‘The point of the event is to challenge the male, heterosexual domination of live music culture, and to show our audience that queers and / or women are amongst the most unique, talented and amazing performers out there,’ says Ste McCabe of Edinburgh’s queer, feminist live music club Pussy Whipped – which is a refreshing break from the usual reasons given by a promoter for doing what they do. McCabe and his partner Lukas started the night in 2009, in a basement bar on Manchester’s Canal Street, and decided to bring it with them when they moved to Edinburgh two years ago.

At both ends of the M8 there’s a resurgence in nights like Pussy Whipped, which celebrate sexual diversity by way of putting on some damn good music. Anything-goes performance party and club Dive! recently launched in Edinburgh at the suggestion of Henry’s Cellar Bar’s executive producer Lach, and its promoter Annabel Cooper gives some of these other nights credit. ‘Dive! is inspired by nights like Duckie in London,’ she says, ‘but we’re mostly inspired by all the amazing performers and queer groups already active here: Hot Mess, Pussy Whipped, Lock Up Your Daughters, Buzzcut, Cachín Cachán Cachunga, Birdcage, TYCI, Menergy, the list goes on.’ Expect music, poetry, comedy and cabaret aimed at ‘Edinburgh’s dykes, fags, trannies and their admirers.’

This month’s Pussy Whipped welcomes the Polish Queen of kitsch-queer-vegan-electro Zdrada Pałki alongside London’s feminist electro-rock contingent Gaptooth and ‘true trans hero’ Seth Corbin, while August’s Dive! promises an end-of-festival spectacular finished off by DJs Heavy Flow and Hot Mess. It’s important that their night is safe, non-commercial and community-focused, says McCabe, but when it comes down to it, it’s all about the music. ‘Even when people don’t like our bands,’ he says, ‘there’s always a sense of “what the fuck just happened? Who were they?” It’s good to make an impression.’

Pussy Whipped at Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, Fri 6 Sep; Dive! at Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, Sun 25 Aug.