Hello sexy quenchers!
We are all getting kinkier. FACT. If you had doubts on that, you can always do a test online. This year I expected to see kinky events on the rise. However, with Rumpus no longer being a thing since November last year, THIRST going underground for a few months, and CrossBreed closing down permanently due to drama, I thought things were taking a turn.
A new event organiser...
Then, the other day, I heard about another event on scene. Built on the back of Crossbreed, it’s not a rebrand as such, more like an evolution. This was a response to London-based kinky people’s needs, and to where they’re headed to. A place to create a space for the queer and marginalised.
The journey began when Lily and Logan started Quench earlier this year. Their first launch party sold out in 2 days, with 300 attendees. It highlighted the need for our lovely London-based community to have more kinky ‘social’ spaces.
For their second event, they picked a much larger venue with space for 800, to accomodate even more kinky Londoners.
I have to admit, I wasn’t planning to go to their second event, I was more inclined to attend one of their summer meet ups or socials first. Get a sense of their vibe, and then attend a party another time.
But then, a few days before Quench, I had a bit of a tough time for unrelated reasons, so I needed a pick me up. When I found out a friend of mine was going to Quench, I looked up the event online and got last minute resale tickets. Because what’s better than a girl’s night out to forget all your troubles?
Dress code
I managed to put something together, although it wasn’t exactly aligned with the theme – Quench: Magical and Mythical (think fairies and elves, demons and minotaurs, witches and sorcery, etc but kinky!). Luckily the theme was very much optional.
On the event’s profile the organisers stated ‘if you feel more comfortable adhering to our usual dress code, feel free to come in kink-wear, colours and textures, showing skin or self-expression’. I personally thought it was a nice touch. Particularly since, after deciding to go very last minute, I had to improvised my outfit a little (understatement of the year). I wore my usual tiger ears, a see-through dress, and flats, so I could make the most of the dancefloor later.
Across the venue, I saw a lot of horns, wings, feathers, lingerie and harnesses, which fit well with the theme. The only warning on dress code was what most kinky and queer events have on their profile, which is ‘Please note, anyone wearing full day wear i.e jeans and a tee, will not be allowed entry. Bottom line is – no effort no entry, and no full nudity.’.
The venue
I got ready and headed out to Fire, in Vauxhall (South West London). The venue is popular amongst queer/kink friendly parties such as Club Pedestal and AntiChrist (I never reviewed AC didn’t I? I will try and get around next time I go).
I like Fire, not just because it’s pretty close to where I live. But also because it’s spacious, has little corners for chatting and resting, and is wheelchair accessible. I feel like it makes events a little flat sometimes, as they all look similar due to logistics on where certain rooms/spaces are. But that’s a problem we have due to the limited number of kinky-friendly venues in London.
Anyway. I got there a little on the late side, so there was a bit of a queue. Staff kindly reminded us about the no-photographs policy (more on the rules in the IG post below) while we were queuing to get in.
As you walked in, the first room you find is the dancefloor, which is also the main room with the DJ and stage. On one side there was a chill out room, with seating space and another bar. On the other side there was the dungeon/playroom, aka “The Thirst Trap” with another bar. The playroom was fully equipped with st Andrews cross, benches, various furniture, and four vigilant monitors looking after the guests (I loved that they had neon armbands, very easy to spot even in the dim light). The garden at the back was open, it had a couple of little bars and food places, cloakrooms, and extra seating for the smokers. I queued for the cloakroom, dropped my coat, got a large drink, and went to meet my friend on the dancefloor.
The music
The DJ shouted ‘Hello sexy quenchers!!!’ to a large and very diverse crowd of queer and kinky people. I have to admit, I’ve never seen such diversity in gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, body shape, and disability in one party.
The music was a mix of RnB, Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Afro House, Funky House and Garage. On the stage there was a big Q on the screen as a background; which makes me think of quora as it was red, but Quench logo is purple, which is the most loved kinky colour. I found the music a little hard to dance at times, as the first DJ had some strange remixes. Later on the DJ changed and it was so much better. I bumped into some of the House of Burlesque ladies on the dancefloor, which were also out and about.
We danced and partied until sunrise, and then I bussed it home.
Overall
I thought the event was busy and well organised. The vibe was light and curious, with kinksters exploring the different areas of the venue, chilling, dancing, chatting, drinking. The staff was absolutely delightful, and patient with all my questions.
It was interesting to hear that they run a closed-loop feedback, meaning that they aim at keeping in consideration and taking actions on every single piece of feedback they receive from attendees or staff, implementing it and reviewing progress as they go. They have a flat organisational structure with a diverse staff, which helps with catering for diversity and with keeping everything running smoothly. Also their IG posts are reviewed by the whole team to make sure they are not in any way offensive, which I thought it was a nice touch.
More about Quench
You can follow them on IG here and they run social events with mingling activities to help socialising, some of these social are free or very much on budget. If you are interested, you can find their next event here, or follow them on Eventbrite. Their ticketing systems comes in a tier format, with low income, first and second release, and premium tickets which gives fast track access and access to another room above the bar on the dancefloor.
Maybe I will see you all at the next Quench party 🙂 keep it kinky everyone!
