Torture Garden Summer 2008
by Sarah on Aug.02, 2008, under Party Report, Torture Garden
Torture Garden Summer 2008
Saturday 2 August 2008 @ Mass
It is a tribute to Torture Garden, Pope of fetish parties, that even in sunny August weather it draws a crowd of dedicated pervs and fun seekers to its Summer Mass, and that it fulfills all their expectations and more.
From the flyer, you might have been forgiven for thinking the August edition of the 17 year-old club a small, quiet affair. “New smaller 3 room layout for the summer”, it said, back at Mass in Brixton. Luckily I’d been there for the Fetishistas-sponsored International Fetish Ball in May, so I was forewarned not to expect anything too poky. Luckily I avoided queuing for the Ninjattitude club night, also taking place at Mass that night, but trust the fetish club to use the underground entrance!
Some improvements had been made to the layout since the last night there, most notably in the dungeons and the opening of more seating areas, which were very welcome. This wasn’t really your average “quiet night”, however: the pulsating mixes of TG stalwarts Allen TG, Jimmy Mofo and Jimmy Mofo, along with relative (but much appreciated) newcomer Fidelity Kastrow had the crowd on their feet till closing time and past that … (especially given the state of the Tube that particular weekend) Fidelity is an habitué of Tresor in Berlin, and will be mixing at TG for the third time in September, which Josselin is looking forward to as she is extremely photogenic as well as a very talented DJ, as you can tell from his gallery.
London is one of the few cities that could support a summer party 600 perverts strong. Only in London, and possibly only TG, could draw crowds from all over Europe and even further afield: between beats (or in the more quiet areas) you could hear Spanish, French, German and Czech bandied around, and some definite transatlantic twangs. It’s easy to understand why they would make the hop, skip and a jump to come to one of the summer’s biggest and only events. While many clubs close down for the hot months, Torture Garden just keeps going and going, while planning September’s Skin Two special and its headlining event at the London Fetish Weekend in October. Though we appreciate the effort and will undoubtedly much enjoy the results, we were very glad to have something to sink our teeth into in the quiet times. London provides much kinky entertainment, but there is only one Torture Garden!
The crowd lived up to expectations, with a selection of beautiful outfits and wacky themes. Though there does seem to be a trend for cheap lingerie, the quality and the effort put in by others more than make up for it and people-watching is always one of my greatest pleasures, and it makes spotting for Josselin great fun ! Nurses, sailors, rubberdolls, marquises, military uniforms: there was something for every taste. Eclectic and open as ever, Torture Garden isn’t your typical fetish club. It’s often said as if this is a bad thing, not fetish enough maybe, but it remains that even in down time, it brings out creativity and fun. The shows, though low key, were entertaining with Ruby Blues’ strange masked nuns and Lazlo Pearlman’s sailor-themed show : less “Rum, Sodomy and the Lash”, more “Popeye goes to Thailand”. Amrita and Kumi also provided some lycra-clad suspension bondage.
All in all, less about the spectacular on the stage, more about the atmosphere in the crowd, which was great. The fun was efficient, more socializing than play-focused, though issues in the Couples’ Room were swiftly taken care of, and of course you could argue that play is socializing … As ever, a huge thank you to the dedicated TG team, and see you next month !
