EROTICA 2005
G-Mex, Manchester
April 01 2005

Apparently, this was the last Erotica festival to take place in Manchester. Low attendance has sent the organisers scurrying back to the safety of London, where the national press and adult magazines will actually take notice, and where there are more than enough exhibitors to keep everyone happy.
On my first visit to the Manchester show two years ago, I was struck by just how quiet it was - not just a lack of punters which was to be expected on a Friday afternoon, but also in terms of content. Two years on, things have clearly not changed enough to justify continuing.
This year, I'm attending the event with an Erotica Virgin, and her excitement at the whole thing is an infectious antidote to my been-there, see-that cynicism which is inevitable after so many years of these events. Hell, I was even persuaded to part with money for something other than beer and food for once!
Upon entering the G-Mex Arena, I was once again struck by how spartan things seemed compared to London. Smaller than Olympia, the hall nevertheless had plenty of wide-open spaces where you might have expected to find stalls. Most of the heavyweight exhibitors from London were missing and even some of the locals seemed to have given the event a miss. And naturally, there was no sign of the sex industry celebs who are at the London event, either porn stars signing autographs or porn directors wandering around meeting 'n' greeting. Given this, it's perhaps unsurprising that the event fails to draw in the crowds.
So who was here? Well, there were plentiful fetish clothing stalls, many of whom don't seem familiar from the London event, and these certainly kept my companion busy as she dashed from corset to corset, pausing only to haggle admirably over coat prices. The Video Village was more like a Video Outhouse here, with the potentially offensive R18 DVD's tucked away in their own little portacabin to avoid upsetting those people who attend a Sex Fair but don't want to see any sex.
Midway through our visit, we are persuaded to try some sort of electronic pleasuring device which resembles a foot stool with nodules sticking up. When sat on, these nodules can be vibrated via a remote control, and I have to confess, the sensation was... 'interesting'. However, the rather excitable young lady with me was placed in charge of the controls, and quickly cranked it up to full. Smoke started to rise, the pleasure turned to a painful burning sensation and we both managed to leap off just before our nether regions combusted. A word to the manufacturers - perhaps a less intense high setting would be good.
Torture Garden's stage show this year seemed less themed than usual, flirting between old-school burlesque and modern fetish-tinged strip shows. At its best, it was awesome - the athletic pole dancers were cute enough (and small enough) to take home as a souvenir, the burlesque and Moulin Rouge cabaret elements hit the spot perfectly, and the shower spectacular, with a couple performing under a torrent of water, looked stunning. Other parts seemed too 'ordinary', possibly because with the TG show you come with high expectations. Anything that doesn't innovate tends to drag.
I preferred the show from London 2004 to this one, and some people were probably put off by the fact that Manchester had a topless only license, stopping the fully nude performances of London. However, burlesque isn't about how much flesh is shown, and personally, I find these complaints misguided.
If this was the last Manchester Erotica, it's too bad. But I can't honestly say I'm surprised. Just as every post-Erotica London event has failed to pull the crowds, this may have been an event too far. Maybe the whole thing only works as a once-a-year spectacular, and attempting to run cut-down versions was always doomed to failure.
At best, this was a tasty sampler of delights to come - we look forward to the main course in London in November.

DAVID FLINT

Erotica 2005 photos coming soon!