Pussy Power

The inspiration for Pussy Power came from all over the place, from Pommer’s time living in Sweden, to bartending, to being a door girl and a DJ to boot. “I wanted to start a new night; the main purpose would be to create a safe space for everyone to enjoy. Just a fun night.” 

After enjoying Sweden’s feminist movements, activism and nightlife, while also becoming increasingly fed up with the industry that doesn’t support female DJs, Pommer created Pussy Power to celebrate and acknowledge female talent and the inclusivity of everyone. 

The vibe is different to that of your average club. Pussy Power is meant to resemble a house party that is relaxed and comfortable, rather than a dark, seedy club. The room is cosy, there is a bit of light, there are drink specials, and there are bouncers who actually kick out men or women if they’re being creepy. 

"There’s certainly the possibility of turning ‘pussy’ from something weak into something strong."

Trying to merge feminism with clubbing is tough. Not many people attempt it, but Pommer is hearing the positive feedback already: “Some girls came up to me and said, ‘We’re dancing like nobody is watching and we’re not even drunk or anything and it’s so light in here and it doesn’t even matter.’” 

The light room seems to be the key in making everyone feel safe but also comfortable enough to dance however they want. “We keep the venue pretty light; the people that have come through have really appreciated it.”

The music is eclectic and doesn’t focus on just one genre. “The music is a bit of everything. We tried not to make it too narrow. Our goal from the beginning was to give more female DJs opportunities. So we try not to limit the music too much.” With DJs like Mell Hall, DJ Tali and DJ Pony Princess at the next night, there’s more femme power to come. So far they’ve had house, indie, disco, boogie, funk and minimal tech. 

The name Pussy Power was thought about a lot, Pommer finally deciding that using it was a way to reclaim the word ‘pussy’: “There is flexibility in language, they all evolve over time and with that, meanings change too. So there’s certainly the possibility of turning ‘pussy’ from something weak into something strong, it just requires cross gender unification, something parties are known to create.” 

Above all, this is an attempt to create the most inclusive dance space in Melbourne that welcomes everyone — from cisgender and straight people to the LGBTQI community and everyone in between or outside of that — as inspired by the Reclaim The Night global movement and the culmination of all the inclusive, positive club experiences we’ve all already had.