After successful events in Sydney, Singapore and London, Club Chrome is set to make its highly anticipated Dublin debut. Centred around queer dancers, the night showcases stripper-influenced, sensual performance styles that often don’t get proper space or respect in mainstream nightlife or the pole fitness industry.
Founded in Sydney, this volunteer-run grassroots collective is bringing a lineup of international and local talent to the recently reopened Drop Dead Twice on Friday, May 29. To fully embrace the atmosphere, attendees can purchase tipping dollars online or at the event, with 100% of tips going directly to the dancers and distributed evenly.
Organisers are also donating 10% of ticket proceeds to Red Umbrella Éireann, supporting advocacy and safety for sex workers across Ireland. Ahead of the Dublin launch, GCN spoke to founder Linh AKA Linhqu, alongside performers Indigo, otherwise known as Sins Pole Spins and Moe, also known as Molly, about the importance of queer strip club-style spaces and why Ireland is ready for a night like Club Chrome.
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“Club Chrome started because I didn’t see myself or people like me reflected in pole, nightlife, or the arts,” explained founder Linh. “Pole dancing comes from strip club culture and from the labour of primarily Black and POC strippers, but so much of the mainstream image of pole has been sanitised and disconnected from its roots. I wanted to make a queer space where LGBTQIA+, POC and sex worker artists could connect and express themselves fully.”
The collective has already built an international reputation for creating spaces that centre queer expression and destigmatise erotic performance. Linh described each city as offering a different experience, from Sydney’s established queer nightlife scene to Singapore’s appetite for “a transgressive queer space”.
For performers, Club Chrome offers something rarely found in traditional nightlife settings: freedom from the cishet male gaze. Moe shared that performing within a queer strip club-inspired environment allows dancers to express themselves without fear of judgment or stigmatisation.
“This space gives me the possibility to perform not for a [cishet] male gaze or audience, but for myself and for an audience that understands and values the self-expression that my dance embodies,” they said.
Indigo, who has followed Club Chrome online since its beginnings, described the Dublin event as long overdue. “This night is vital for us as artists to be seen and celebrated by like-minded people,” she said. “There is so much creativity, talent, and beauty within our community that deserves to be showcased to audiences who truly get us.
“It’s also a reminder that you are not alone, the way you choose to present yourself is valid, and we don’t have to stay confined by the limitations and expectations often placed on people in Ireland. When we come together, we remind people that we are here, that our work matters, and that it deserves recognition,” she added.
The performers further spoke about the significance of bringing a night like this to Ireland specifically. According to Moe, Ireland’s conservative social history has often left little room for open conversations around sensuality, erotic art and queer self-expression.
“Nights like this, that centre queer, Black and POC performers, some of whom have worked in the sex industry, provide an outlet for all these emotions and feelings that are left unacknowledged and unexpressed otherwise. These performances highlight the work and beauty that lies in artistic self-expression through sensual pole dance – and hopefully can pave the way for more open conversations and acceptance towards sexuality and sensuality in Ireland,” they explained.
Club Chrome also aims to reconnect audiences with the roots of pole dance and the communities that pioneered it. “You cannot enjoy stripping or erotic performances without wanting those performers to be accepted in society and enjoying the same rights and protections as any other group,” Moe added.
“Pole dancing would not exist in the way people know it today without sex workers. So much of the movement, aesthetic, stage culture, musicality, and performance style associated with pole was developed by strippers, particularly Black and POC strippers, long before the mainstream embraced it,” the team shared.
Regarding why they are using the night to support Red Umbrella Éireann, they noted how sex workers “continue to face stigma, criminalisation, and unsafe working conditions” around the world, including in Ireland.
“Supporting Red Umbrella Éireann felt important because they are actively doing grassroots work around advocacy, safety, and decriminalisation for sex workers here.”
On what attendees can expect from the night, it will ultimately be a full strip club-inspired experience, complete with stage sets, audience interaction and high-energy performances. But beyond the spectacle, Club Chrome hopes to leave audiences feeling empowered, inspired and more connected to queer artistry in Ireland.
“I want people to leave in a daze of sexy, energetic equilibrium,” Indigo said, “feeling inspired, intrigued, excited for future possibilities.”
Reserve your spot to witness Club Chrome make its Dublin debut here.
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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