11/10/14: It’s a landmark on every leather/rubber enthusiast’s calendar, so when Hotwired presented itself again this year, we went along to see what all the fuss was about.
Strutting into Ewer Car Park reminded us of our raving days at SeOne. Although this time the arches weren’t full of shpae-throwing techno lovers, but instead ‘dominated’ by cock sucking leather lovers. And it was certainly an experience! Firstly, we thought we were bitches – but we had nothing on the guys wearing puppy tails and barking for a bone(r). There was an abundance of dark rooms in the cruising maze – and some guys really got into the (sex) swing of things! Others just jumped in the shanty caravan, puckered up and hoped for the best. Yes, there’s a caravan – and even a disused car – for people that would like a little more privacy; although these tended to be the places with an audience. But if getting your knees dirty in public isn’t really your thing, there’s a huge dance floor, chilled bar area and a smoking area where you can watch a naughty pig getting whipped. We’d like to encourage any attendees of such indulgent events to ensure they wear protection. Of course we mean condoms – but also on your feet, especially when mincing around the popular wet area! (Leave the Havianas at home, hunny.)
For many, however, the coat check chaos that resulted from the under-prepared venue management marred what could have been one of London’s best fetish events of the year. Having invested so much energy and passion in the lead-up to this year’s event, we know promoters Rob Rutt and Suzie Krueger feel awful about their customers’ negative experiences. Rob Rutt told QX: “We want to thank everyone who came and made Hotwired 2014 the busiest yet. Unfortunately, we know a lot of people had their enjoyment spoiled by the coat check. For four years the coat check has run smoothly. This year we screwed up. The venue wasn’t prepared on many levels and let us down. They accept responsibility for the problems, but ultimately it’s the promoters’ job to make everything work. We’re really sorry. We’ll do everything we can to make sure this never happens again.”
Ewer Street Car Park, London Bridge, SE1 0UE
Words by Anthony Gilét
Photos by Chris Jepson
