Ostensibly the Torture Garden Valentine Ball was a stunning spectacle. Decor, acts, rooms, ideas, visuals, music… were all value for money. The thing is, at this TG I think this time we were witness to a change. TG has found itself the other side of the recession as more of a giant fancy dress party for Bizarre readers. Yet is it their fault that 2,500 people turn up?
It’s just I’ve always felt this is where the spirit of ‘punk’ is now. This of all clubnights is where the freedom of ultimate individual expression is. Not a chancer stumbling around in a bathrobe, not common festival skimpiness. TG has always been famous for its strict dress code and thus an outlet for freaking out. Yet only about a third there wore non-streetwear, and they were swamped by the overpopulation of watered-down ‘tops-off’ males and Burlesque hen-party females. As Latex Kitty said to me: ‘I don’t want to talk to someone with their top off, what’s that about?’
Quite. TG can’t be a Red Hot Chilli Peppers gig. But you had to admire those that braved the cold under the industrial archways of SeOne. I froze in my catsuit. That’s a heat transference thing right? I’m not up on my science but I’m sure somebody could have put a radiator on. A few oil drum bonfires would have looked good – probably against Health & Safety regulations…
Unfortunately it was the venue that inhibited the night. What SeOne gave in faded grandeur and space it took back in bad business choices. Frankly, the toilets were not fit for purpose. Carlsberg or Strongbow in cans – £4 a pop. Wine in plastic. Mismanaged cloakroom-queues. Obligatory heavy-handed doormen. All of it smacked of an inexperience in the fetish territory. One longed for the labyrinthian spookiness and facilitation of Mass at Brixton.
Despite the shortfallings of the venue – which did deliver a decent space – there is as always so much to celebrate about the hard work TG always put into its events. A stunning chart-ready electropop performance by Viktoria Modesta would have given Lady GaGa a run for her money. And the succinctly finessed digital grooves of the main Club Arena bathed in swaythes of ultramarine lasers by Beating Hearts were juxtaposed by a devilish revelry and stomping cheese-rock in the Neon Love Ballroom.
What also set TG apart were features like the performance artists: a double-headed manikin greeting everyone with a surgical mask and a kiss; and the Sexdoll Love Tunnel which set a sublimely pervy tone to the entrance, replete with dismembered blow-up doll parts and live rubber-maids. There were stalls, free photo-booths and of course pole-dancing, not to mention a sumptuous fashion show by Kaori’s Latex Dreams .
Asking around it seems TG might be looking to get its own venue, and that would be phenomenal because it would iron out the discrepancies of over-subscription, of Generation X Factor not understanding protocol, and the difficulties with enforcing a dress code with so many attending.
I was asked a few time what the solution might be. You know, I’m not sure there is a problem: it’s an opportunity. TG doesn’t need to be a victim of its own success: because it does have a groundswell of newbies coming through that need to be trained – perhaps with a TG Lite night. Then you could call the hardcore night, oh I don’t know, TG Strict – for those discerning souls who spend a month sorting out their outfits and travel across Europe to be at the cutting edge. Of course it would need to be choosier about the venues too.
I can see where you’re coming from. On the one hand it’s nice that it’s becoming a little more mainstream, but it brings with it challenges. I agree about holding strict nights etc.
Everyone wants our passion to become more acceptable, but also we enjoy the fact that it means we’re a bit different to the mainstream – I guess we’ll all just have to find something else to express our individuality haha.
I’ve never been to a Torture Garden night before, but was planning on going to the Birthday celebrations in April if possible – I’ve got a trip to London that weekend, so look forward to perhaps seeing you there.
True words Jackson Rocco!
TG crowd is getting into cheesy-fancy dress style more and more. And TG does nothing to stop it. They SAY: We will enforce the dresscode but they ACT the opposite. Moving the Halloween Party from Mass to SeOne shows, that they are out for a bigger crowd. I guess, at the end, it is all about the money. Sad but true.
Want to attend TG and do not know what to wear? Visit AmericanApparel on London Oxford Street and buy yourself a black wetlook Leggings and a fishnet top. Thats enough to pass the dresscode.
There has been a steep decline in dresscode discipline in the Swedish fetish scene over the past year or so. I really don’t know why, but it troubles me. Like this article suggests, more and more clubs seem to prefer quantity over quality, and BDSM acts over a strict dresscode.
As a marketing strategy exclusivity should impel people to come. When I first started going back in the late 90s I used to get a lot of hassle for not making an effort – one time I was refused entry and I was gutted, but I understood. If people make the effort and also put their identity on the line (in a way) then its anyone street-clad is literally spoiling the party. regards Jackson
About money. Say everyone paid 36 quid, which they didn’t when there’s a guest list. That’s what 2,400 x 36 at a push call it 85 grand. It’s not a lot really. You have to subtract DJs, performers, musicians, models, attendants, administrators, door, promotion, marketing, decor, lights, tax, venue and equipment hire fees. Generally club-nights are done for love and its a slog if things get difficult. I was careful to review the venue and the event separately.
I say to everyone. Go, go go. It’ll be – for first-timers – the night of your life. With it being a bit Paulo Nuitini rather than Vodka Martini it’s a better time than any to enter the scene.
Very well put! You’re a word-Master!
I was rather bedazzled by the theming and carnival like atmosphere – you cannot fault TG for their careful attention to detail and their performance philosophy. Everywhere I looked there was something happening and I still managed to miss alot of what was on the programme.
I was at the Halloween party also and the improvements they made for the V Day party was huge. TG listens to its customers.
I kind of expected the mainstream crowd but it was still very disappointing, when I go to TG Mass however which way I am dressed I am always shown appreciation and looks of wonder, whilst at SEOne I receive more typically the “fuck i don’t know where to look” type of response. It’s not TG’s fault, they are trying to run a business and make a living. More power to them for that.
One thing they really really need to be careful of are the wet slippery floors, I saw one girl go over and I was treading very carefully myself most of the night.
Spot on, I couldn’t agree more. One of the best things is that you have to keep moving to catch everything, and you never will.
I do believe they need room managers (in nationalistic TG uniforms?) to take care of things like slippery floors or liaise with other staff. I remember once a ‘hands-in coffin’ incident affecting an over-eager newbie deeply. ‘TG officers’ could prevent newbies from making rash decisions. Regards, Jackson
I totally agree with you observations. THis is exactly how my Fiancee and I have fely about much of the Parties that were held in NYC when we lived there.
Of course now we live in the Northwest and …um…its worse when it comes to the large parties we’ve been to. But at least the small events are still a chance to don some rubber and have a kinky time — without the small minded gawkers!