Melbourne gears up for a week of leather!

A fantastic way for leather and fetish men to unite, A.W.O.L (A Week Of Leather) kicks off at Melbourne’s Laird Hotel, bringing with it seven days of fetish fun on Monday 3 – Sunday 9 August.

“AWOL is a great way for guys across the kink/fetish spectrum to get together over a week of events to meet, learn, share experiences and party,” Brett Lasham from the Laird Hotel tells Same Same, “and with Maddog’s Boot Camp in the line-up this is the first year where we have actually had a full seven days of events.”

AWOL is a jam-packed week of events that cater to Melbourne’s kinky fellas and do things ‘Laird style’, from socialising, rope play and a cheeky competition to decide who will be the Laird Leatherman for 2015 – with this year’s contestants showing us how many Leathermen it takes to change a lightbulb!

Monday sees the Laird’s monthly underwear party switch it up a gear becoming the biggestJOCK PARTY in town. Sure it’s a school night, but that’s never stopped a couple of hundred guys sporting their favourite straps to celebrate jocks great and small in every colour and style with tunes by Nick Sheperd.

At last year’s Northside Bizarre, Maddog showed why she is a much-respected part of Melbourne’s leather and fetish scene – this Tuesday she’s sharing her knowledge for a one-off A.W.O.L special event as the Laird’s back bar becomes Maddog’s Boot Camp.

The bootcamp is a classroom for gear lovers where you can bring along your leather, rubber, boots and more and learn how to care for the gear you love. Numbers are limited – and if you’re not sure of what you need to black your boots and all you have is polish, a brush and your gear – don’t despair, the guys will have a small “starter pack” that you can use.

Wednesday’s trivia is taking the week off as Eagle Leather and Down An’ Dirty present Sessions with BJ. Sessions in Japanese Rope Bondage and Impact Play will be hosted by BJ from Eagle Leather. Spots are limited so be sure to book your spot early.

Thursday sees the Laird’s weekly fetish night ‘Spit N Polish’ take things a step further with High Shine, with the return of Dick Savvy a.k.a The Naked Barber as guest Buzz Cutter and with the Laird’s in-house Boot Blacks, this is sure to be a blast.

This is also your chance to meet the contestants for Laird Leatherman 2015 if you haven’t already, as they have a chat with Laird Leatherman 2012 Ben Riethmuller before a special demonstration by the guys from Piercing HQ with dark ‘n dirty sounds provided by DJ Grant Cook.

Friday is the big night in the AWOL calendar as we find out who which leatherman will be the face of the Laird and Mannhaus for the next 12 months in the Laird Leatherman Competition 2015.

“I must admit that I’m a bit scared,” Darby tells Same Same. He’s the youngest entrant in this year’s competition. “The mix of competitiveness and fun is in good balance at the moment, and I’m very lucky to have quickly bonded with the other competitors.”

“I’m excited for the night, but still a little bit worried about just how naked I’ve decided to get in certain sections,” Darby laughs. “But I’ll let everyone else be the judge of that.”

Hosted by Ben Riethmuller and Dean Arcuri, the competition will see the fellas strut their stuff, answer questions and more to represent their community and help raise funds for their chosen charity.

Saturday Code Black comes to town, Australia’s only true leather party for men with a strict dress code ensuring you’re partying with 300 very sweaty and very happy leather men. And with our special 5am license, you can party even harder. Tickets sell out every time Code Black is on, so don’t leave it too late.

And on Sunday it all ends with TRIBE, an afternoon with buddies, BBQs and beer that is all about coming together and winding down after a big week.

“My favourite events are Laird Leatherman for the energy and camaraderie of the night,” Lasham told us, “and also Tribe as it’s a really relaxed day with everyone chilling out and hanging with old and new mates.”

A.W.O.L. week also features some swinging rope action thanks to Riverkeeper and cruisy tunes by Peter McNamara as well as the drawing of the A.W.O.L. 2015 fundraising raffle thanks to Tom of Finland Toys.

http://www.samesame.com.au/news/12596/Melbourne-gears-up-for-a-week-of-leather