A friend of mine asked me the familiar question: is From the Flames going to be 'more DVS or more TG'? What they wanted to know was whether the emphasis was heavily on play - whether BDSM or sex, or more of a party/clubnight where play was just a feature.
I guessed it was more the latter and I was correct. The dance floor took centre stage at this venue, with the music cranked up and plenty of people there to dance. The dungeon was on the small side, and there was also a couples area, discreetly tucked away at the top. It was all there if you wanted it but didn't feel like the main event and you wouldn't feel like you were missing out if you didn't partake.
There were also a few performances peppered in the evening and in the bar area the 'Flames games' - mainly giant Jenga. We all agreed it felt particularly British to be playing lawn games at a kink party and it provided a lot of entertainment. But not just entertainment - adult prizes were at stake! After this there was also a repurposed Lightning Reaction Electric shock kids' game - appropriate for those of us who like electricity play.
And the bar and outside area provided plenty of scope for chatting and socialising if that was your preference. I actually spent most of my time here because, being in a venue not designed for regular clubnights, the dance floor wasn't air conditioned but reliant on fans and became hot very quickly.
Also, unfortunately, the couple of times I did brave the heat, the music wasn't quite to my taste so it didn't make me stay too long on the dance floor.
There was a cacao ceremony and tantric massage on offer - but don't let that put you off. The event was much less 'woo' than this and its promise of 'kink conscientiousness' might imply.
It was really obvious that From the Flames had big fans though - the size of it made it feel like a slightly bigger-than-your-average house party and it felt like lots of people knew each other but not in an intimidating way. Also, as they happen irregularly it felt like people were really pleased to be there.
Next one is November 10th.