Originally launched overseas by international DJ and Promoter, Paul Coals, TWISTED finally came to London in January. The night proved so popular that it’s now a regular monthly fixture at the Hoist.
QXMEN caught up with Paul to find out where he’s been and why it’s taken him so long to bring TWISTED to London…
QXMEN: TWISTED has been going for a few years now and we’ve heard you’ve taken it all over the place… Where have you been?
Paul Coals: TWISTED really kicked off and we’ve been lucky to have parties taking place in different countries across Europe and North America. When I came up with the concept for TWISTED it just seemed to lend itself to a number of venues overseas. We’ve held a number of events at The Boots, one of Europe’s best known leather venues in Antwerp, and also become a regular party in Gran Canaria too. We recently had a great party to start Bear Carnival 2016 and have a special event coming up during Maspalomas Pride in May. We’ll be back there several more time this year, but I’m equally excited about some of the other international events… Cologne during Fetish Pride (May), Montreal, Toronto, San Diego (over the 4th July weekend) and San Francisco during the Folsom Week (September), to name but a few.
What took you so long to come to London?
We were regularly talking about doing something in London, but before we knew it almost a year or so had passed!! For us, it was really important to find the right venue and I’m so pleased in the end that we chose to partner TWISTED with The Hoist, the capital’s infamous leather and fetish venue. We’ve had a great turnout thus far in London and the success this year has resulted in turning TWISTED into a monthly feature… it’s always the last Friday of the month. I think guys are really enjoying something a bit different. I know we really enjoy working with Kurt, Lee and the rest of the team there. The guys at Expectations and RED have recently kitted out the club with a range of new slings, which has really enhanced the environment. There’s a huge play space across two arches and different levels, which guys can get to explore. There’s a couple of St. Andrew’s crosses, a bondage rack, cages and maze area. The Hoist is a great place to have fun, meet new guys and truly unleash that inner deviant. Anything goes and everyone’s so friendly!
We hear that TWISTED is a new all-round sleazy experience. What makes it different to other fetish nights?
First off, all fetishes are welcome and fetish has to be fun. TWISTED is meant to be a masculine party with great music for men who like to cruise, socialise and have action. We’ve tried to take an innovative and creative approach with TWISTED, bringing together some of the leading fetish DJs for a dark, sexy, underground theme. The music seems to have gone down really well. Depending on location, we mix that with horny go-gos, performance, hosts, pervy shows and a variety of other things to do something a bit different. We’ve also had competitions for tickets for overseas events, such as Bear Bash in Orlando, Florida later this year. It’s been hard work, but we’ve got a great team and really enjoying putting on some great nights.
What sort of guys go to TWISTED?
To be honest, truly all sorts and all ages. We’ve been drawing a great crowd of guys into leather, rubber, sports gear, military, punk, etc. Yes, we’ve got our leather daddies, muscle bears, rubber guys, pups and many more, but what’s we’ve experienced at The Hoist is that TWISTED is also pulling a younger crowd, maybe some of the people who usually wouldn’t usually think of going to The Hoist. Quite a few people have told us that the music and general atmosphere has done that.
Is there a dress code?
We normally encourage a proper dress code to ensure guys are getting what they want, but we do also welcome guys into urban gear and sports kit, whereas a lot of places don’t. People can also come naked if they want. People seem to like the dress code so that they can find likeminded people.
You have some top DJs lined up. Do you think music is important at fetish nights?
Definitely…the music is a key part of the TWISTED experience. Some of our DJs have included, alongside myself, for example, DJ Jesus Pelayo from Spain, the winner of San Francisco Folsom’s ‘Real Bad 2015’ party, international, award winning fetish DJ, remixer and producer Jack Chang and renowned Kink.com and Boundgods.com porn star Spencer Reed! So many people have commented on the music at our recent events in London. In the next few months we have various guest DJs coming up, including Ron Hamelin (Montreal), Corey Craig (NYC), Ben Manson (Pari) and Andre Stan (Belgium) and so on.
What sort of pervy floor shows can we expect?
We’ve had various things going on – it’s so much fun!! Amongst others, there have been some great performances by Justin West and Danny Cox, two of Triga’s rugby and leather bear porn stars. It sets a great vibe for everything else going on during the night ahead. We’ve had erotic art installations… think electro, suspension and bondage. And we have loads of other performances planned for the future.
So, when’s the next TWISTED?
The next TWISTED in London will be held on Friday 29th May at The Hoist in Vauxhall.
However, we’ve also got another Twisted party coming up during Gran Canaria Pride on Sunday 8th May… and then TWISTED Cologne during Cologne Fetish Pride on Saturday 16th May. Amongst other events, TWISTED then hits San Diego on Friday 1st July and features during Folsom Week, San Francisco at Lookout on Thursday 22nd September… It’s going to be a busy year!!
So come on guys… gear up and play hard… unleash the inner deviant!!
• The Hoist, Railway Arches 47b & 47c, South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London SW8 1SR.