Surely, argues Adrian Gillan, all but the most terrible sex involves fetish: an erotic fixation on clothing, physique, physical appearance, anatomy, activity, type or “tribe”.

Fetish is surprisingly mainstream; perversion all-pervading; and naughtiness the norm. It’s debatable whether any but the most mechanical sexual activity is possible without its fair share of fetish. And even mechanical sex can be elevated to the truly erotic, if fetishised.

From clothing (leather, rubber, uniform, suit and tie, kilt, underwear, nappy, cross-dressing, boots etc), physique (muscle, twink etc) and physical appearance (Latino, Asian, older, younger, red hair, hairy/smooth, bald, long hair, fat/skinny, tall/short etc) to anatomy (feet, hand, foreskin/circumcised, nipple etc), activity (water sports, SM, naturism, medical, oral, glory hole, photography/modelling, threesomes, voyeurism/exhibitionism, role play, master/slave, talking dirty, mirrors, humiliation, frottage, tickling, smoking, cottaging, outdoors, cyber, phone, wrestling, fisting etc) or type/”tribe” (geek, celebrity, pagan, bisexual, German, Geordie, married, trucker, skin, rugger, builder, bear etc)… a vast pallet of related porn sites and chat rooms famously swamp the web.

Yet one might also care to “seek similar” via a correspondingly wide range of social-cum-action groups.

Here’s our Top Ten – all London-based, apart from the kilt wearers…

1. Gymnos (naturism) - www.gymnos.org
2. SM Gays (SM/CP) - www.smgays.org
3. SoleMates (feet and shoes) - solemates@btinternet.com
4. SOP (water sports) - www.clubsop.co.uk
5. GUMMI (rubber) –www.gummi.org.uk
6. Suit & Tie (formal attire) –www.suitandtie.org.uk
7. MSC London (leather/bikers) –www.msclondon.co.uk
8. Gay Kilts (kilts) - www.gaykilts.co.uk
9. BearHug (bears) - www.bearhug.net
10. SHOOT! (sports gear) - www.clubshoot.co.uk

Other useful links to all things fetish:

• Central Station has a wide range of fetish club nights, from nude and bears to scally and general kink: www.centralstation.co.uk
• The London Fetish Fair is a monthly sex-mart in North London: www.londonfetishfair.co.uk