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March 2008: PAUL'S PIECE - Passion Launch - Issue 55.
With the inaugural Passion event in London just two months away, we popped Paul Smith in corset and sent him off to the launch party in London, to the sound of whalebone under enormous pressure.
February the 12th saw the official launch for the new adult show, Passion, at the Volupte bar in London from 3 'til 7pm. The star-studded (well, Richard and Lea from Big Brother 7, but they were good sports) party was to celebrate the launch as well as some exciting news about the show's venue…
Monique Carty from various 1on1's and Stuart Inglis of Adult World and Queensway looking dashing in a suit were there, making use of the free bar like only Adult Industry stalwarts can. By which I mean with sensible restraint, of course. Jerry Barnet, Michelle and Daniela from Strictly Broadband mingled with various designers, including Libby Rose, Gina of Franks (Fabulous Fascinators) and Bev McAlpine, who was showing her erotic-themed bed linen. Lots of tables at the edge of Volupte's lower room were covered with saucy and sexy items, and it wasn't long before I worked my way along them to Colin Bailey beaming in front of a big Monkey Spanker banner. During our chat I discovered the vibrating chicken-choking product had been filmed on the Jonathan Ross chat show not once but twice, but both times chatty guests meant it'd been cut from the broadcast. I suspect Colin holds a grudge against Russell Crowe to this day and if they ever meet, I can only see things kicking off.
The Luxury Love Swing folk had set up one of their double-A-frames, which I'd first seen at the ETO Show, and spent the afternoon and evening entertaining swingers. I was bluetoothed a viral video they hope will spread from phone to phone. It has a vocal 25 stone woman in the swing, urging a vertically challenged guy in socks on by shouting 'Yes Big Boy!" Subtle it's not, but it is very funny. Keen users of the swing were Richard Newman (BB7, Dickie of Dickie & Dolly) and Lea Walker (Dolly of Dickie & Dolly, BB7 and star of Casting Cuties 4, famously) in corsets from Angels Carrying Savage Weapons, who larked about on it for ages to the delight of the press at the event. Speaking of press, a chap from Bizarre Magazine recognised me from a photo of me with Bianca Beauchamp that was in the mag in early 2003. It's nice to be unforgettable, but I suspect it was Bianca in a white PVC nurses uniform that had really made it stick in his mind.
I caught a few words with Lea, who told me their Dickie & Dolly show on Gaydar Radio was going well, and they had high hopes it might be Sony Radio Award nominated later this year. They were having a good laugh and took demands for photos in their collective stride. Before long I'd washed up at the feet of petite barrister Helen Riley, who'd made the leap from a world where men with hair wear wigs to- well, another world where men wear wigs, just this time with heels and handbags to match. Now designing her own range of PVC 'wear, her past as a pillar of the community has made her a target for media interest and she rattled off a list of publications she'd been in, or would soon. She was making a splash, and the good thing about doing that in PVC is that it's easy to wipe clean.
Unforgettable Image photography made sure I got a card, and Gray, and artist I'd met at the Adults Only Show in Birmingham gave me a business card too. He told me something over five members of the Guild of Erotic Artists had already signed up for Passion, and he expected more to join them there. He said, "I'm working on new things for Passion. Paul Ballard's coming, Colin too, I think. I can't wait for the show actually; I think it'll give others a run for their money."
Miss Khandie Khisses then sashayed past in a little black number (with those boobs and hips, a number 8) and I was soon drawn back into the thong, ending up being sat on by a makeup designer called Sam so she could see over the mass of elegant bodies to a male Chav with Burberry-patterned nipple tassels doing a strip. Nylon leisurewear never looked sexier. Not that it ever has as far as I can tell. Twink and hoodie lovers feel free to write in.
I bumped into Pete Morgan of Up Front PR, who told me he'd bought the rights to Phil Black's Adult Film and Television Awards. "We've got a big-name mainstream host for it", he explained, "and proper stars from Hollywood are coming too." I pressed for names, but he wouldn't spill the beans for me. Then I met Suzie Wong who I recognised from last October's Xpo, and she took me to meet designer Heather who was also wearing a gorgeous latex outfit from her own Overt Clothing(.com) label.
Rubbing shoulders (and other parts. It got pretty packed) with lovely ladies with boobs practically -and on one occasion, actually- spilling out of their Velda Lauder and other's corsets, it wasn't a total shock to bump into Ben Dover working his way through the crowd like a shark through hot girl-butter, to mix my metaphors. He had a Britney look-alike (but with hair) in Ben Dover branded hot pants with him, giggling and intercepting cocktails as they were whisked through the room on trays. You had to be quick.
Cathy and Paul Norris, who've started Graydime Ltd. to run Passion reminded me they did the Expo for three years for Skin Two, and last year's Xpo on their own, then talked about Passion: "We've outgrown current floor space in the Brompton Hall at Earl's Court," said Paul while taking a breather outside the warm club/bar, "so have moved to Earl's Court 1, which is the main hall. We've got level 2 of that, along with exclusive use of the main entrance."
Cathy added, "It's something like 2,000 square metres of saleable space." Plenty of room to expand and grow then.
I asked why Spring was the right time for Passion and Paul responded, "Mainly to get a venue you can licence in London it has to be either Earl's Court or Olympia, and they have a six month anti-competing rule. So we couldn't go to the other end of the year". Cathy said, "We didn't want to directly compete with anyone anyway. We wanted to be at a different time of year, and spring is a good time for an event of this sort. The sap is rising!"
Even though they're only a mile apart, Erotica at Olympia deal with Hammersmith and Fulham council while Earl's Court are controlled by Kensington and Chelsea. I wondered how Passion as new territory for them had been received. "They've been very open-minded," confirmed Paul. "We've had really good meetings with them and they've been very helpful. We can have banners outside."
This reminded me of the Adults Only Show (which wasn't allowed any external adverts on the building) which triggered the inevitable question about expected visitor numbers. "We're still targeting for 15,000," said Paul. "We were in the Brompton- now we're in the other hall we're still sticking with that number."
Turning to Cathy, I asked what advertising plans they had. Would I be seeing posters on the Tube? "Hopefully. We're working on that. We will have an advertising campaign in the relevant press, as well as working with exhibitors to promote the show. Also a lot of gay press. Around that -a bit of news for you- we've just contracted a Gaydar DJ, plus a female ex-Gaydar DJ to do sessions for us and MC the event."
Paul added, "We also have promotional events going into gay clubs in London. We're taking around a little show into straight clubs as well, but the gay clubs have taken up Passion wholeheartedly and said we want this."
Beyond Passion, the couple have plans for October and their Xpo, helping to develop what's being branded as the London Fetish Weekend - to confuse fans of the other LFW; London Fashion Week. Paul said, "We've tied up a deal with Subversion, which is run by Mistress Absolute, Hannah Platt, who used to be the event organiser for the [Skin Two] Rubber Ball. They're coming onboard to do an event on the Friday and Torture Garden are doing Saturday night. Fetishistas are going to sponsor a Thursday night event. They got behind us for the Xpo last year- and there's going to be other events as well."
Cathy jumped in to mention another co-promoter, "London Fetish Scene are going to do a newbie munch around the event too. They're one of the biggest fetish community websites."
Knowing that Tim Woodward had moved his Skin Two Rubber Ball weekend to September the 5th to the 7th, which being earlier in the year means he'll be 'first to market', I asked if this was an issue. I received a perfunctory, "No. Not for us." Cathy was good enough to expand on this for me. "We've already signed up most of the exhibitors who went to Tim's Expo last year- They've already come to us and booked. We don't usually start selling the Xpo until April/May but we've already sold about a third of the space off the back of last year's success. In fact, a lot of our Xpo exhibitors were the first to sign up for Passion."
I mentioned I'd read Passion would be a show for couples and while there would be a hardcore element, key words I kept seeing in relation to the Passion name were Fabulous, Decadent, Delectable and Burlesque. Cathy added to that list, "And sensual. It's going to be different from shows like Erotica, in the look and feel of it", she continued. "It's going to be very stylised. The whole show's in our pink and black colours, even the shell scheme- which we've paid a lot of extra money for. It'll be different from anything else. Carpets are going to be in out colour scheme, the feature areas… So it's a very sensual rather than overtly sexy look to it-"
Paul interjected, "We're aiming for a carnival day out atmosphere. It's fun. It'll not just be a shopping trip. We're looking to the gay, lesbian, bi, transgender markets and it'll be a very comfortable place to be for anyone."
Cathy added, "It's true to say we are an almost all-female team. Paul's our only man. Our token male, I'm afraid," she laughed. "The sales team, Charlie and Nadine are girls, Li, doing our PR/marketing freelance is a girl. Hannah Platt who's Passion's Entertainment's Director- She's just gone off to the LA Kink Ball to start promoting the LFW and Passion for us."
"The London Fetish Weekend isn't a business, it's a brand," Paul finally clarified for me. "It's an umbrella term. London's got the best fetish scene in the world. The LFW is a collective of people who are looking to make a great weekend."
While interviewing Paul and Cathy outside I missed Chrys Columbine's piano rendition of a medley of Leonard Coen tunes in a classical style- which she followed up with a strip and fan dance; much to the delight of the crowd, I'm sure. Afterwards she told me she was a classically trained pianist who'd been practising since the age of 11, and would be performing at various venues across London over the Valentine's period. Much more than a pretty face.
A little later I saw Tim Woodward of Skin Two outside, waiting to collect a friend, and had to grab a word with him about the change of dates for the Rubber Ball weekend. He told me he'd separated from RB organiser Hannah Platt amicably and a chap called Max was now in charge, and he didn't see a September Expo and fetish club weekend appealing any less to its international clientele than the October one had. Talking about the previous Expo he conceded that while he'd loved the sleek lines and cool atmosphere of ExCel and Docklands, it hadn't suited many of his exhibitors. As he was outside the party for personal rather than professional reasons I didn't want to pump him too hard for information so left it at that for now.
The evening wound down after the escape artist 'The Irrepressible Mr Flay' did his thing to rapturous applause. Ably assisted by Puss-in-Boots 'Britain Kitten' and 'Hottest Girl at the Party™' Sophia, he escaped from four handcuffs from various police-states and a neck-to-foot bodybag chained to a stepladder. As you do.
Full marks to the Norrises (Norri?) and Li, who's doing their PR, for a great night and a quality goodie bag. With a copy of Scarlet, DVDs from Harmony and Zero Tolerance (courtesy of AdultWorld) and fancy knickers from Angels Carrying Savage Weapons, plus Blavod Vodka, a book of erotic stories, pink 'Spank Ties' and much more, there was truly something in there for everyone!
The show itself is being held on the 24th and 25th of May this year and you can read more about it at Passion-Uk.com. If it's as much fun as the launch party, visitors are in for a treat.