Naughties Review
Naughties is a fairly new addition to the London scene, self described as a night of kink, pleasure and throwback music from the 90s and noughties. Despite only being a few months old, it regularly sells out, so it evidently has a good reputation too!
Being in my 20s, I feel like the theming really fits a niche - I can’t think of any other London event that plays pop music, so it feels like a totally unique event from this theme alone. It’s a very fun idea for a play party.
At the time of posting, the event I’m talking about happened two days ago, so it’s still very fresh in my mind.
GENERAL VIBE
When I entered, I was greeted at the door and welcomed into the venue. I could already hear people playing, from the screams of pleasure or pain… or both. It was a great welcome! It made me feel excited to play, as there wasn’t that awkward moment of wondering if you should start or if people just aren’t vibing with playing, and would rather party instead. It also told me that people felt comfortable and safe enough to play here (I’ll talk more in depth about this later), but I was very glad to know that people were already enjoying themselves, even though I arrived within an hour of the parties starting time. I’m not sure how many attendees there were in total, however it didn’t feel totally crowded. It did get a little bit too warm at points, but the hosts had fans and they can’t do much when it comes to the weather! There was also a smoking area, which was a great place to cool down, and it didn’t feel like people (i.e. non kinksters) could see you in this area either, which helped with the security of the event.
Compared to a lot of parties, there’s quite a young crowd, from my guesses I’d say around 75% of attendees were in their twenties or thirties, but it’s not an event with any age fencing, and they are the target demographic after all. There certainly were older attendees there, so it didn’t feel exclusionary either. I’m sure this isn’t intentional, but it definitely means that conversation flows easier between strangers - as the vast majority of attendees will be at similar points in their lives, and can bond easily. As I have mentioned in a previous blog post, talking to people much older than myself is not something I struggle with, but I know that for a lot of people on the scene, especially those who are fairly new to it, this can be very nerve-wracking and even offputting - so I’d say that Naughties is a really nice event for younger, newer people. Regardless of this, anyone could have a great time here - it’s just about making use of the event and venue.
If you’re going alone, you can definitely make friends and probably find someone to play with there, but most people already have plans, I feel, or at least already go with play partners or friends. There is a lot of opportunity to talk to new people here, but keep the aforementioned in mind if you do attend.
The venue is secret, so I won’t be discussing it in too much detail, but there’s a lot of furniture to make use of, and I saw people doing this in so many ways. It is a fairly small venue, so you may have to wait to use a piece of furniture, or rearrange your plans to utilise what is available. Waiting isn’t hard, though, when there’s so much to watch and so many people to talk to.
There’s a photo area which made me think of the proms you see in American teen movies, which is really cute, and also a nice idea to allow people to get physical memories of the event without exposing other people, and this area was so fitting to the Naughties theme too, very glittery and fun. I’m not sure how many people use this, it feels to be very under utilised and maybe not needed at future events, depending on how much use it actually gets. The theming isn’t super present throughout the event, other than the photo area and the music - which is very much just in the background rather than a very present aspect. It is nice to hear music from the nineties and noughties, but it really could be a much more present theme.
WHAT CASEY SAW
I saw a lot at this party (for the record, this was the July event). As soon as I walked through the door I was met with sensual scenes happening on a bed, with people surrounding it watching and conversing. A lot of people were utilising all the furnishings, from whipping someone over a bench, having sex on a desk, a bit of self suspension on a frame, and someone being spun around on another bench, among many other fun things.
I watched an electro-play scene, which seemed incredibly intense, but so cool to watch, and the same person was also running demonstrations after the scene, allowing people to learn about the toy and feel what it felt like to be electrocuted in a fun and safe way. I heard that there was going to be electro trivia later, but I didn’t see this happen. I haven’t seen much like this before, so it stood out to me.
Alongside all of this was a lot of impact and rope, which is always mesmerising to watch, and as I mentioned earlier, it made me feel so comfortable in playing at this event. It was fantastic to see people getting so involved and using all sorts of fun toys.
STAFF/SECURITY
The event has three staff members, a doorsperson/guide, the host, and a Dungeon Monitor. This feels like a good amount for the venue size and the amount of attendees, though if it was any bigger I think it would benefit from another member of staff. The three staff members were well spread out throughout the night, and felt approachable and welcoming.
I felt very safe here, protected from outsiders (due to the location) and I also felt that I could tell a staff member if I needed to if something happened, but all the guests were respectful of each other, from what I saw and heard, which is always excellent.
INFO AND LINKS
Naughties is a vetted event, but the vetting process happens after you buy a ticket. If you happen to not pass the vetting process, you will be refunded in full, which is good to know. Unlike some other new events, Naughties only has a presence on FetLife, so in theory, everyone who attends will have an account there, which helps for maintaining connections made at the event.
It’s hosted in East London, in an area with fairly good transport links, however it’s not the most central of venues - which allows for a bit more space - but can mean it’s difficult to reach, depending on where you’re coming from.
Tickets for Naughties cost £25 and can only be bought online, in advance. The event is BYOB(or food), and has a kitchen with a fridge and kettle, so you feel like you can stay for longer and not have to leave just to eat.
Naughties can be found HERE, where future events will also be posted. I am definitely going to adding this to my list of parties I regularly attend.
Location: Well connected by public transport but not super central. 3.5/5
Price: For 7 hours of fun, it feels very reasonable. 4/5
Safety: The staff seemed very knowledgeable and approachable, and knowing there is a vetting process is a great comfort. 5/5
Fun: It could probably get a little bit boring if you were waiting to use a particular item of furniture, but the attendees were all very friendly and there was so much to watch that I didn’t find this. 4.5/5
I have reached out to Naughties for a comment and will update this review if one is provided