Berlin gay club dark room

The allure of a dark room lies in its lighting — it should be dark, but not too dark. Dark rooms have been a draw in queer spaces for decades and remain de rigueur in other, friskier parts of Europe. But now, dark rooms are enjoying a long overdue boom in the UK, especially among MSM men who have sex with men.

This way, punters are less likely to cop an eyeful as they order a round of Tequila Rose. It also means you can steel gay with a shot or two before getting your kit off. A dark room tends to be a fun but functional space where shadowy corners and throbbing music create the right environment for anonymous casual sex with no judgement and minimal chat.

When dark rooms first became popular in the 60s and 70s, there was an room more pressing need for spaces where anonymous same-sex encounters could take place away from prying eyes. Until the passing of the Sexual Offences Act insex between two men was illegal in England and Wales. In New York, for example, dark rooms are darkwhich means queer clubs have to be subtle or utterly brazen in how they market them.

Roasta club night held fortnightly in maze-like Angel venue Electrowerkz, views its packed dark room as pivotal to its sexy image. Berlin wanted to celebrate Black and brown bodies, as well as beary, big-bodied guys and club men. Joey Knock, a year-old cis gay man from London, goes to clubs with dark rooms once or twice a month, including Roast and Trough.

Connection Club

By Sammi Caramela. By Ashley Fike. By Stephen Andrew Galiher. Videos by VICE. Read Next.