The eagerly awaited full-on leather BLUF Bristol event.
Sam Benger reports.
- The Place: Old Market, Bristol.
- The Day: Saturday, March 2nd - Late.
- The Event: 60+ Leathermen gathering in one place for BLUF@Bristol
For BLUF club members it had been the eagerly awaited BLUF event of the year so far in the West. Since the Bristol launch in 2011, the meets in the UK’s West have grown in reputation and stature which resulted in a “record turnout of guys from the UK’s West”, according to the organisers.
LeatherWest chatted to many BLUF members who’d travelled from all the capitals of the UK and Ireland to join local guys for the West’s premier leather event (Bristol airport was busy with ‘BLUF arrivals’ on the Friday!). In addition we also talked to leathermen from Nottingham, Birmingham, Swansea, London, Dorset, West Wales, Cornwall and a significant amount of men from Wiltshire and Gloucestershire - something’s stirring out there in ‘the sticks’!
At the final count BLUF@Bristol said they had recorded over sixty men through the door - an impressive number, and an increase from the club’s last meet in October, especially when all you could see across the bar was a sea of Muir caps and gloved hands grabbing a pint.
Also noticed this time,
BLUF@Bristol is emerging as an event with an international tone too: visitors from Ireland, Germany and Switzerland. Never before has there been a Leather gathering in the West to match.
A fine display of Muir caps son display
Once again, Bristol’s dedicated leather and fetish bar, The Den, played host to an evening exclusively for BLUF members.
The venue lending itself to being intimate, and in order to avoid any ‘crunch’, the Bristol team had set a capacity limit to avoid all the horny leather clad men getting too hot and to remain comfortable throughout the night.
Indeed BLUF men remained capped, gloved and ‘jackets on’, all in an effort to preserve and maintain the atmosphere of friendship and fun and sharing the leather passion, avoiding the ‘jacket off, it’s too hot’ moment that happens all too often. This was an event where a bar transformed into a scene from the classic gay leather mystery film Cruising - and it stayed that way.
With the event sold out and tickets limited (and a reserve list introduced) , BLUF Bristol reported that the last week before the meet saw “…loads of BLUF guys keen to ensure they were on the ‘door list’, eager not to miss out on a night of sexy, raunchy leather fun.” Once we were through the doors, like us, leathermen were not left disappointed: the night built its own momentum.
The range and standard of leather dress could only be described as exceptional, something LeatherWest has not seen since Folsom Europe in Berlin.
Illustrating the extra effort guys had made, on display to be admired and enjoyed was a stunning collection of looks and uniforms skillfully assembled by their owners resulting in an impressive variety of leather.. .. coveted Langlitz jackets and breeches, made-to-measure VK79 from Berlin a sea of Muir Caps in as many versions as you could name with a dazzling display of badges (a big talking point), to Politzei uniforms, leather cops and just damn horny Tom of Finland raunch; fantastic leather uniforms with white, yellow detailing….you name it and it was there. We were running out of paper to list everything we saw!
Adding to the flavour of the night was the thud of so many a tall booted man: Chippewas, Wesco, Goldtops, Dehners - you name it - and the truly inviting to those weak at the sight of boots. The news spread quickly of two men in brand new 19” Wesco Boss boots, creaking and shiny, attracting their own deserved ‘specialist attention’. Yes it was a BLUF night that did not fail to impress: it was the biggest full-on boot fest we’d ever seen in West!
There were many admiring glances and touches of the gear on display - and one or two envious looks too from us! Who couldn’t resist the urge to be enveloped in such visions of masculine passion? More than a few have commented that they need to ‘up their collections’ proving that BLUF meets in Bristol are not just fun and spread the sense of comradeship, but inspire and enthuse guys in their pursuit of leather excellence. The West’s BLUF men are evolving into a raunchy coven of leather clad studs!
As with previous BLUF@Bristol events, the organisers captured the right balance with a blend of banter, cruising and out and out flirting - plus a little more. Bristol’s friendliness shone through and was reflected in everyone who attended. Visiting men told us they had “found a leather event that provided for exactly what they were looking for”.
Previous to the meet proper at The Den, earlier in the evening, general folk were treated to a display of leatherclad studs as BLUF guys warmed up in The Bristol Bear Bar, just down the road from the main event venue in Bristol’s Old Market quarter.
There we found several ‘leather’ newbies and the ‘leather inspired’, not yet BLUF members, but candidates for BLUF membership in the near future - can we call them BLUF colts? They had the effort to be in the bar to have the opportunity to mix with the horny troops of BLUF leathermen in town.
BLUF Bristol report “numbers have doubled” in the past two years. By the signs of things tonight and form the chats we had with the Colts, that figure is about to rise even more. There’s a sense of excitement with the about to be BLUF members - there literally panting to get in on the action. And we can’t blame them.
Of course there’s the new tradition that has emerged: troops of booted, capped and gloved BLUF men thudding their way through the streets of the Old Market quarter making their way to The Den. “You just feel like you own the street”, said a Dave, Cardiff BLUF member, who was out on his first ‘BLUF meet’.
As easy as it can be for organisers to ‘spin’ the success of their events, to see just what a terrific night it was from someone who was there, ead Bootbrush’s blog post (a local BLUF member in Gloucestershire) about the event. A great read!
BLUF say the feedback from the meet has been really encouraging and members are eager to see extras tagged onto a meet, such as an informal ‘meet and greet’ and maybe a meal option in the future. The local team are going to work on these ideas. So things are looking up and the local BLUF guys seemed to have captured the enthusiasm of full-on leathermen. We can’t wait to cover these new events!
But the local BLUF group also seemed to have captured the approval of ‘veteran’ members too. One long standing member of BLUF, Nick from Bristol, said towards the end of the night, “The Venue’s great, and it was just really nice to meet up with some old friends and make some new ones…it’s probably the best BLUF do I’ve been to.” That’s an accolade for Bristol and the West!
There’s one ingredient to the night that the organisers have added which seems to be producing such universal praise and approval from a very discerning crowd that BLUF men are: setting a maximum capacity limit and sticking to it.
All too often at leather events, you can turn up all ‘suited and booted’ Cap on. Only in a short period of time having to check in your jacket and take your cap off because the heat’s built up and it just gets too hot. Something lost when that happens. Not here.
To ensure BLUF men come together, to share and celebrate their shared passion for leather in a relaxed, welcoming environment, BLUF Bristol are ensuring that the quality of Bristol’s reputation as an emerging ‘leather destination’ continues to grow.
As one BLUF man from Ireland told us: “About the right number of guys here in that it’s busy but not too crowded. It’s allowing everyone to mingle and meet each other. Truly enjoyable evening.”
And a veteran BLUF member, Steve from Bristol noted: “the attendance figures, strict uniform rule upheld and atmosphere…”. We’d agree with that.
It’s not just about the numbers though.. Clearly enjoying his night in Bristol, Derek from Edinburgh, who’s attended leather events across Europe for “many years” said that “The fact that it was a BLUF members only event for a decent amount of time were allowed in [five hours!] made it the most excellent evening - great to chat to new and existing members without being ‘hit-on’ by others.”
“Bristol’s doing a fantastic job… It’s clear that other UK regions are starting to sit-up and take notice of what you’re doing here.”
Take note: others are “starting to sit-up and take notice.” Congratulations to the organisers at BLUF Bristol for an outstanding effort. The West’s reputation for leather life is bolstered by the success of events like BLUF. They’ve got the ingredients right for a tremendous night and we’re already looking forward to the next one.
BLUF@Bristol #4 returns in the Autumn, scheduled for October. So, watch out for news on LeatherWest and make sure the date is in your diary! It’ll be in ours.
Sam Benger was a guest courtesy of BLUF@Bristol at their third meet at The Den.
To read more about BLUF@Bristol check out the following:
2013 - Date announced for BLUF@Bristol #3
2012 - A Year of Consolidation
2013 - Across the Ages
2012 - BLUF Bristol Christmas Gathering
2012 - Xmas Social
2012- Review of BLUF@Bristol #2
And just see what happened on Twitter:
A great night at #BLUFBristol 3 nblo.gs/IUioE
— bootbrush (@bootbrush) March 4, 2025
@bootbrush nice write up … Hopefully I can get a number and come along in October
— WolvesPerv (@wolvesperv) March 4, 2025
“@bootbrush: A great night at #BLUFBristol 3 nblo.gs/IUioE” sounds fub
— tom smith (@bristom3) March 4, 2025
@blufbristol Yes I did thanks - very enjoyable & met some great people
— Andy Barkham (@pandion1) March 3, 2025
@blufbristol Great time in Bristol with my BLUF Brothers. Time to head back up north. See you in Berlin for Easter *salutes*
— CJ Bluf (@CJBLUF) March 3, 2025
@blufbristol superb night. Expertly organised, brilliant atmosphere! Here’s to the next one!#GayLeather
— LeatherWest (@LeatherWest) March 3, 2025
@bluf369 I would have loved to go to @blufbristol party
— Bearpaname (@bearpaname) March 3, 2025
@leatherwest @blufbristol @thedenbristol thanks for organising a great night guys! Damn, but it was a sexy crowd!! #BLUF #GayBristol
— bootbrush (@bootbrush) March 3, 2025
Just got home after a fantastic night in Bristol with the @blufbristol guys
— LeatherAsh89 (@LeatherAsh89) March 3, 2025
@blufsberg you are very welcome! Think I may need to get back to Bristol for @blufbristol one time … no leather bar in Wolverhampton
— WolvesPerv (@wolvesperv) March 3, 2025
The PrideWest Daily News is out! paper.li/Pridewest ▸ Top stories today via @mungoslgbt @prideinplymouth @blufbristol
— PrideWest Magazine (@Pridewest) March 2, 2025
Links:
BLUF Bristol can be found at Facebook (Members only) and live on Twitter.
For information on joining BLUF check out the dresscode advice page before making an application or you can e-mail the local BLUF Club here.
Share Your Thoughts
Leave a Reply
Comments