A decade of club kid fashion and chaotic looks from INFERNO

Nightlife organiser Lewis Burton reflects on ten years of London’s iconic, trans-centred techno night, alongside bold club photos from the INFERNO archive by Roxy Lee.

IMAGES ROXY LEE

Across ten years of raves, raucous party attendees and thumping techno, INFERNO has become synonymous with London’s shifting, experimental queer club scene. Founded by Lewis G. Burton in 2015, what started as a party has morphed into a performance art platform, an incubator for queer talent, and a vital space to prioritise trans and non-binary community. From parties across Europe and a residence in Amsterdam’s RADION, to a zine and annual summit, it’s become a veritable cultural movement.

As they announce an INFERO hiatus, we speak to Burton about the best moments from ten years of the iconic club night and the pressures forcing working class creatives out of nightlife.

Congrats on a decade of INFERNO! Let’s rewind a bit, how did the first party come to be?

INFERNO started because, 10 years ago, there wasn’t another LGBTQ+ centred techno party. Some of the elders in the community were running events, but they weren’t explicitly for us – and at times, they felt unsafe. I was always aware of how nightlife and queer history are deeply intertwined, and I wanted to carry that torch into a new generation. INFERNO was my way of honouring those who came before us while incorporating what I was learning about community care, empathy, and support.

The first events were held at Dalston Superstore for the first few years. We completely transformed the space – blaring techno and hard dance filled the basement, with boundary-pushing performance art electrifying the room. Upstairs, drag queens danced on the bar to the campest pop, disco, and R&B bangers. It was giving pure heaven and hell – chaotic, euphoric, and exactly what queer nightlife needed at the time.

What are you proudest of from your years with INFERNO?

The beautiful community that has grown around INFERNO. What started as a small event for me, my friends, and their friends has grown into something far beyond what I ever imagined. Now, over 1,000 people regularly pack out Colour Factory in Hackney Wick. I’ve witnessed so many people step into their most authentic selves, becoming queerer, bolder, and more liberated. To provide a space where people feel safe to embrace that authenticity – and empowered to do so – is something I’m deeply proud of.

INFERNO has also given us incredible opportunities to collaborate with institutions like ICA and the V&A, as well as expanding across Asia and Europe. We now have a residency at RADION in Amsterdam, which is a legendary club in its own right.

More than anything, I’m proud of the incredible DJs, artists, performers, and musicians who have grown through INFERNO and gone on to conquer the world. A decade later, we are still standing – and in this brutal nightlife landscape, that’s something to be immensely proud of.

Do you have any fun anecdotes or stories from the past decade?

So many! One that stands out is when a performer did something wild in a paddling pool. What we hadn’t accounted for was how heavy it would be with water in it – so when we went to remove it, the bottom broke, flooding the dance floor. Picture a queue of club kids (myself included) in full geish, mopping the floor at 3am to a soundtrack of pounding techno. It was absolute carnage.

The last INFERNO – our 10-year anniversary Red Rave – was one of the best nights of my life. It reminded me just how much this night means to so many people. It was one of those rare, magical moments where everyone showed up as their best selves, leaving their baggage at the door and coming together in pure appreciation and love for the space and each other. Everyone’s DJ sets were spectacular from start to finish, I performed with trans punk musician Sissy Misfit, and everyone turned it the fuck out in their finest red looks. It’s a night I’ll hold in my heart forever.

How has queer nightlife changed between when you started the night and now?

Queer nightlife used to feel more raw, hedonistic, and unpredictable – back then, we didn’t have smart phones! It felt lawless in a way that was both thrilling and, at times, chaotic. In terms of community, I think things have improved because of social media, there’s now a broader awareness of how we expect people to behave in queer spaces. It used to feel like the Wild West, but now we’re talking more about how to show up for each other, on and off the dance floor. And given that politically, things are worse for our community than they’ve ever been, this kind of solidarity has never been more important.

But I’ve also seen the impact of gentrification, the cost-of-living crisis, and the pandemic on our spaces. Working-class people – the ones who built queer nightlife – are being pushed out. The cost of running nights, DJing, or even just going out has skyrocketed. If I were moving to London now, INFERNO probably wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t have been able to take the risk. These days, most working-class people in nightlife are behind the bar, at the door, or working cloakroom. We’re losing the next generation of grassroots queer creativity, and that’s a tragedy.

Oh, and RuPaul killed the drag queen! There was a time when people would turn looks in the club just for the joy of it. That’s something we’ve fought to keep alive at INFERNO – a space where identity, individuality, and creativity still take centre stage.

Nightlife is evolving, but because it’s so deeply tied to money and capital, marginalised communities are always hit first. We’re already seeing that in the loss of LGBTQ+ spaces, but it feels like the people in power aren’t listening. As someone who’s been at the forefront of this community for over 13 years, I know firsthand how vital nightlife is, not just culturally and artistically, but for people’s physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

How has the night been able to foster and encourage queer creativity?

INFERNO has always been a platform first, a party second. We’ve given emerging DJs, performers, and artists a space to experiment and create without fear. I’ve mentored the next generation of LGBTQ+ club nights and promoters, passing on knowledge and skills while giving them opportunities – like taking over INFERNO’s second room.

We also host the INFERNO Summit, a bi-annual seminar where we explore different themes and celebrate the beauty, talent, and diversity in our community.

Over the years, we’ve commissioned over 250 works of art, showcased over 500 performers and had over 2,000 DJ sets worldwide. INFERNO’s impact has been global – I’ve had people from almost every continent tell me it inspired them to start their own nights and build their own communities. We’ve blurred the lines between music, fashion, art, and performance, creating a space where people push beyond their limits. Some of the most innovative queer artists of today started at INFERNO, and that’s something I’ll forever be proud of.

What’s next for INFERNO?

I’m taking a sabbatical! The pandemic taught me that sometimes, stepping back is necessary – to reassess, to evolve, to figure out the bigger picture. Nightlife is changing rapidly, and spaces like INFERNO are more vital than ever. With trans rights under attack globally, we need spaces where we can be together, be seen, and know we are loved.

That being said, INFERNO isn’t disappearing. We’re continuing our residency at RADION in Amsterdam, including a special collaboration with resident Samantha Togni’s Boudica on Friday, 23rd May. We may even pop up at a few festivals this summer, keep an eye on our socials.

I’d also like to do one final, huge send-off event before rebirthing INFERNO into something more intimate but more regular – a space where community, care, and creativity are truly at the core. But I need time to figure out what that looks like.

During my break, I’ll be organising London Trans+ Pride (26th July), working on new music with Wax Wings, and finalising the first draft of my book, a guide to everything I’ve learned over the last decade as a community leader.

I’ll still be keeping busy as ever, while plotting the day INFERNO will return…

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