Founded in 2022 by local dykes and self-proclaimed perverts Steph, Holly, and Lily, they have hosted several intimate parties at the Sheffield DIY venue Delicious Clam, as well as workshops in collaboration with community-led queer DIY space Gut Level. The workshops involve skill sharing for creating fetishwear from recycled materials like bike innertubes, chains, and a whole other assortment of DIY materials you’d find lying around the house or in the corners of your local hardware store. The LeatherDyke parties aim to uplift local queer and trans DJs, performers, and grassroots fundraisers. So far, their parties have featured sets from Sheffield DJs MYNA, Alex Aubyn, Gut Level, and LeatherDyke residents Stephanie and Diessa, as well as Leeds-based DJ duo The Disk Jockz, and Manchester’s DJ Duckdown. They do not operate a strict dress code, however, leather and kink wear is encouraged, and often you will see attendees donning items they made in the LeatherDyke workshops!

LeatherDyke favours subversive performances that are more experimental and risque, challenging the mainstream drag and burlesque scene. To put it simply, their performers are not for the faint of heart and through their events they aim to elevate sex workers, fetishists, and people of marginalised identities.

“The northern queer leather scene is abundant and thriving, but we’ve noticed that the spaces for our community are heavily limited to larger, more commercial cities like London. However, that won’t stop us. At its core, the North is community-driven and community-orientated, making it the perfect home for us deviants. We’ve never felt such an intense, genuine desire for uplifting and supporting the queer community as we have in Sheffield. It’s something special. We’re hoping that through creating this archive, we can really hammer home that “Queer hedonism is alive in the North” (Gut Level, Sheffield).