Tim Jones: “Tonker started as an idea from three of us – Tim, Tony and Lee – back in 2002, and from there we have grown into an international brand and one of the biggest weekly bloke nights in London.
“Our mantra of booze, cruise and tunes stems from going out on a Friday to a warm welcome, meeting some great guys who are just blokes that like to sleep with blokes and listening to the best in music. People try and brand us as a “Bear Club” but we like to think we are more inclusive than that, and labels don’t apply at Tonker – just be you, in a welcoming space to unwind!”
TIM’S TOP 10 TONKER MOMENTS!
- Opening night, and we had a hot crowd of five hundred bears in The Imperial Gardens Club – not the most salubrious of venues, but loads of fun! Even the cockroaches were dancing! We moved on to Barcode Soho after that.
- Opening night, and we had a hot crowd of five hundred bears in The Imperial Gardens Club – not the most salubrious of venues, but loads of fun! Even the cockroaches were dancing! We moved on to Barcode Soho after that.
- The Queue at Barcode Soho causing a road block when we held our rugby night supporting the Gay Rugby Cup – It was one-in, one-out from 11pm.
- Being the first gay club in the UK to advertise on the Clear Channel advertising hording above Vauxhall Tube station! That turned a few commuters’ heads!
- “Tonker in the Woods” at ‘Milk in the Park’ with Tim Jones and DJ Wayne G – the crowd went wild for more!
- Taking Tonker to Gay Whistler Winterpride in Canada and five hundred dancing in ski boots at the Tonker Après Ski.
- Being the first Bear Club to have the famous Danny Rampling, ‘The God Father of House’, play at Tonker.
- Ramming our Tonker room at Bear Necessities Pride night in Area Club, with security doing ‘one-in, one-out’ for safe access to the room.
- Taking Tonker to Sydney and Mardi Gras with our party at the infamous Midnight Shift club on Oxford Street.
- The look of fun and enjoyment on the guys’ faces at Tonker every week! It makes us proud and humble to have had so much support from the club owners, DJs, bar staff and customers over the past ten years –thank you all! And here’s to the next ten at Eagle London in Vauxhall!
• Tonker’s 10th Birthday is at Eagle London (349 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11 5QY) on Friday 22nd March, 9.30pm-3am (VIP from 9pm).
