Burlesque, Beats and BDSM: Torture Garden at The Caves

As the annual Edinburgh Torture Garden bash approaches, The Skinny talks to its Scottish organiser Dee Itsy

Feature by Gareth K Vile | 07 Dec 2012

Like pantomime's shadow self, the festive appearance of Torture Garden in Edinburgh during December has become a fixture on the calendar. Produced in Edinburgh by Dee Itsy – now one of the Free Fringe's flagship cabaret producers – and Torture Garden HQ, this East Coast edition has always reflected both Torture Garden's bracing aesthetic and the healthy Caledonian cabaret community. On the one hand, it is a gathering of the various fetish and BDSM communities at a single, expansive event: on the other, it allows these communities to appreciate performance both from within the city and beyond. It challenges cabaret and burlesque to recognise the power of more radical approaches, and situates routines within vigorous, sensual musical surroundings.

“The impact the event has had on the Scottish scene certainly allowed me to push boundaries in terms of the performance we present at the show and its overall design,” says Dee. “Over the three years we've been hosting TG Edinburgh at the Caves we've seen the night grow and our crowd swell and develop with it.”

Back in 2010, Torture Garden Edinburgh served as an introduction to the internationally acclaimed fetish club: the lineup juxtaposed the stars of Scottish burlesque and acts from the fetish scene. The programming of each subsequent event has become more adventurous: last Christmas saw Polish performance troop Suka Off get medical, and on this year's bill, Yasura the Bushwatcher squares the circle of fetish and circus artistry.

For Dee, TG has always been more than just a simple club night club. “Speaking as a TG partier, as well as its Scottish promoter, there has always been something special about Torture Garden,” she says. “TG events are genuinely creative and truly multidisciplinary in artistic terms. Everything from event design to DJ booking and performer choices are spot on, and showcase true subculture talent while avoiding cliché.”

This December's line-up matches some familiar faces – Amelie Soleil and cabaret stage host Des O'Conner have been regular visitors to Scotland over the past five years – and international talent new to Edinburgh. Marnie Scarlet adds a conceptual edge to her burlesque-inflected performances: recently, she has been presenting a “pop art tribute to Marilyn Monroe” which has taken her into galleries.

In a period when clubbing has become a determinedly mainstream - and consequently, quite often, bland and inconspicuous - Torture Garden has maintained an identity and become an international brand in its own right. Its strong roots in the fetish scene defined the atmosphere - the inclusion of a fashion show from House of Harlot clothing is both a reminder of the club's connection to the culture and the kind of touch that sets it above most club nights.

Dee stresses, however that “The crowd  also has a huge part to play. Every guest, through their attitude, expectation and outlandish attire bring something to the event.” It's perhaps an irony that a club dedicated to the alternative, celebrating power play and a more extreme brand of performance, has become a safe space for a variety of different groups. The atmosphere at Torture Garden is glamorous, exotic and provocative, but it is undeniably inclusive and playful. “Naturally, support from within the clubbing and Kink communities is very strong,” says Dee. “But the level of attendance from those involved in the Cabaret, Fashion, Goth, Burlesque & LGBT event scenes is pretty dedicated, each bringing something different to the event, in their outlook, expectation and, of course, dress sense.”

Torture Garden reimagines the club experience as more than a background to selling alcohol or a temple of worship to the latest hip DJ. Although David and Allen TG, co-founders and residents on the decks, have gathered a reputation by maintaining their position at the cutting edge of electronic music for over a decade, the music is just one part of the immersive environment. TG Edinburgh has made its home in The Caves for a good reason: the dungeon atmosphere works well for the various playrooms, but it also lends a sense of enchantment and possibility through its various spaces. 

When David and Allen started up Torture Garden in the 1990s, the fetish scene was far more controversial - they have acknowledged that they worried in the early years about police interest. The growth of Torture Garden has mirrored the increasing proliferation of fetish imagery in fashion, a more relaxed attitude in the UK towards discussion of sexuality and an integration of the LGBTQ, cabaret and music scenes into a strong countercultural presence. Torture Garden has been an important voice within this change, and is still a comfortable place for novices to experience the scene.

Although it has imitators, Torture Garden holds it place because it emphasises the professionalism of its artists. Des O'Connor is an ideal host for the cabaret stage, balancing a knowing wit with a vaudeville instinct for a catchy, depraved lyric. Between the dynamic dance-floor, which can become a performance in itself, the two stages, three playrooms and relaxed balcony bar, Torture Garden aims to overstimulate the senses. 

In its anarchic mixture of the performative and electronic music, Torture Garden recalls the spirit of early rave far better than any number of nostalgia nights, splicing a glamorous, sexual vibe into the communal energy. It avoids the ubiquitous machismo of mainstream clubbing without descending into a poor reflection of mainstream glamour: the crowd, the acts, the promoters and the venue are all fiercely independent. 

For Dee, Torture Graden's appeal is obvious. “It has to be in its ability to raise the bar. When I think back to the first TG event I ever attended that's what I remember,” she concludes. “It was held at London's famous Ministry of Sound venue, at the height of the Superstar DJ fad, so my expectations were somewhat askew, thus I was blown away. The venue had been completely transformed, the music had bite, the stage shows were unapologetically sexy; beautifully grotesque and fabulously OTT. The headline performer that night was Fetish super-starlet Matsuimi Max who worked the crowd in a way I'd never seen before, there was a newcomer called Dita Von Teese but I've no idea what happened to her. In short, I was awestruck as many people are at every TG event.”

http://www.tgedinburgh.co.uk/#/line-up/4557824180