Fetish Boudoir – Blog

Torture Garden / The International Fetish Ball

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When the circus comes to town ..

Rome, Athens, Berlin … they’ve all had their Torture Gardens. The question of why not Paris was becoming more and more insistent. Was the French scene not big enough to support a Torture Garden event ? Surely an international capital the size of Paris could draw the crowds ?
As of June 20th, this has been corrected. Paris has hosted not just the Nuit Demonia, but London’s most famous fetish night : Torture Garden. Having heard rumours about the French team, though, how much a chance were they going to be given ?

Clearly, we should not have been expecting a transplanted London TG, though I think many of us were hoping for the same energy, the same magical blend of beauty and crazy and outrageous sexy to be somehow recreated, first try, in a Parisian indy concert hall. The venue, usually home to independent gigs and art installations, didn’t seem like the most glamourous match, and the local shows were either TG stalwarts or French neophytes, with not much in between. But Torture Garden is Torture Garden, no matter where it is. ‘French Touch’ Torture Garden apparently comes in fairground attractions and cabaret numbers … but a little novelty never hurt anyone. Sometimes it’s the best way of discovering bigger and better things.

It took a while to come together, though. The decision had been made to only open the club at 11pm, with a selection of outdoor shows acting as a preparty. These didn’t really draw the crowds, who only really started to arrive after midnight. From then on, the party took a little more time to find its rythm. At about 3am, the place had filled out and David TG’s mixing skills had drawn the crowds onto the dancefloor. Until then, one could admire the usual international TG shows : Syban’s ballet of needles and feathers, Empress Stah’s erotic cabaret, Satomi’s shibari performance – the mix of pop, alternative and fetish cultures which is what makes TG.
Though TG is the mother of all alternative nights out, where you can spot gothic lolitas or punk club kids, the French version lost sight a little of its fetishistic aspects. Organised by Olga and Carline of Tokyo Decadance (a French Japanese cross-culture clubnight), the decision had been to organise an artistic night rather than a fetish one, to use TG’s culture rather than its vocation. Unfortunately they underestimate the strength of the Torture Garden label. Torture Garden is the haven of fetishists. It’s a chance for the lovers of leather, latex or PVC to put on their gladrags and parade them in a world of their own, to showcase international fetish designers. The shows are far more sexy and dangerous than they are burlesque. David and Allen’s genius was in opening this ‘dark side’ to popular influences : to techno music, to futurism, to burlesque, to the fantasies that show up against the grey background of the everyday world. If TG’s dresscode is always “turning heads in the street”, then Parisians must have easier heads to turn than most.

« Torture Garden Paris is not just another club night using the Torture Garden label », is what it said on the site. Was it supposed to be not just another TG, or not just another club night ?

The strength of the Torture Garden is that it carries popularity and therefore expectations. Rather than come out and say that this was not meant to be a London-style Torture Garden, TG Paris ran firmly up against these expectations. A little bit too firmly, in fact. The initial mood was suspicious, even a little bit disappointed. On the one hand, the purists were expecting a fetish event. On the other, the more alternative crowd was expecting a cross-culture night. There was bound to be a little bit of a clash, and this should, in retrospect, have been predicted and dealt with by clearer advertising.

One of the main things that should have been tackled immediately, however, were the technical problems. It looked like there was a personnel shortage, which meant the shows ran later and later and the music cut out regularly with no one to man the DJ booth. There was also things which will be easily corrected next time, which a more fetish-centered organiser would have dealt with much better : guestlist and photopasses, dresscode application, better dressing rooms, photopass enforcement … the little things all accumulate. As an example, I shan’t mention the accredited photographer wearing jeans. Instead, I’ll mention an anonymous guy, taking pictures with his iPhone of passing arses, without a photopass and without permission. When I pointed out that this was not only rude, but also against club rules, he threw me a condescending look before saying, as an explanation, that he had a ‘somewhat read’ blog. Whoever his readers are, I’m not sure they’d be happy to be find themselves there …

Despite these birthing pangs, in a different venue and with a little work, I think the next Parisian TG can be much more sure of itself and much more professional. Judging by the end of the night, I think a lot of people are even happily expecting it ! TG did find its French audience, among all those there who expressed their joy at finding a club that escaped the set limits between the French BDSM, fetish and alternative scenes. There is already talk of another TG in Nancy, in the very East of France, which will undoubtedly be very different, but just as important for the continued development of this kind of events in France. Looking forward to seeing you there !

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Access the gallery
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Access the gallery
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