The Rubber Ball weekend is now the biggest event in the 'fetish' calendar. Initially existing as just a Hallowe'en Rubber Ball, a few years ago the organisers decided to build a whole weekend around it, incorporating a chance to shop at the Skin Two expo, as well as attend a host of other fetish club events running over the four days. This has been a great success, and several thousand people now take part in one or more of the weekend's activities.

As we'd been working at the Skin Two Expo all weekend, we didn't have the chance to go to any of the club events on the Friday and Saturday, and instead decided to let loose on the Monday night, skipping straight to the Rubber Ball after party at Club Rub. While the Rubber Ball is the focus of the weekend, it's lost a lot of its appeal for us. As a first event for a fetish newbie, it's great, but quite frankly the format seems a bit tired now. It needs a large venue that can accommodate 3000, and so usually ends up at the Hammersmith Palais, now inexplicably named Po Na Na. One year it was attempted at the 'superclub' Fabric, but having to queue for two hours to get in (with a ticket!) wasn't one of the aspects that fetish clubbers regarded as 'super'. Consequently it ended back at Hammersmith.Unfortunately the cavernous feel of the Palais doesn't lend itself to creating an atmosphere, and just as you are getting into it they usually stop proceedings for a fashion show. Call us jaded, but when we're up for a party, we don't really want to look at a catwalk - there are usually just as spectacular costumes surrounding you on the dance floor. Plus, at the Palais, any rudery is somewhat frowned upon, which takes quite a lot of the fun out of it!So, it was straight to Club Rub in the City of London at 3am on Tuesday morning for our long overdue clubbing session. The venue was intimate, the security friendly (a big bonus), and the atmosphere very relaxed. As a friend put it, the after party is where people come who aren't afraid to stop holding their stomachs in, to relax and have a good time. Which is pretty accurate. There were very few of the types who looked like they'd had their back teeth taken out so that their cheeks sucked in, or po-faced dommes who refused to smile all evening. However, rather pleasingly, there was a large proportion of very attractive people attending. As anyone who attends these events knows, the image conjured up by the cover of Skin Two magazine does not exactly represent what's actually on show. Frequently there are a large number of decidedly unattractive 'lurkers' creeping around, but on this occasion these were thankfully absent.Most of the people there were in fact very friendly, with practically every nationality being represented, such is the global popularity of the weekend. Many had been to all the events over the four days, and were determined to enjoy themselves to the bitter end. The dance floor was packed all night - in fact, everywhere was busy - and in some of those darker corners off the dance floor some people were being very busy...The biggest problem was that just attending the after party meant it
was all over far too soon. At 7pm we were kicked out (not literally!) onto the streets of the City of London, and after refusing to pay extortionate minicab fares, we joined up with another couple and decided to have an adventure on the London Underground. At 7.30am at Liverpool Street station, you'd think that those City commuters who were turning up for work, would be cheered by seeing four fetish clubbing casualties (wearing an assortment of leather, rubber, jockstraps, topless corsets and see through dresses) flashing them on the escalators. But no, not a glimmer, not a flicker of a smile crossed their faces! If that's how miserable working in the City makes you, we're very glad that we don't. Besides, they were going to work, while we were going home to shag ourselves senseless. Hurrah!