What is Pearl Necklace by Torture Garden? Is the event worthwhile? What should you expect?

What’s awesome about Electrowerkz?

Firstly, I am in love with Electrowerkz, the venue for Pearl Necklace. It’s been recently redecorated, and has a wonderful hipster steampunk vibe- like an electrical factory turned Victorian bordello turned gastropub. I want to be there, I want to work there, I want to stow away in the attic like a bat and live there. I feel like someone has somehow plumbed the subconscious depths of all my tastes and put them together in a Pinterest board for the decorators.

I’m usually known for writing a fairly harsh but fair review of events on the swing scene and kink scene. Those I didn’t like don’t get a review. but this one was pretty hard to fault. I was invited by a lovely lady friend to join a table of 6. I met some delightful new people and made friends – a thing that has been hard to do in the limbo between full lockdown and full reopening.

What is Pearl Necklace great for?

I’m sure I’m not alone in noticing the strange social phenomenon that lockdown has created within us. The loss of free casual association with acquaintances pared us down to those who kept us sane through lockdown. We felt that perhaps there was a lesson in this- that we should spend our time and invest our energy and emotion in a smaller circle of better friends, who we would then promote to grander places in our lives as we were allowed to resume.

Of course, as this happens, we rapidly realise the reasons they didn’t have bigger roles in our lives before lockdown; nobody is ready, able (or perhaps ultimately that suitable) to level up and fill the gaps we feel in our lives. We are left looking to meet new people who are better suited to us, with a very limited number of ways to do so. This event was a great place to do this.

Cool People to Spot

Although due to restrictions we are not allowed to mingle between tables, I was able to grab the attention of Billy King, rising star of the adult industry. He was at the table behind me so I got his attention by asking a waiter to say hello. Consensual photos of people at your table and the performers were, mercifully, permitted. I was therefore able to grab a little flash of the ambience at this amazing event.

What to expect at Pearl Necklace

Pearl Necklace by Torture Garden is not a full kink or swing play party. It is a dinner and cabaret show, with some truly unique and excellent performers, not for the sexually squeamish. It’s a perfect place to reconnect with kink friends, meet some new ones, dress up in your formal kink wear (which takes a little creativity, but is easily manageable) and have some truly excellent food and drinks.

Entry and dinner (3 items from the menu) with a free arrival drink comes to £64 pre-booked. I dropped another £50 on the deliciously easy-drinking ‘Green Death’. Electrowerkz is just 3 minutes’ walk from Angel tube station. Pearl Necklace was all on the ground floor, so wonderfully accessible (a rarity in London). The loos were clean and had paper, the ceilings were high and the place was spaced out comfortably. The staff were delightful, welcoming and the crowd was mellow and happy, with a lot of wonderful outfits that made it hard to decide which were the hosts and which were the guests.

The Show at Pearl Necklace

Our show began with the truly glorious Lolo Brow. She guided us through the evening between acts and started the evening as it would continue. Her first part of the show was akin to a sideshow blockhead with a high pain threshold, or was very carefully staged. Just the thing for the more intense kinkster. Her wonderful energy was transformative, and transported everyone back to a time of joy, excitement and pre-Covid self-image. A time when the kink scene was both our wild adventure and our comforting community.

All around, there were the niche stars of the kink scene; the event organisers, the big names, the people who everyone knows, dressed up in their kink finery. All out to enjoy the opportunity to feel like their true selves again, away from the judgemental imposition of the vanilla world.

Without spoiling the surprises of the evening for you, would I go again? Absolutely.

Evaluation of Pearl Necklace by Torture Garden:

😊 GUESTS ARE APPROACHABLE – Yes, but Covid restriction prevent mixing with other tables

😊 ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE – a complete mix. but it’s not a play event, so it’s a better time to get to know people and build on your connections

😐 SWINGING FRIENDLY (PROVISION, ATTITUDES) – not against swingers, but not a swinger event.

😊 KINK FRIENDLY (DUNGEON, ATTITUDES AND ATTIRE) – absolutely solidly a kink event, aimed at kinksters, though not a kink play event

😊 TRANS-INCLUSIVE – very

😊 BODY SHAPE INCLUSIVE – yes

😊 AGE INCLUSIVE – yes

😊 Racially inclusive – yes, though was predominantly Caucasian guest mix

😊 COUPLES – yes

😊 SINGLE WOMEN – yes

😊 SINGLE GUYS -yes

😐 AFFORDABLE AND VALUE FOR MONEY – you have up to 5 hours of time to enjoy yourself, and the ticket includes your (very good) hispter pub style food, including gluten free and vegan options. you also get a free drink on arrival. My cocktails were then £9 each. For £64, for a non-play event, it may seem like a lot of money, but it was really high quality, you get what you play for and i’ve paid more to see cabarets that weren’t nearly this good

😊 SAFE – no public access to the venue, lots of security and staff around, very friendly mellow vibe. kinksters are all about consent.

😊 SPACIOUS – all on the ground level, high ceilings tables widely spaced, plenty of room to enjoy your evening at your table

😊 WELL EQUIPped – the cabaret had some excellent equipment to perform with, the stage and lighting was great, the bathrooms were better than in most restaurants and the staff were helpful and charming. as it was not a full play event, i could not speculate what normal dungeon playequipment there might be. I suspect quite a lot

😊 DIFFERENTIAL GENDER PRICING- no

😊 DIFFERENTIAL COUPLES PRICING- no

😐 ROCK UP LAST MINUTE WITH A FRIEND? no, tickets need to be booked and paid for in advance as a table

😊 EASY TO GET A MEMBERSHIP- none required

😊 TRANSPORT- 3 minutes walk from angel tube station, there is parking in side streets and some single yellows right outside the venue

😊 Disabled access? All ground level, no stairs to navigate for this show, doors are wide and most of the venue is open plan. if you have other specific sensory needs you should contact the venue to check their provision.

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