The London Tattoo Convention. It's at Tobacco Dock - which sounds suitably Jack Sparrow piratical, but is really very civilised. As is the event. Hell's Angels are in charge of parking, and have taken over the local NCP - taping up any ticket machines, and charging a very reasonable flat £5 cash fee. Their event organisational abilities have come on in leaps and bounds since Altamont.
Inside lots of inky people respectfully admire other inky people's ink, and gather in knots to admire the inky skills of the inkers (and their ink, too - all inkers are inked). The majority of people here look like they're still making the effort. They're still going for a look - whether it's rockabilly, death metal, or Japanese silk painting. Irrespective of whether you like it (or not - eg the man with the horn implants), it's taking a commendable stand against bland.
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| The Fuel Girls - you get the general idea |
Entertainment is a combo of raunchy dancing, and actual stripping, which is slightly out of place for a Sunday afternoon. Firstly, The Fuel Girls, a tattooed collective, perform a selection of writhings, some of which are successful (belly- and pole-dancing), some of which are unconvincing (tentative aerial hoop-swinging, and slightly pedestrian fire twirling). Next up is a stripper, who describes herself as 'nerdy'. By which she means that she has some comic strip/sci-fi tattoos, and is wearing big prop 'nerd' spectacles. Along with her corset and teeny knickers. (She's got this wrong. Proper nerdy would be big pants, plus vest.) She is almost too energetic - doing a great deal of strutting and splaying and thrusting. There is something dispiriting and exhausting about her performance. It's interesting to analyse the difference between the acts. They're all doing versions of a similar thing - some are technically better but the biggest differentiator is the quality of their presence in front of an audience. Whether it's stand up, presenting or taking your clothes off, it boils down to the same thing.
It's like a tattoo. May be only skin deep, but how you wear it comes from within.
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