What makes a good night a great night?

BLUF arrived in Bristol with a bang in January, determined to bring full-on leather cheer during the darkest, coldest month of the year. Sam Benger arrived to capture the action and found that this night would turn out to be different from what he was expecting.

The BLUF group in Bristol knew they had set themselves a hard task. Although I had every confidence that BLUF Bristol would put on a good night, I wasn’t so convinced it would be a great night. I had my concerns. Could they fill a bar wall-to-wall with fully clad leathermen complete in Muir caps, tall boots and gloves? People are usually strapped for cash after Christmas, the weather has been unrelenting rain and flooding has disrupted travel plans.

Those worries were put aside as early indications looked good - numbers register were strong. Members were flying in from Spain and Belgium for the first time adding to the flow of BLUF men down to the west from London, the Midlands and Manchester and Scotland. There was stronger than usual traffic on Facebook and Twitter in the preceding weeks adding to the anticipation of another great BLUF@Bristol event.

On the night, early signs were also encouraging. No sooner had two car loads of BLUF men from Cardiff and South Wales arrived en masse in Gloucester Lane, a car stopped. The woman driver looked. She hesitated, unsure. Then politely asked: ” Can I take a picture? You guys look amazing!” The gang was certainly in the mood for it - cheers and laughter ensued. Here were a proud, self-confident group of Tom of Finlandesque men comfortable and safe in their stomping ground of Old Market, Bristol. We can only imagine what caption she put under the picture on her Facebook page!

The validation didn’t end there. She added, “My brother’s a bear. You guys look fantastic. I know you have a great life!” said with a grinning smile. Leathermen made her night - and she made theirs.

It was with this high-spirited leather gang, I dropped into the Bristol Bear Bar for the traditional pre-event drink. The bar was full. The Muir Cap indicator was strong: I counted over 20 and it was just after 9pm - a full hour before the BLUF event open it doors at The Den. It was chatty, busy, energetic - the leather crowd adding to the great atmosphere. The BLUF men were ‘up for it’. It was while I was drinking in this amazing sight, a thought struck me. On display, right in the village of Bristol’s gay quarter, a large group of happy, self-confident, ‘pleased-to-see-you’ guys in their full gear showing that our leather community has a presence and growing in visibility and strength. Each of them an ambassador for leather!

If this scene wasn’t a positive, energetic advertisement for the leather curious and ‘wannabes’, then nothing will recruit more ‘to the cause’.

As for the main event, The Den itself was mobbed early on. When I got there just after quarter-past-ten, there was a queue and a log-jam at the door. Another good sign.

I’ve attended BLUF gatherings in Bristol before and it was clear from the start that this one that this some how felt different. There were many first-timers to Bristol, nothing unusual so far about that. We know that BLUF@Bristol attracts men far and wide. Certainly the ‘international’ feel was strong. Alex, at his first ever BLUF meet, had flown in from Mallorca (Majorca) - he was grinning from ear-to-ear, “…just great. I’m having a blast! Really! It’s worth it every second”, he said to me. French and Spanish were heard being spoken.

Another, equally impressed with the event, was Martyn from Sydney, who was London just for the week. Hearing there was a gathering in Bristol, he hopped down on a train on an impulse the afternoon on the day. “This is a great atmosphere, I’m really please I came. We just don’t get to do this

[full BLUF] in Sydney. It’s mostly chaps and harnesses. The weather’s too warm.”

The pull of Bristol continues to draw in men from London. “People actually talk to each other here,” was a repeated comment. That could be down to the fact that being a smaller catchment, a lot of the local BLUF guys know each other and there is a feeling of ‘great to see you’. This automatically sets the tone and doesn’t fail to impresses first-timers, newcomers and out-of-towners.

Even regulars were in agreement, that BLUF@Bristol improves: Mark from Wiltshire said, “…best event so far and it was good to stick with the leather only theme all night.” Next to him, nodding in agreement, Derek, added, “…excellent weekend. The events just keep getting better and better.”

The friendliness continued to flow right through the evening - all through the bar and out into the beer garden, where I could enjoy the rich and seductive aroma of cigars. Needless to say, the “getting to know you better” moments were in full swing at the more seduced areas! There were the usual antics and it was discovered that one canon Leather Law had been broken (the no underpants under leather rule). Suitable correction was swiftly administered to the offender to make sure he doesn’t do it again!

‘Best’ is always a hard one to judge and quantify. To keep it simple, I’m going to defer to the BLUF guys themselves. Judging by the postings on Facebook and tweets over on Twitter, the BLUF men are saying: “This was the best BLUF in Bristol so far”. I’m not going to disagree.

BLUF Bristol pulled off a difficult one: they filled a bar wall-to-wall in the hardest month to get people out. The mix of men was great. People had travelled and flown in especially. The friendliness does not dissipate - it gets stronger. For a January, this cold, dark month, last Saturday night banished all my winter blues ….and I could forget about this winter’s incessant rain.

There was also some excitement and surprise that the BLUF night in Bristol had been nominated as Best Men’s Night in Shout Out Radio’s Listeners’ Awards 2014. The voting is going to be strong. To help BLUF win, vote here.

Returning in late March, BLUF returns for its sixth edition. I will certainly be back I hope to cover the event. I’ve got a gut feeling about March. If it is this good in a January, March could be a belter. Make sure you secure your ticket so you can enjoy a warm and horny welcome to BLUF@Bristol#6.

Sam Benger was a guest of BLUF@Bristol and The Den. The views here are individual to the author and do not necessarily represent LW Events CIC (LeatherWest), BLUF, The Den or BLUF@Bristol.