Rubber Cult throws open the doors at its regular Shillibeers home in London N7 for its second outing of the year on May 30. This full-on but friendly fetish night for rubber lovers will feature the amazing latex designs of Amsterdam’s Sebastian Cauchos, while Rubber Cult regular Marnie Scarlet will be bringing her interpretation of The Jabberwocky to the Shillibeers stage. The Sebastian Cauchos show will feature ‘sleek office chic for fetish-forward habibis’ as debuted on the catwalk at March’s Dominatrix weekend in Holland. If you’re not sure what ‘fetish-forward habibis’ means, it’s a reference to the Dutch designer’s taste for modesty-preserving daywear for women that happens to be rendered in rubber and (controversially, some might say) features veils rather prominently! Other attractions of the evening include a medical corner run by head nurse Pretty Painless with rubber straight jackets, vet wrap and medicine; life drawing with talented Edinburgh performance artist Lottie Kixx; and an exhibition of photography by the legendary Keital. The unique character of Rubber Cult has made it a firm fixture for rubber enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond. People travel from all over the world to gather in this modest North London venue for a special evening held only three times a year. The first event of 2015, on a chilly evening in early February, was typical of what one can now expect at Shillibeers. With its 8pm start, designed to provide plenty of clubbing time before the normal 2am finish (but see different hours below for the upcoming May event), the venue is generally full without being uncomfortably packed by the time the onstage action usually starts not long after 10pm. Hosts Miss Kim and Cynth Icorn generally warm the audience up with some announcements, prizes for best dressed punters and so on, and the tradition for their microphone to cease working at some point during these proceedings is now a much-anticipated part of every Rubber Cult night’s fun.

The tradition of the microphone ceasing to work at some point during the proceedings is now a much anticipated part of every Rubber Cult night’s fun

I usually position myself as close to centre-front of the small stage as I can to photograph the shows, but on this occasion I decided to shoot from one side, having spotted a place to sit next to the redoubtable Jan Fetishclubpix and a man in a catsuit and hood who looked, from his body language, like he might possibly have been a newbie. Newbies are always very welcome at these events as long as they meet the dresscode. But if they’re there on their own, it can still, I’m sure, be potentially overwhelming. This chap did look a bit nervous. So perhaps it needs to be reiterated that at an RC night, there is nothing to fear except fear itself! Newbies rejoice! You have nothing to lose but your chains! (Although perhaps that’s not the best slogan under the circumstances.) From my corner position (which turned out to be less than ideal, in fact), I shot all the stage performances, beginning with Adam Electric, who threw some shapes inside a white latex VacTower-style assembly. Adam was followed by the first of two performances from Amy Statik. It was great to see the talented Am Statik designer and performer back on stage — and on form — after a hiatus since her unhappy encounter with a copycat outfit at last year’s German Fetish Ball. Amy’s outfit could even have been taken as a metaphor for the very re-blossoming her show represented.