Berlin Review: Sneakfreaxx at Stahlrohr

Sneakfreaxx was one of the main reasons for coming to Berlin this week... I have heard a lot of good things about this party and I was hoping it would live up to the hype.

Whether it was planned or not, the date and time of this party coincided with the Recon organised sportswear party at Reizbar, but since that's part of BLF, I figured that it would be full of leather guys in shorts and not really full-on sportswear enthusiasts.

So I caught the u-Bahn to Schonhauser-Allee and bumped into Laurent and his partner on the train, who run the French Sneakersgate website and a number of parties, particularly the Antwerp Fenix Sports and Sneakers party in the Oink Oink bar.

Stahlrohr was well organised with lockers in the basement to change clothing and a ticket system to pay for drinks when you leave. Entry was 8 Euros and drinks were reasonably priced. There's a bar area for socialising and a darker area for cruising and play.

I met several people I know there - Thorsten who runs Shoot! in London and also a couple of guys who are regulars at Feet on Friday.

So what was it like? Awesome. Loads of guys from all over Europe as well as local lads from Berlin. The average age was quite low, and it made me wish I was 25 again! All the guys were so well dressed in their sports gear, sneakers and scaly-street wear it was brilliant. There was only one I spotted who hadn't really made an effort.

Here all the scally boys go mad over a type of Jeans called Picaldi... and you can see why: the leg is shaped to narrow at the bottom which shows off your sneakers and makes it easy to tuck the bottom of the jeans into your socks. The backside is very reminiscent of the classic Levi 501 which is known to make the best of anyone's backside.

People were very friendly and when it got crowded enough to inhibit walking around inside the venue it never felt intimidating - and I tend to get a bit claustrophobic in crowded places. The guy on the door reckoned they had maybe 250 guys at the party, which I reckon is about right.

On the night, they announced plans to make Sneakfreaxx a monthly party and hold it at Stahlrohr regularly. I really hope this doesn't dilute what is an occasional party but one that is worth travelling across the EU for.

As for playing - well if you're young and good looking then you get the pick. If not then it's a case of enjoy the scenery...