In late March, the largely Glasgow-based club, Violate (www.violate.co.uk) held a special event in Edinburgh, at a very special venue. They have asked that the venue not be named on public websites, so i'm going to honour that request and tell you what the club was like without naming it.
The venue was below street level, on many levels - a virtual rabbit warren of little rooms, bigger areas, stairs and passageways. It was a very atmospheric venue, with the aura of a medieval gaol about it. Two floors were in use, an upper area with a larger play area, and cloakroom, and a lower floor with a small bar area, dancefloor, and numerous little nooks and crannies with play equipment set up in it. The crowd was the usual Violate mix of people into fetish clothing and dancing, and people present for SM play, but the change of location changed the mood somewhat. In my opinion it improved it.
Those who enjoy spending a lot of time in the bar drinking and talking would have been those most disappointed. The bar was small, and became very crowded indeed quite early on. There was also very little in the way of seating. The dancefloor also didn't get terribly busy for most of the night, with just a few music lovers spending any significant time there. There would have been plenty of room for the bar crowd to spill over into the dance area, and they probably would have done with a few more chairs.
But there was far too much to experience in this venue to spend it in the bar, to my mind. It felt like you could wander around twisty little passages, and come across little corners with a piece of equipment in them, usually with a couple playing, and maybe a handful watching. Almost as if you'd never know what you'd find around a corner. The scattered feel seemed to engender more respectful voyeurism than usual - with watchers staying to watch for a few minutes if they found something interesting, then moving on. It rarely felt as if couples were performing for an audience, here - as it has to me at other venues at times.
A small lecture theatre was used for ropework demos. The room was great for demonstrations, but the demos themselves were sadly lacking. I watched twice, hoping that I'd missed something the first time through, but still came away, as did others, thinking that the point of a demonstration had been somewhat missed. I feel that a demonstration should give those watching an opportunity to learn something - a ropework demo should begin with some pointers on safety, perhaps. As knots are tied, they could be explained, both in technique and application. It does seem rather pointless just to watch someone pick the pretty girls out of the audience and tie them up without explanation, I can see that in a play area any time.
All in all, the club was fantastic. The venue made it. I loved the way equipment was scattered around rather than concentrated in a dungeon, and that you could always find a quiet corner to talk if you didn't mind standing. I loved the atmosphere, being in a building so different to the usual places. If Violate uses this venue again, and I hope they do, I'd highly recommend it!
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