OUR HISTORY - HOW DID IT ALL START ?

Back in 1993 Steffan and Vicky Lee were performing together and promoting venues such as Bolts Sunday nights at the Hippodrome Leicester Sq

It was this work and our DragMania Shows that attracted the attention of Bar Manager Lee Whitby the manager of a small Wine Bar in Goodge Street who asked the team to promote her wine bar every Saturday.

Vicky had just researched the first 'Tranny Guide' book and knew that the cross-dressing scene lacked a unique Saturday tranny night.

At that time Ron Stormes Travestie Extrordinaire was monthly and Teds had a Thursday night at a small predominantly lesbian and gay bar.

Vicky and steffan rose to the challenge and Jamisons Wine Bar in Goodge St was transformed into 'The WayOut Wine Bar' each week. Every sign was changed every wall picture was changed to hollywood heroines. The first night was a great success attracting 100 people and has never had less than 100 since. Vicky and Steffan would be out doing one or two 'Dragmania' shows and then return to WayOut to do a short show on our four beer crate stage. To manage the door (which had a sliding letter box entry system loike something out of 'Bugsy Malone') we recruited Caroline who worked also on the 'Tranny Guide' with Vicky. The club would stay open till six in the morning but was flouting every licence law.

So thorough was our makeover of the bar that many thought we had bought the bar, They would be amazed that they could not find the bar during week.

It magicaly disapeared at 6am every Sunday
to once again become Jamisons on Monday morning

It appeared back every Saturday like it was spirited in .

It was our policy in those days not to take pictures of visitors to the club as many were deep in the closet - If YOU have pictures from these days that you would like to see on these pages please contact us.

After one year in Goodge St we fell fowl of licencing laws and lost our Jamisons venue.

Without loosing a night we moved The WayOut Wine Bar a mile to Maceys (now a sports bar), opposite Miss Selfridge in Duke Street.

It was while we were at Maceys that we started the Wayout CLUB held monthly on thursdays at Bar Circa, under the Satchi & Satchi building on Berkley Squar The CLUB ran in parallel with the WINE BAR for a year.

A change of ownership and management at Maceys made us move again.

During the move from Maceys to a bigger venue in Knighstsbridge, under the Scotch House we merged the CLUB and the WINE BAR and from then on allways went under the name 'The WayOut Club'.

Click here for a review from those days

At this time everyone at WayOut would be familiar with 'The Tranny Guide' book at a time when everyone on the tranny scene was finding their feet including our male admirers. People were looking for "like minded others". Tranny Guide awards would be cheered with enthusiasm.

The 'Knightsbridge' venue was closed due to sound and licensing problems (possibly because Vicky Lee was the DJ so once again The WayOut Club was on the move. We spent a short time under the theatre in Drury Lane at the time showing 'Cats'.

We next were made welcome in Great Titchfield Street at a two floor restaurant called 'Shorts' for another short period of time and many consider this to be one of our best venues. It's here that Vicky spun the discs again and Miss Sarah Lloyd became a regular helper and 'WayOut Girl' on other nights the venue was used by a swingers club and cross fertilization led to swingers becoming regulars at WayOut. The venue was closed by the police as the venue had no licences and was staying open with various promotions every night of the week.

Steffan and Vicky Lee had been hosting Wednesday nights at 'The Tatty Bogle' a Piano Bar under Kingly Court near Carnaby Street. With the loss of 'Shorts' for our Saturday night the WayOut Club was welcomed to 'The Tatty Bogle' This venue only held a hundred people and we ran on a one in one out basis for much longer than we should have done but we were determined to search for a good sound venue with long term prospects. Vicky spun the discs balancing decks on top of the piano. We still managed shows with as many as five people in the show. At this time Vicky was doing live shows with Jezabell as 'The Vampettes' and Steffan was off out doing shows with 'Total Recall'. Steffans boyfriend Tony would look after the door and Caroline would prop up the bar.

In our search we passed over 'Charlies' in Crosswall as it did not have sound and lights at the time. Instead we moved to 'Hot Shots' in Minories Charlies sister bar owned by the same person our good friend Tony.

Compared with the 'Tatty Bogle' Hot Shots was enormouse. It was hard to fill it at first and we had so much space we would shut off areas for ad hoc photo shoots. Tony soon after changed the venues name to 'Tiffanys' and by now the venue was getting busy.

Some nights were linked with Ritual fetish Magazine and some of the fetish crowd cross fertilized and became WayOut regulars (from these nights Kim and Club Rub took the opportunities to use another of Tony's venues and became one of the most stable and largest fetish clubs in London) However we decided that WayOut should not hold "fetish nights" as the basis of our philosophy was "no dress code" and most fetish clubs and their visitors prefer "strict dress code".

Steffan was working up and down the UK and overseas with the 'Total Recall' show and was meeting and introducing to the club some fabulous performers like Miss Ambre from France.

Vicky held the first Tranny Guide awards presenting her "headless oscars" to best shop, dressing service etc

Tiffany lease ran out and Tony offered WayOut Charlie's just around the corner which he had now equipped with sound and lights. We have now been with Tony in the City since 1997.

The WayOut Club has never missed a Saturday night. Some of the clubs regulars have also never missed a week. The club now enjoys the most mixed crowd that can be found in any club. The WayOut team have always encouraged non - bigotted people to join Trannies of every flavour whilst also always being welcoming to new and inexperienced people. The very best nights have been the most mixed nights.

We recognise that WayOut has now evolved. Now many people visiting WayOut may not know the Tranny Guide book, and can't remember a time without the internet and the confidence it has inspired.

The opportunity to visit The WayOut Club weekly for over 15 years has allowed many (1000's) to make those first steps, develop their dress style, confidence, social skills and networks. Since our foundation in 1993 the whole tranny scene has become more confident. However I can assure you that however awesome looking those WayOut regulars that have this confidence are, or however big their personality may appear, they never forget their early steps and enjoy welcoming and helping others less confident.

Some of our visitors take long breaks and then return to renew their link to the club. Others, including me, hardly miss a night at the club. Some have over this time transitioned from male to full time female. Some have found at the club partners both male and female. Some have in this time married (we have even hosted wedding receptions at the club). Many have made firm friendships meeting their new friends outside the club developing a fulfilling transgender lifestyle. Many have enjoyed the contests and opportunities to perform and some have become more regular entertainers at the club or gone on to entertain or enter other contests outside the club.

When I am talking with those that are the most hard working, influential, role models and creative trannies I am always happy to be reminded that so many of these wonderful people took their first steps at The WayOut Club.

Now WayOut is as much a diversity club as a transgender club. We believe this is why the club can be euphoric, spiritually uplifting but can also appear intimidating and awesome to some who are not yet confident with diversity.. (I used to feel the same way about the late Kinky Gerlinky nights).

I know that you may be plucking up courage to take the first visit to The WayOut Club but I assure you that every Saturday there are friendly regulars including me Vicky Lee and Lesley my partner and my WayOut team looking forward to welcoming you and helping you to feel at home and enjoy your night. I include in that assurance, most especially family, friends and partners.

Note: A NEW Friday Night WayOut Wine Bar was breifly revisited in 2004 Following a constant flow of requests for a Friday night we responded with our original concept for a new and more confident generation of T-Girls and their friends to mix with "like minded others" in a quality venue 'TKs' in Lovat lane and to make it their own. This night ran from April to July 2004 and was enjoyed by all tha visited.

However at this time interest was not strong enough to support a Friday night and it was subsequently closed. Proving the phrase "use it or lose it".

WHAT ARE ALL THE VENUES DOING NOW?

Click here to go on a virtual tour of london to see all the WayOut Venues as they are in 2009

HISTORY OF AN AWARD WINNING CLUB

It is no wonder then that in 2008 The WayOut Club was awarded one of the first 'Sparkle' TG awards for
'Best Transgender Club' ....
However what really thrilled me was when Leah True who organised the awards told me was that when the voting at sparkle.org was opened, The WayOut Club leapt into the lead.
I was even more thrilled to hear that the votes came not just from the UK but also from countries all around the world reflecting the breadth of our visitors over since 1993.

I know from these visitors who consistently tell me, there is no other club like WayOut in the world and certainly none embracing such diversity in such a relaxed and friendly way. I will take a small amount of praise for this fact but know that it is all those that visit the club that create and preserve the amazing phenomena that is WayOut.

Vicky Lee on the opening night

Previouse promotion Bolts at the Hippodrome



Those early 'Tranny Guides' that founded our promotion


Our first flyer for 'The WayOt Wine Bar'

Caroline, Steffan and Vicky Lee that first night
and some of our early regulars



Lee Whitby who gave us our first venue


The second flyer for 'The WayOut Wine Bar' now at Maceys and the first flyer for 'The WayOut Club' at that time in Berkley Square



Flyer for the joint WayOut & Ritual magazine
and Steffan introduces Ambre and Morgan at Tiffanys