Well it was weirder than it sounded on the flyer (shamen launch) which made for one of the best venue launches we've ever attended. The location's not superb and when we checked it on Google Earth it appeared to be surrounded by sink estates. Fortunately it's not as bad as it sounds - they're all fenced off and it's not that unpleasant at all. The John Bull Lesbian and Gay Centre looks just fine in its magnolia finery, wooden tables and chairs with frosted windows you'd be mistaken for thinking it's some architects studio.
All very proper and worthy but fortunately it's not so proper with Playpit which hopes to develop a filthy whore house on weekend nights downstairs;)
Anyways, the launch. Usually these are grim affairs we avoid - the local gay shitteratit drinking the hopeful promoter dry whilst some travesty plugging their first single clears the dance floor. At Playpit we were greeted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in full regalia on the doorstep (having a fag) and we were duly blessed... along with having some jewels shoved down our crotch for good luck. They're an amazing threesome (as in together, I didn't you know?) in their own right and never has such wisdom come out of anybody wearing that much make-up... This however distracted us from the wailing and screaming and well, sounds of whips coming from downstairs where we heard that sound Red Indians made (woo woo woo woo) in those historically fancifuil Western films of yesteryear... We were wondering if we'd find more nuns down there whilst running around some bound, gagged or just gagging for it boys... so immediately headed down to the club to find out - once we'd checked our bags into a lovely Royal Mail sack and handed over our BYO beer.
What's downstairs like? Well, they hope to hold yoga and language classes for new rent boys and the space suits it - nice big and airy. We found a general vestibule where some general fetish mayhem was going on in the middle with what we think was a wanking circle - little wanking. (Mental note: needs sofas - I see a fundraiser coming on...) The noises were to be true mainly the rituals for initiating the space but they still wake us in our sleep. The folks there certainly made an effort with the wear fetish or freaky dresscode and we were ashamed to be in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. Our better dressed new best friends were sporting: butchers pinnies (aprons?) and a whole manner of leather things I couldn't wear for fear of garrotting myself. The totty was top FYI and most of Team Damaged vanished on arrival in to the new Playpit backroom - not your usual filthy hole but dark enough to leave your morals at the door and make like a Christmas turkey... if you can imagine where that analogy's going...
We sadly had to leave early but we assure you that it's a clean and horny venue that we hope makes a permanent and successful home in Vauxhall.
The John Bull Lesbian and Gay Centre Centre is at 64 Tyres Street, SE11 5NL.
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