“By and for the queers”: (lip) service is the Berlin bar party offering lesbian* nightlife outside of clubs (Mixmag)

Functions is our interview series profiling parties from across the world. This month we meet: (lip) service.

Berlin is famous for its queer nightlife culture, but while many of the city’s most revered parties are kicking on behind the intimate walls of its nightclubs, you’d be hard-pressed to find the same level of quality, production, and control at a regular watering hole in the German capital. “Taking a look at the nightlife landscape catering to ‘our kind’, it was clear that Berlin didn’t need another club night, but a bar night where we could interact in a more relaxed environment and still be able to listen to fantastic music,” explains Gabriella Rowland, co-founder of (lip) service, a bar party attempting to create a relaxed, music-focused environment for Berlin’s lesbian* community outside of traditional club spaces.

Also helmed by co-founder Lilian Aya (AKA DJ AYA), (lip) service was launched just a year ago after its creators recognised “the dire need for a lesbian*, gender-inclusive, music-centric space in Berlin outside of clubs”, where there’s also a lack of “dance-bar culture”, they explain. Since then, (lip) service has found its calling in Berlin, hosting hundreds-strong events with an emphasis on community and inclusivity. A successful first party saw 600 attendees come together under the roof of TORTE bar in Neukölln, with its latest events welcoming hundreds more, as well as artists by the likes of DJ Fuckoff, Yazzus, and THC. “When (lip) service was launched in 2024 – the period of the Lesbian* Renaissance as we like to call it – it started a little wave in the scene,” Lilian explains.

Described as a party for “hot dykes* to meet, mingle, and make out”, (lip) service now hopes to expand into merchandise, record releases, and soon, a community mix series tapping regular fixtures at its events, with plans to release each mix on cassette. “There’s something incredibly tender and intimate about analogue formats – especially in lesbian* culture,” explains Lilian. “Historically, queer women have always exchanged physical tokens: Love letters, zines, burned CDs… the cassette is part of that lineage.”

We sat down with Lilian and Gabriella to find out more about (lip) service, and where they’re headed next. Check it out below.

How did (lip) service begin, and what was the initial idea behind it?

G: (lip) service was originally conceived in our 20s whilst frequenting the east London queer scene. Amongst all the fun that we were having, discussion surrounding the need for a sexier, more music-focused lesbian* club night kept arising. Both landing in Berlin a few years later, we finally felt it was time – and (lip) service was born. Taking a look at the nightlife landscape catering to ‘our kind’, it was clear that Berlin didn’t need another club night, but a bar night where we could interact in a more relaxed environment (lesbians* are famous for staring at each other but not saying hi), and still be able to listen to fantastic music. This is also why we wrote our slogan and put it on all our branding tools – a continuous callout for hot dykes* to meet, mingle and make out.

L: Yes! Gaby and I’s friendship started eight years ago in London when we both entered the lesbian* scene simultaneously, so our relationship was always based around lesbianism*. Also sharing our mutual interest in electronic music, we always wanted to run our own night. It was only after we both moved to Berlin where we finally felt like it was the right time to start something on our own, something that was also based around us being gay, and the rest is history.

Where did the name come from?

G: Finding a party name is so hard! We went over so many options and asked around until our friend and resident photographer, Lu, suggested (lip) service – the name of an iconic 2010 soap opera filmed and set in Glasgow all about lesbians*. 

You’ve said that (lip) service attempts to fill a much-needed space in Berlin nightlife for the lesbian* community outside of clubs, do you feel like you’ve achieved that? And is there still a need for more lesbian*, gender-inclusive spaces?

G: Honestly, yes to both questions. It’s our first birthday today! I’m so proud of how far we have come in only one year. We’re so lucky to be supported by an incredible calibre of artists, and our parties are so appreciated by everyone that comes down – both things make all the hard work worth it. Yes, there is still a need! We are just one party, and there is always room to improve. It’s so important to continue to fight for a gender inclusive form of lesbianism*, and continue to move forward from the second wave stereotype that has previously plagued our community.

L: Yes, when (lip) service was launched in 2024 – the period of the Lesbian* Renaissance as we like to call it – it started a little wave in the scene. We had more than 600 people turn up to that first bar night, and sold out on our first club night special in February. You can see the need is there and that (lip) service is doing something right! In just the past couple months we’ve been seeing multiple new bar nights and events that have been popping up in different cities across the globe following a similar concept, and we couldn’t be more grateful and proud to see our community grow.

Most of your events are hosted at bars as opposed to traditional clubs – where have you thrown parties so far?

G: Yes, exactly. We now also do club specials (our next one is tomorrow!) for certain events such as Valentines Day or CSD/dyke* march, but bar nights are our bread and butter, and we operate on a bi-monthly rhythm. Shout out to Vale and the crew at Torte who supported us from the start, and also Natalie and team OXI who we work with for club nights. We’re also blessed to have had so many requests for international collaborations from amazing parties all over the world, which we have put on pause until we’ve built out (lip) service a bit more. But, watch this space! In 2026, (lip) service will be Miss Worldwide. 

L: Yes, Torte Bar is such an incredible space with beautiful interior, gorgeous cocktails, the sweetest team and a great DJ set up – everything necessary for a successful (lip) service bar night. OXI club was our playground for our Valentine’s club special, and will also be hosting us again for our one year anniversary CSD party tomorrow. We can’t wait!

How would you describe the atmosphere of a (lip) service party? What are the crowds like?

G: The atmosphere is so fun, and packed wall to wall with dykes*/queers. I have a video from our first event, and in the background you can hear someone say: ‘I have never seen so many lesbians* in my life’, so that’s the vibe. No, but seriously, the crowd is so cute, and everyone is gorgeous. But it is pretty young! I’m 29, and I do notice it. There’s a similar bar night in New York that I was at a few weeks ago, and they are 28+ only, which I thought was great. I don’t think that would work for us, but I would love to think on how we can also appeal to the Prenzlauer Berg stroller mum dykes*.

L: Wall to wall gorgeous lesbians* is definitely the perfect way to describe our party. I would agree that the crowd is on the younger side, early to mid twenties is probably the average age bracket. But most importantly, and what I love so much about (lip) service, is that the crowd is very diverse – our space is not only for the dykes*, but also for our enby, doll and T-boy friends. The atmosphere? Great music, cute vibes, and hotties kissing each other in every corner!

(lip) service is described as a space for “hot dykes* to meet, mingle, and make out” – have you had many success stories in bringing together new friends and lovers?

G: I actually met my girlfriend, Hannah, the week before (lip) service at a bar whilst handing out invite cards. It’s funny, because I was like: ‘I’m so sick of dating apps and there being no one cute in this city – let’s start a party where I can track down some hotties’. Of course I meet someone before the first event, who doesn’t even live full time in Berlin! We definitely wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for (lip) service, so that will always be my biggest (lip) service-related success. But anyway, we want Lilian to DJ our wedding – keeping it in the family. And yes, we have been sent so many beautiful messages saying they met their girlfriend at (lip) service, or they want to come to the next party with someone they met at the last, or that we have provided a space for them to develop their queerness while not being out to certain people in their life – that means a lot. Also, I caught up with a friend the week after our February club night, and they were like: ‘I ran into five girls I’d been talking to on Hinge just in the queue outside – and then of course my exes, it was insane’!

L: The success rate of meeting someone at (lip) service is for sure high! People come back because they know they will find the hottest people at our parties. I definitely had my fair share of lovely meets myself! But yes, the sweet messages and the many thank you’s we have been receiving since we started is what makes all the hard work that goes into running an event like this worthwhile. And, there’s honestly nothing more beautiful than being able to give back to your own community. 

How has (lip) service evolved from your first event back in the summer of 2024?

G: I feel like we are in such a flow now, like we know who we are, who our team is, and what our community needs. It’s interesting, because at every event we have our core people who come every time, and then we always get an influx of newbies. To me, that’s a sign of success, and that we’re not stuck within one scene. 

You’re now looking to launch merch, a mix series, and record releases – can you tell us more about that?

G: I love merch! I’m infamous for a good slogan tee. I’ve got pieces from NTS, Kim Petras, HARDLINE, Grid Records, deBasement, and so on. Honestly, so much of my wardrobe is musi- related merch, so I was like: ‘We need our own!’. We hand out all sorts of collectibles before and at our events (pins, ribbon, lighters, cards, etc.), so it made sense to level up and start a small collection for purchase. Cool, for the (lesbian*) culture branding is such a big part of what we do, which you’ll see across our posters, invite cards, and so on. We’re still developing what this scaled-up collection looks like, but will definitely be floating some sexy tanks, t-shirts and a few other items on our Bandcamp later in the year.

L: On the music aspect of things, we’re currently focusing on launching our new mix series, not only on digital, but we’re releasing each mix on cassette tape. There’s something incredibly tender and intimate about analogue formats – especially in lesbian* culture. Historically, queer women have always exchanged physical tokens: Love letters, zines, burned CDs… the cassette is part of that lineage. We will ask each artist we invite to give their mix a title and a one sentence description or quote, and I’m super excited to release ‘Rhythms of desire; a slow dance through the landscape of lovers’ as the first mix by yours truly – DJ AYA!

You’ve had artists like Roza Terenzi, u.r.trax, and DJ Fuckoff perform at your events so far. How do you go about booking artists, and what do you look for?

G: First and foremost, the line-up has to be by and for the queers. We have a joke that on every club night, of six to eight artists, our quota for a straight girly is one. Alongside event production, I’m also an agent, and what I look for in both scouting artists for representation and curating line-ups is very aligned. Of course, it’s about someone’s sound, but also factors such as what pocket of the industry are they moving within, what is important to them as an artist, what kind of crowd they appeal to… and so on. It’s important to strike the balance between platforming local talent and bringing in artists from other cities to keep the vibe fresh and the crowd fun. Also, diversity within the queer electronic music scene is crucial. I’m proud to say that over half of our artists for our dyke* march club special are trans/POC. 

L: It’s honestly such an honour to host and platform all the incredible artists we have had so far who are all within the community. The talent is overflowing – curating our line-ups never feels like a challenge, it feels like a privilege. We’re constantly inspired by how many FLINTA* and POC artists are pushing boundaries, experimenting, and creating unforgettable experiences on the dancefloor. That’s why it’s so frustrating to hear the same tired excuse from parts of the music industry, that there just ‘aren’t enough good FLINTA or POC artists’. It’s simply not true. It’s not a pipeline problem, it’s a visibility problem, a platforming problem, and ultimately a structural one. When you actually invest in your own community, when you look beyond the same recycled bookings, you realise just how rich and expansive the talent pool really is. We also have many artists reaching out to us directly, expressing their desire to play at our events, which proves that what we’re creating resonates not just with our audience, but with the artists themselves, which is something we’re really proud of.

What’s next for (lip) service?

G: Our club night tomorrow! And for the rest of the year beyond what we have discussed, let’s see. I really believe in organic and strategic growth and not racing too far ahead off the back of the last party. We have another bar night at the end of September, but nothing (public) planned beyond that yet. I’ve been producing some parties for Kim Petras and Margo XS recently, so I hope we can get them to do their thing at (lip) service soon – it’s always a blast. 

L: We have so many ideas, but we’re taking it step by step. This past year has been such a huge success for us and we cannot wait to see where (lip) service will take us in the future. We will definitely be travelling to new cities and new spaces, organising collaborations, hosting stages, and making sure we keep the community growing. Watch this space, we’re taking over!

The next (lip) service event takes place tonight, July 25, at OXI Berlin. Grab your tickets here, and check out (lip) service on Instagram.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter