By Calum on Wed 8 Oct 2003 at 15:45
Yet another Edinburgh-based fetish club.. Is there no end to them? The cynical-minded among us might wonder whether Scotland's capital can truly support so many fetish clubs, but when a flyer for Stunners was thrust into my hand along with an assurance I'd love it, I had to find out for myself.
Stunners, run by Maggie of fetish-clothing shop Cabaret, aims to be a small and friendly glam-fetish club. Held in the basement of the Laughing Duck, one of Edinburgh's best known gay pubs, it is nevertheless open to all who like to dress up and have a good time.
On first impression, you walk through the curtain at the door, it seems little more than a bar, with DJ at one end, a single piece of play-furniture at the other, and tables filled with fabulously dressed people. The dance-floor is small - little more than some clear space between the DJ and the entrance. But by the the time you've got your first drink at the bar, those first impressions are melting away, and you begin to notice the differences.
Maggie circulates all night, and seems to talk to everyone, make sure everyone is included, and having fun. She's truly a hostess, rather than just a club promoter. Her inclusive warmth works, it rubs off on others. Everyone I talked to was friendly, everyone felt welcome, and included. People aren't sitting in little groups with their friends, they're moving around, talking to different people - even to people they don't know.
The club is intimate, without being overly so. Newcomers are made just as welcome as old friends. Cross-dressers and transexuals especially seemed to be just part of the crowd, far more naturally accepted than they might be in other clubs. It would be hard to sit on the fringes, here, friendly nudges from others would soon have you participating. It doesn't feel like a club at all, more like a party you went to with a friend, where you found yourself fitting right in with the crowd.
The music is a constant stream of tracks I hadn't heard for ages, and just had to get up and dance to. There's a strong glam rock theme, but the music itself is very varied: from Abba to Marilyn Manson, from Lou Reed to the Cure to current club favourites. What really shows, in relation to other clubs, is how well the DJ reads the crowd, and plays music to suit. The floor is rarely empty, tables being pushed back to make more dancing space later in the night. The small stage behind the dance floor ends up used for provocative dancing too - good enough to earn an audience and applause.
There's no dungeon as such, only one piece of equipment. It feels more like a prop, casting a reminder that the BDSM community are welcome here. The equipment is used though, and the crowd seems to flow around that much as they would around two people dancing. It's accepted, included, not an area apart from the rest of the club, nor a spectacle for gawkers.
What more can I say? I loved Stunners. It's exactly what it sets out to be: a small, friendly, glam-fetish event. It doesn't feel like a club, more like attending a party hosted by a friend of a friend, where you can be yourself, dress up, dance, laugh, play, and have fun all night.
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