I was in London for an OutNewsGlobal work trip and thought I’d organise a group of us from Oban Lesbian Weekend events for a night out. One member sent me a link for Butch, Please!, which she described as “London’s hottest new dyke night”, and I was sold! Although, once I looked it up, I realised that maybe I’m getting out of touch with the London queer scene, as Butch, Please! is now in its 8th year.
From this point on, other members messaged telling me what a great time they’d had at other Butch, Please! nights and within a week or two, they’d sold out. A queer night must be pretty good if it’s sold out a few weeks ahead, and from that point on Facebook appeared full of women looking to get on the waiting list or asking if anyone was selling their ticket. All of a sudden, it appeared that anyone who was anyone was going or wanted to go to Butch, Please!.
Held at the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Butch, Please! describes itself as:
“A celebration of all degrees of butch.
A night for lesbian and bisexual women, trans and non-binary people. Dyke centered.
For Butch Muthers and Baby Dykes alike – bring the love, the respect and the power”.
I was reliably told that Mother Kelly’s, which is just a few doors along, was the place to be for pre-Butch drinks. As a femme, who only butches it up when I’m wearing 13 layers of clothes and have my power tools out in the great Scottish weather, I wondered if I could get away with femming it up, instead of celebrating my inner butch. So of course, I dug out my trusty corset, complete with pink cuffs.
This particular Butch, Please! was named Kinky Butch and it did exactly what it said on the tin. I was in heaven! My friend introduced me to a few women in Mother Kelly’s, and surprise I knew some of them from a while back. As we entered Butch, Please! it was great to be back in the buzz of dykesville. Everywhere I looked there were butches, femmes, young butches, older butches, trans men, non binary people and those who had made an effort with their kink outfit and those who had worn their regular, fairly butch clothes.
At first I stayed in my own corner. There were so many women passing through it, I didn’t need to move to socialise.
Once I’d overheated I popped outside and have to say that I enjoyed the outside social. It was not just a smokey area for you smokers, it was an extension of the club, where I met even more women that I’d not had the chance to converse with inside.
Tabs Benjamin, founder of Butch, Please! got up on stage to welcome and gave us a demonstration of how to use a pee buddy, for those who would like to use their butchness to skip the toilet queue and use the urinals. Tabs kept her clothes on but the next performer, a well dressed nun, with a difference, didn’t. The stripping nun, aka Smashlyn, complete with her magic wand and dildo was refreshingly not size zero and proud of it. I loved the body positivity of so many of the women at Butch, Please!
Another thing I enjoyed was the great, friendly atmosphere. Everyone seemed to be in their happy space, open to engaging. At the beginning I knew a few women, but by the end it felt like I’d spoken to or danced with nearly every woman there, some of whom I’ve stayed in touch with since. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Going out, enjoying the atmosphere, spending time with old friends and making a few new ones?
I don’t think I heard a tune I didn’t want to dance to all night but I have to confess that I only looked up to the DJ booth near the end of the night. Butch, Please! was open from 9pm till 4am, almost as long as a day at work! However, I wasn’t alone in not wanting to go home. Yes, I had a small slump and popped outside around 1am again but then the last 2.5 hours flew by, with songs and smiles keeping us all entertained.
To find dates for the next Butch, Please! events, CLICK HERE
