If not there are plenty of spaces at SCALA to get chained, bound, painted and squeezed into your TG Xmas Ball attire! The Spiral staircase leading to cloakroom made for excellent walk-in wardrobe, toilets had mirrored walls – an essential for checking glitter, false lashes and ensuring that it’s a great pubic hair day if you want your best ‘do’ on show.

Storage space in cloakrooms was well sign posted but abandoned by many as cues were horrendously lengthy and slow moving. Lots of party people, myself included, made use of the usual (?) corners of the rooms to store belongings and was pleased that it was there at the end of the night. As an annual celebration attended by many like-minded festive folk the atmosphere was friendly, respectful & reflected in the we’ll keep an eye on your stuff attitude.

Service at the Bar was excellent – speedy, efficient & priced as expected for such a prestigious event. I was impressed by the open-minded, non-phased reaction of bar staff serving party people in different stages of undress, gender bending or wearing mouth watering PVC and leather creations.

There was an incredible variation in interpretation of the dress code – flashing Christmas fairies, PVC school girls, burlesque beauties, corsetry, plenty of medics – including the walking wounded, cyber punk cowgirls, men in drag – not sure about the cheap wigs? Not forgetting incredible cyber-punk and fantasy creations, the military was well represented, Goths in their element rubbing shoulders with fluffy fetish fairy’s juxtaposed by a reveler wearing naught but strategically placed tinsel…. and his boots of course!!

And all of this before you get through the doors and enter the main reception area!

The Winter Wonderland Installation, and in particular Roxy Velvet, enthralled & enraptured all who were fortunate to set eyes on the Ice Queen! Equipped with cage, dry ice, bubbles, an array of props, swing and under bust corset who could resist spending a while nestling into comfy sofas to gaze in amazement!

This was a fantastic setting for party goers to ready themselves for a long nights trance dance, prepare for the climb up to the Dungeon, talk to fellow clubbers and check out the array of fetish fashion. The comfy sofas also offered respite for those needing time out whilst listening to an eclectic mix of disco, funk & grunge whilst ideally placed for easy access to the main dance floor.

The club arena was awesome! Fantastic visual projections, walkabout performance artists, TG official photographers and the best of TG dj’s who certainly know how to entertain the crowd with hard core dance, trance classics and dirty breaks. The Fashion Showcases and stage performances held on the main stage in the club arena were visually stunning & in keeping with the reputation that TG has for leading the way in fetish fashion. I personally felt that the choreography and sleekness of delivery was disappointing. Loved the costumes but the standard of performance could be improved.

Saying that the vibe rocked, the opportunity for self-expression, a gathering of kindred spirits, clubbers, fetters and newcomers to the scene were excellent ingredients for a storming event. A bird’s eye view of the main stage and club area was available from the Chill Out Balcony adjacent to the Dungeon Playroom.

I was intrigued by the delights of the dungeon equipped with St. Andrews Cross, Suspension rig and Spanking benches. Additional multi-screen visuals and ambient, erotic sounds added to the atmosphere. As an experienced fetter I was a bit disappointed by the lack of additional equipment, safe sex supplies, clear rules of conduct and obvious Masters & Mistresses.

I was however, thrilled to meet Nicky one of the four Dungeon Masters. The arrangement is that the Dungeon is hosted by at least one of the Dungeon Masters at all times, although there is no firm agreement around timings. In addition monitors are in place to demonstrate equipment or point to those in the know, ensure that play is safe and consenting and that people interested in active participation &/or voyeurism have their needs met. The philosophy is very much that TG is primarily about providing a great night out where people can enjoy the music; rave happily whilst expressing their sexual self within a safe environment. At the same time it reflects some of the pursuits of adult pleasure, can serve as an introduction to light SM, bondage, fantasy & role play or just be an eye opener for people new to concepts, ideas and lifestyles. A transition through music and fashion into subculture & beyond for those interested in investigating the fetish scene further.
Result!!! Nicky was an excellent representative for TG and a delight for fetters with sound play practices or any novices to meet!

What ever your preferences for music, fashion & frolics TG provides a melting pot, a meeting point and insists you enjoy it!

Bring on the New Year!!

Tantra Devine

more info

Brittania Rules The Slaves

To be more specific, Britain has one of the most active fetish sub-cultures in the World. This largely underground array of clubs and bars caters to people who have a more complex approach to sexuality that the average citizen.

It is important to make a distinction between fetish clubs and sex clubs. The former involves dress codes that bar people wearing street clothes -- only those clad in PVC, rubber or any of the other exotic materials favoured by aficionados can gain entry. Once inside, attendees are expected to be respectful of one another and ask before getting intimate with strangers. Many clubs have a 'dungeon' where attendees can 'play' consensually with others -- this can involve spanking, whipping and restraint. Not all at the same time necessarily.

Sex clubs on the other hand usually have no dress code and a looser grip on what is acceptable or otherwise. These 'swinging' clubs constitute an entirely separate sub-culture to the fetish scene. Confuse the two at your own peril.

London in particular has a variety of clubs that cater to fetishists -- clubs such as Torture Garden have almost become household names, if not bywords for the scene. World famous publications have emerged from the city, such as Skin Two, who have also hosted events of renown such as the amusingly named Rubber Ball. There is even a fetish-friendly cafe and gallery recently opened in Covent Garden called Coffee, Cake, and Kink.

The Rub

I wanted to find out more about this sub-culture. So I spoke to Kim from Club Rub, a night that has been running for over ten years in London. My first thought was how does someone get into the scene for the first time?

In Kim's case, it was a friend she had made on holiday in San Francisco - a drag queen. Kim's friend was visiting London and invited her to a fetish club. She went and found to her delight that this was a place where she felt she fitted in. It felt right and she found the scene was full of intelligent people.

Having found her groove in life, Kim attended fetish parties for eight years before progressing to running her own club. As Kim had worked as an Entertainments Officer when she was at college and had gone on to a career in marketing, PR and corporate event management, running a fetish club seemed a logical use of her talent and experience.

When I asked Kim why she thought Britain leads the world in the fetish scene, she thought it had a lot to do with aspects of British culture such as corporal punishment in schools. But now that caning is no longer used in schools, she predicts that this particular fetish will go into decline.

But in terms of fetish fashion, Britain still leads the world. Until very recently, virtually all the sheet rubber used for outfits was manufactured in Derbyshire. British designers are innovative in their use of these unusual materials, compared to more conservative creations from countries such as Germany.

Fiddly & Twiddly

Kim sees Club Rub as a laidback place where people can socialise. Her current venue is Duke's of Houndsditch in the City of London -- handy for the financial district! As well as the usual bar and dancefloor area, there is an area known as the Den where people can lounge around and get more friendly. By law, attendees are forbidden from having sex but in Kim's wonderful phrase they can get 'fiddly and twiddly' with each other. She sees this as a prelude to going home and carrying on.

There is only one rule at Club Rub (apart from pay on the door) which is "Wear fetish gear to get in -- that's all you have to do." Everyone is welcome, even single men, as long as they keep to the dress code. She does not like to discriminate against anyone. If you do turn up at Club Rub in street clothes, you will be handed a roll of bondage tape and instructed to fashion your own costume!

Her advice to anyone who is contemplating going to a fetish night is don't be afraid. People are friendly and considerate. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself...once you get over that, you might be pleasantly surprised.

For more information on Kim's club, visit the official Club Rub website. For more general information, visit London Fetish Scene.

Her work offered a refreshing change in an otherwise drab group show featuring young artists still reeking of Art College, with the presentational skills of an aardvark, so they deserve no mention here, ha!
Georgie’s paintings stood out however!

Ms Tier pieces will remind the trained viewer of the form and composition of Braque's bird pictures and collages and also have similar reference to the shape, colour and composition of violin and musical instruments, especially pinks, reds and blacks of the classical orchestra.

There is as well a timid if not tentative Klimt-like influence in some of her works, which Georgia is experimenting with further.
The appliqué-style of jewels and glass buttons is playing a small part in some of the paintings, adorning the corsets and hair-dos of the dramas that are unfurling before our eyes.

In “Moulin Rouge” the Can-Can girls, little by little, reveal their naughty secrets, and would have had Toulouse-Lautrec blush with approval.

There is nothing tasteless or underhand going on here, pardon the pun! While there is nothing cheap nor vulgar about these pieces either. There is also a lot of Beryl Cook’s humor present in these “vignettes” as isolated snapshots of a particular moment frozen in time. The style of the shapes, as they describe the figure’s movements are well observed.
They glide and turn, as if the pictures were animated. This adds up to a stylish, if not a somewhat comical look at the Dominatrix and her victim. It breathes a breath of fresh air into erotic art now on offer, which these days, seems to be stuck in that same old and done to death style of “Glamour”…yawn. Its impact on the visual arts isn’t going anywhere fast at the moment.

But that doesn't mean that there isn't good Erotic Art out there, as Georgie Tier’s work has effectively demonstrated here. I was pleasantly surprised by its freshness and originality. I recommend that you all try to see it, and draw your own conclusions.

You can see Georgie’s work next at: “Skin II” on the 8th and 9th October, and at the Barbican Arts Gallery, where she will mostly be showing prints. And her in person, with more paintings, yes! : In the PVC outfit! Wink, wink… as a featured artist at the Erotica show, Olympia, Earl’s Court, London, next November.

Stephane

for more on Georgie Tier click here

Her work offered a refreshing change in an otherwise drab group show featuring young artists still reeking of Art College, with the presentational skills of an aardvark, so they deserve no mention here, ha!
Georgie’s paintings stood out however!

Ms Tier pieces will remind the trained viewer of the form and composition of Braque's bird pictures and collages and also have similar reference to the shape, colour and composition of violin and musical instruments, especially pinks, reds and blacks of the classical orchestra.

There is as well a timid if not tentative Klimt-like influence in some of her works, which Georgia is experimenting with further.
The appliqué-style of jewels and glass buttons is playing a small part in some of the paintings, adorning the corsets and hair-dos of the dramas that are unfurling before our eyes.

In “Moulin Rouge” the Can-Can girls, little by little, reveal their naughty secrets, and would have had Toulouse-Lautrec blush with approval.

There is nothing tasteless or underhand going on here, pardon the pun! While there is nothing cheap nor vulgar about these pieces either. There is also a lot of Beryl Cook’s humor present in these “vignettes” as isolated snapshots of a particular moment frozen in time. The style of the shapes, as they describe the figure’s movements are well observed.
They glide and turn, as if the pictures were animated. This adds up to a stylish, if not a somewhat comical look at the Dominatrix and her victim. It breathes a breath of fresh air into erotic art now on offer, which these days, seems to be stuck in that same old and done to death style of “Glamour”…yawn. Its impact on the visual arts isn’t going anywhere fast at the moment.

But that doesn't mean that there isn't good Erotic Art out there, as Georgie Tier’s work has effectively demonstrated here. I was pleasantly surprised by its freshness and originality. I recommend that you all try to see it, and draw your own conclusions.

You can see Georgie’s work next at: “Skin II” on the 8th and 9th October, and at the Barbican Arts Gallery, where she will mostly be showing prints. And her in person, with more paintings, yes! : In the PVC outfit! Wink, wink… as a featured artist at the Erotica show, Olympia, Earl’s Court, London, next November.

Stephane

for more on Georgie Tier click here

When I arrived at Rub around midnight the club was very busy, full of vibrantly animated people.
This was my first time at Dukes so once I’d adorned myself with the contents of my ruck sack, I blended in with the crowd and went for a walk about. The venue has a predominately bar feel about it which is ideal as there’s lots of places to sit and chat and later on when everyone’s loosened up a bit, for exhibitionists to exhibit, away from the main dance area. This party was a Birthday celebration with a 50’s theme. In the first bar DJ El Nino played Rockabilly and Rock n Roll. It was comfortably crowded in here all night, ideal for all manner of many minglings and meetings.

Downstairs there were three more rooms all equally busy and buzzing. The middle room was the dance floor which spilled out into another large comfortable bar area. The music was mostly funky and accessible House, a good beat but not too hard, which kept the room full all night.

In a separate room on the other side of the dance floor was a play area. Rub isn’t one of the hard core
SM fetish clubs, which makes it the perfect introduction to fetish, and a great first time party.

So appropriately the play area was fairly low key, but the whipping post, wrist chains and examination
benches were occupied and observed all night by aconstant flow of Doms, Subs and Voyeurs. There was one particular couple who exhibited their more extreme fantasies involving intricate rope bondage, piercing and fisting, it was beautiful to watch and by far the most hard core fetish play I saw that evening.

The thing that struck me most about the night was the incredibly wide range of people there. A complete mix of ages, nationalities, shapes, sizes and looks. Some people were beautifully and flamboyantly dressed, others were borderline costume and looked like they just stripped down to their old pair of vaguely shiny underpants!

But all were having a wicked time no matter what, and there was no air of posing or pretence. During the two years I've been away it looks to me as if the fetish scene has reached a much wider audience. Most of the I spoke to were first timers, there were a few familiar regular faces and a few obviously harder players, but generally the vibe was about the music, dressing up and socialising in a sexy environment with the freedomto play if you wished.

One person I spoke to described it as an adult fancy dress party. Another person commented they don’t want the club to become anymore popular then it already is. But I think its got to be a good thing for some fetish clubs to be more main stream and encourage a wider range of people to explore their sexuality and be open and confident about it. People just need to find the clubs they feel most comfortable and satisfied in. Even though this Rub party reached such a wide rage of audience the atmosphere was still one of respect andopen mindedness. I was unaware of anyone being a nuisance or acting inappropriately.
This is a wonderful thing about fetish clubs in general, people are always very polite, unless of course you want to be treated like a dirty little bitch!
I had an excellent night and met some great people, and going by the vibe everyone else there did too.

Sarah
Dancing Décor

Photos – Jan
fetishclubpix@dial.pipex.com

Club Rub info: http://www.club-rub.com

When I arrived at Rub around midnight the club was very busy, full of vibrantly animated people.
This was my first time at Dukes so once I’d adorned myself with the contents of my ruck sack, I blended in with the crowd and went for a walk about. The venue has a predominately bar feel about it which is ideal as there’s lots of places to sit and chat and later on when everyone’s loosened up a bit, for exhibitionists to exhibit, away from the main dance area. This party was a Birthday celebration with a 50’s theme. In the first bar DJ El Nino played Rockabilly and Rock n Roll. It was comfortably crowded in here all night, ideal for all manner of many minglings and meetings.

Downstairs there were three more rooms all equally busy and buzzing. The middle room was the dance floor which spilled out into another large comfortable bar area. The music was mostly funky and accessible House, a good beat but not too hard, which kept the room full all night.

In a separate room on the other side of the dance floor was a play area. Rub isn’t one of the hard core
SM fetish clubs, which makes it the perfect introduction to fetish, and a great first time party.

So appropriately the play area was fairly low key, but the whipping post, wrist chains and examination
benches were occupied and observed all night by aconstant flow of Doms, Subs and Voyeurs. There was one particular couple who exhibited their more extreme fantasies involving intricate rope bondage, piercing and fisting, it was beautiful to watch and by far the most hard core fetish play I saw that evening.

The thing that struck me most about the night was the incredibly wide range of people there. A complete mix of ages, nationalities, shapes, sizes and looks. Some people were beautifully and flamboyantly dressed, others were borderline costume and looked like they just stripped down to their old pair of vaguely shiny underpants!

But all were having a wicked time no matter what, and there was no air of posing or pretence. During the two years I've been away it looks to me as if the fetish scene has reached a much wider audience. Most of the I spoke to were first timers, there were a few familiar regular faces and a few obviously harder players, but generally the vibe was about the music, dressing up and socialising in a sexy environment with the freedomto play if you wished.

One person I spoke to described it as an adult fancy dress party. Another person commented they don’t want the club to become anymore popular then it already is. But I think its got to be a good thing for some fetish clubs to be more main stream and encourage a wider range of people to explore their sexuality and be open and confident about it. People just need to find the clubs they feel most comfortable and satisfied in. Even though this Rub party reached such a wide rage of audience the atmosphere was still one of respect andopen mindedness. I was unaware of anyone being a nuisance or acting inappropriately.
This is a wonderful thing about fetish clubs in general, people are always very polite, unless of course you want to be treated like a dirty little bitch!
I had an excellent night and met some great people, and going by the vibe everyone else there did too.

Sarah
Dancing Décor

Photos – Jan
fetishclubpix@dial.pipex.com

Club Rub info: http://www.club-rub.com

01/05/04
After the huge success of the last event, Pedestal was expanded to three rooms, solving the over-crowding which had been the fly in the ointment previously. The music was being handled by the DJs from Whackos, which meant banging, yet groovy house/trance on the main dance floor and deep, dark, eclectic atmospherics in the dungeon. Once again Pedestal was slightly victimised by its own brilliance, as the best array of SM equipment I've seen in any club meant that the dungeon was packed full of women, wanting to inflict pain on their lesser halves. Still, on the bright side, it was never hard to get to the bar. Another fantastic night ensued. Pedestals respect for and understanding of their audience shone through. House slaves were on hand to look after any mistress who required them and this level of care was further illustrated by a photographer being ejected, having had his film confiscated, for having taken pictures without the subjects permission. Imagine what London clubbing would be like if this radical concept, of valuing the customer, took off. Well, one can dream on. Meanwhile, back in reality, Pedestal is going from strength to strength and will hopefully be as dominant a force in London as the women who attend it

01/05/04
After the huge success of the last event, Pedestal was expanded to three rooms, solving the over-crowding which had been the fly in the ointment previously. The music was being handled by the DJs from Whackos, which meant banging, yet groovy house/trance on the main dance floor and deep, dark, eclectic atmospherics in the dungeon. Once again Pedestal was slightly victimised by its own brilliance, as the best array of SM equipment I've seen in any club meant that the dungeon was packed full of women, wanting to inflict pain on their lesser halves. Still, on the bright side, it was never hard to get to the bar. Another fantastic night ensued. Pedestals respect for and understanding of their audience shone through. House slaves were on hand to look after any mistress who required them and this level of care was further illustrated by a photographer being ejected, having had his film confiscated, for having taken pictures without the subjects permission. Imagine what London clubbing would be like if this radical concept, of valuing the customer, took off. Well, one can dream on. Meanwhile, back in reality, Pedestal is going from strength to strength and will hopefully be as dominant a force in London as the women who attend it