The 2nd Miss Stripper competition starts in July in Benidorm

London strip scene gossip July 2006The mad Dean of Southwark is now talking of taking the council to court over giving the licence for “Rembrandts”. You couldn’t make it up could you! The large and very plush new “Stringfellow’s Soho” {on Wardour St at the Oxford St end} club opened on time on June 1st.
The venerable “Sir Robert Peel”, Kingston {left} a strip pub for over 25 years now has a new web site for it’s “Blue Bar” strip lounge  which includes a useful schedule of dancers appearing.

I understand Soho’s even more venerable “Sunset Strip” is receiving recognition at this year’s Erotic Awards. It has emerged that Susie Verico who won a Kit Kat competition to be on C4’s “ Big Brother” reality show is a stripper who has recently worked at several West London pubs.
Long time London based dancer French Sylvie who has been a favourite on the pub scene for over 10 years is I understand returning to France permanently, though she still intends to return work in London occasionally. Sylvie’s probably best known as the stripper used in the 1998 Guy Richie film “ Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” but is a very popular regular at Rainbow and Entertease strip pubs. Browns/Griffin regular and former coverdancer Nikki now has a web site detailing all her strip appearances .

Burlesque superstar Dita von Tease was over in the UK recently performing at the launch of the new model Audi TT and also at the huge star studded Beckham’s world cup party. Also at the party apparently was “Puss in Boots“ boss David West who had apparently bought his pair of tickets at an auction for over £100k.

Long term readers may remember an ex Police Inspector called Brian Sheriden who for a time ran a fetish/swingers club called Wicked near London Bridge and applied to hold live sex shows there. He has re-emerged with a new club called Liberty based in Hamshaw near Haywards Heath  and plans to have regular lap dance and cabaret nights.

The former Fantasy club West Brom has been sold and renamed “Heat for Men”. An attempt by the people that own the “Avairy” in Leicester to open a club in Brighton was turned down by the local council who remain very anti strip. Also refused permission to open was “Shakers” the first club in Burnham, whether they will appeal or re-apply remains to be seen. Finally turned down was an attempt to turn J2 {formerly The Office} in Bolton into a lap dancing club after a 2 year struggle. Brand new Stoke on Trent club 007 is facing legal action from film giant MGM over the use of the name and logo, apparently this problem was caused by unwisely sending them an invite to the opening night! Nottingham was recently named “gun crime capital of the UK” the reason probably being strange Police priorities, they have just mounted an operation to close down the “Bar Humbug” club for not using it’s CCTV properly. They had failed to object to it’s opening a few months through complete incompetence and have clearly decided that it’s closure is far more important than trying to regain control of the streets. The club remains open while the owner appeals. Club Midas Rugby’s only strip venue which opened in February has changed hands and the new owner is turning it back into a normal bar. Evolution Barrow’s only short lived club has re-opened as a pool hall.

Manchester’s new Boutique Gentleman’s club in Lloyd St opened for business late in May, locals can expect a rush of clubs in this strip starved city now with the new licensing laws effectively reducing the power of the lunatic anti strip council. A first club in Newquay called Teazers opened on June 1st {as part of the large Tall Trees night life complex} also in that town the annual “Miss Pole Dance UK” is to be held at the Barracuda nightclub over 9 weeks there in the summer. The winner goes ahead to the rather controversial annual European competition based in Amsterdam. The Avairy club in Leicester also had a competition in June called “Midlands Pole Dancer 2006”. Talking of pole dancing Vertical Dance has set up the first accredited qualification in the UK see www.verticaldance.com .

I understand Club Blu in Trowbridge now has lap dancing every Thursday night. A successful application to open the first lap dance club in Bradford since Munroe’s/FYEO closed has been made for a bar called the Blue Pelican  in Little Horton Lane. The usual mix of narrow minded bigots are objected including the nearby National Museum of Photography. A first club in the home of Shakespeare Stratford upon Avon called the Bureau in Arden St has got a licence and expects to open later in the summer. The new club for Weston super Mare mentioned in last month’s column is to be called the “ Shadow Lounge”. Lap dancing nights were held during the TT races in June at the Chill nightclub in Douglas, Isle of Man.

I understand that despite being unable so far to open a club in Norwich as reported on this site US giant Spearmint Rhino is now actively looking to open or buy further new UK clubs after a hiatus of nearly 3 years.

The “Bubbles and Babes” topless car wash in Hinckley has been moved to Coventry just opposite the Ricoh stadium {new home of Coventry City}.

Tyke