London: the scene to be seen

What can you say about the London lesbian scene? It’s probably the best in the world. Having been to the likes of Sydney, New York, San Francisco, Paris and many more that don’t even deserve a mention, London always comes up trumps.

Some would undoubtedly disagree, but it’s consistent and it’s trend-setting. There are (in comparison) a giddying number of events to go to, but sadly there are not particularly any good bars that are worth a look in. The Candy bar used to be the stalwart of the lesbian scene in London (and for a while in Brighton), but was often unfriendly and for the yoof.

London has seen a huge transformation in the last ten years. What once was a sprinkling of underground dungeons that required you to list your favourite gay newspapers, women you fancied and gave you a grilling if your hair was longer than two inches, now has a vibrant and varied scene that has almost gone the other way.

If you’re femme and foxy and have clearly been watching too much of the L Word, then there’s sure to be a place for you.  Straight venues cottoned on to the fact that gay girls liked to spend, and this all started when a now mainstay of the scene, Lounge was launched in 2001.  Lounge paved the way for the more sophisticated and feminine crowd and brought a different look and feel to the scene.

Many more imitated and experienced success and failure in equal amounts. Needless to say it was the emergence of home grown programmes such as Bad Girls that made lesbianism cool and then the L Word came along. Then it really was cool and classy to be a lesbian – and even more accepted on the scene – bisexual.

Not only are there more mainstream cubs, but the likes of Kitty Lips and Pumpin’ Curls in the early nineties developed into other hard house and techno nights such as French Kiss and Smack.

Now you can find a lot more alternative offerings such as WiSH, Code, Mannequin and Dolly’s Discotec. The list doesn’t end there however, we’ve got a whole load of reviews on each of these nights.

What can you expect from a London lesbian? Try not to expect anything – they are like the clubs, changeable, fickle, stylish, alternative, mainstream, femme, butch. Pin one down and you’ve got your answer – for a while at least.