KATE SWAY, KEN’s co-host, tells the inside story, below, of this northern event on a mission, from 2016 to its return in 2022 (photo: self-portrait)

A fetish event in a northern port city

Hull has never seemed like an attractive place to outsiders and not the sexiest destination, writes Kate.

But contrary to popular belief, the city has always had a fetish presence, albeit perhaps without the limelight or celebrity of events in the capital.

Several years ago, there was a much larger alternative scene, with Hull Fet, munches and community meet-ups, swingers’ clubs and a robust alternative scene over the years.

There are even multiple pole-dancing, aerial and burlesque schools scattered across the city. But unfortunately, as those in the industry began to move on, there were few kinksters left with the ability to keep the bigger events alive.

I feel many of the more popular fetish events in larger cities have become focused on fashion and image, which can be intimidating for new entrants.

Smaller events really struggle to compete, and I saw many good markets and communities close for good over the years. But as the big dogs were flourishing, Valen Vain plotted how to bring the scene back to Hull.

For the past five years, KEN has been cultivating a community and developing relationships from the organisers’ contacts to make a ‘London-worthy’ production.

Running KEN is fun, but hard work too

I have always found planning a KEN event to be fun. I believe that our enthusiasm and motivation come across in how we work with our community and how we try to promote positivity, pleasure and education on the scene.

If we didn’t enjoy what we did, there would be no sparkle to the event; the guests simply wouldn’t come. But, of course, there will always be issues for those working in the kink industry, events or not.

We are a team of just three: I work full-time in marketing, Valen is a full-time performer, streamer and sex educator, and Lylia works as a freelancer in a high profile industry.

As a result, planning and running KEN is crammed into the limited hours we have available outside of our everyday lives, which brings trials and tribulations.

Sometimes we do become aware of drama. For example, drama may arise when individuals deemed unsafe on the scene need to be banned, or when other events have stepped out of line or not put their patrons’ needs first.

We like to be aware of what is happening both in our city and in communities further afield. As one of Yorkshire’s most prominent communities presenting kink, fetish and education in sex and pleasure, we take responsibility for keeping our members safe.

KEN is funded from ticket sales and out of our own pockets, so we find ways to make things affordable. In the beginning, I was building all our own signage and props, raiding charity shops and building our website and social media with free tools.

And we’ve had fantastic aid from our friends who’ve volunteered to help staff the event.

Every penny made is ploughed back in

We don’t run KEN to make money personally, although naturally money makes the event possible. We run it because we want to bring the industry back to Hull, to put our stamp on the city and name on the map.

I previously worked a lot in the sex and fetish industry, which provided some of the most exciting times of my life. It was sad that when I moved to Hull, there was a distinct separation between this city and the rest of the UK.

I don’t think any of us really imagined the community that we managed to gather.

For now, every penny earned goes into covering the cost of KEN. Advance ticket sales for our May 13 event have been so good that we have been able to invest in decor and professional signage and make everything more inclusive, from mobility ramps to BSL (British Sign Language) interpreters.

Hull has a significantly different economy from London’s, so we’ve had to be mindful of ticket costs. Too high, and we would scare away our local supporters; too low, and we wouldn’t be able to cover our expenses or make investments for better future events.

There have also been other considerations we’ve had to juggle, such as venue capacity. While we have to max out at around 150 people for the comfort of our patrons, we have found that this creates a sense of exclusivity, and a much more welcoming and intimate atmosphere.

One of the biggest catastrophes for KEN was in the early days. It was only our third event when our original venue unexpectedly closed down only two weeks before the show.

Thankfully, Valen had the connections to secure our current home, The Old School House. We are grateful that we have encountered so few other issues of such significance!

KEN returns but just who is Valen Vain?

VALEN VAIN, founder, frontman and MC of KEN, readily admits to the description ‘Vain by name and vain by nature’ (photo: James Anthony)

Valen Vain is our KEN frontman, compere and founder. I may have been around since the early days but he takes the limelight. Vain by name and vain by nature, Valen Vain represents the very pinnacle of egotism, as he would be quick to agree.

He professes hedonism in all that he does and encourages all that encounter him to indulge in the things that make them smile.

Valen loves to paint out an atmosphere. His events, his shows, and even his home, are all specifically pulled together to create a certain type of atmosphere. Valen is a sex educator and Twitch partner, performer and event organiser.

He recently started a podcast called Thirsty Work to discuss all things sex, pleasure and diverse, inviting his guests to answer questions many people are afraid to ask.

The first KEN: such a leap of faith

KEN was Valen’s first solo event. He had no clue about marketing and promotion. He was the most disorganised and arrogant person I knew, and he thought the event would succeed simply because he wished it to.