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 Even in London, where fetish is a long-standing tradition and sex clubs are known the world over, it's hard to imagine Brian Sheridan's Club Wicked not being controversial in some circles. Now that controversy, stemming from Sheridan's quest for proper licensing as a sex establishment, has the club owner turning to new strategies in an effort to keep his business on track. In the wake of a recent announcement postponing Wicked's Southwark Town Hall licensing hearing, Sheridan announced the formation of the Nightclub Owners, Promoters and Licensees Association (NOPLA), through which he hopes to challenge Britain's archaic licensing laws.  To say that Sheridan's Tooley Street club has experienced some local opposition is quite an understatement. Nearby businesses and organizations in London's SE1 district have complained of the impact of the fetish club in the area, causing explosive debates.Along with the formation of NOPLA, Sheridan is reported to be considering amending his request for a full sex establishment license in an effort to quell some of the acerbic local discourse. Last week South London Press reported Sheridan and his wife, Caroline, may now be seeking waivers to the regular public entertainment license that would allow Wicked to operate, according to Sheridan, "within similar restrictions as somewhere like Spearmint Rhino." This would mark quite a concession for the Sheridans and their club. Also, you don't have to work at Scotland Yard to notice upon cursory glance that there is quite a difference between the gleeful, if risqué, goings-on at a strip club like the Spearmint Rhino and the much more decadent fetish atmosphere of members-only fetish nights Wicked and Extremely Wicked.  On the other hand, the Sheridans have in the past stated that in order to offset the £20,000 cost of the sex establishment license and other permits, they aim to create striptease and table dancing clubs for men and women on afternoons and evenings not conflicting with the more pervy fetish nights.This has engendered even more controversy, this time within circles of the fetish community who find this commercially mainstream venture at cross purposes with Wicked's regulars, the local fetish subculture. Brian, known in fetish circles as The General for his peckish for WWII military uniforms, and Caroline, who writes erotic fiction, are highly visible staples of the fetish scene, and Wicked has a well-earned reputation for distilling the best of the London BDSM scene. The couple took over the Tooley Street location, formerly known as Cynthia's, in December 2002, and have since turned Wicked into a well-known bastion of fetish play, dungeons and dancing. In their request for a sex establishment license, the Sheridans have cited the European Charter of Human Rights, insisting that sexual activity between consenting adults should be legal as long as issues of public decency aren't involved. Sheridan hopes that he, as well as other club owners and promoters, will find strength in numbers through NOPLA. Annual fees for the new organization range from £100 for pubs and promoters to £1000 for "executive membership" for club owners with five or more outlets. The association will initially be based at the Wicked location on Tooley Street, and Brian Sheridan will be the first chairman. For more information, check out Club Wicked's website at www.clubwicked.org.
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