Girl, Put Your Lipstick On

ApocalypsticK celebrates three years of grungy glamour

Not all doomsday preppers live in shacks in the woods with stockpiles of canned goods and ammunition. Some of them live on the stage, under the bright lights, smeared in black paint with their titties hanging out. Welcome to ApocalypsticK.

Turning three this month, Reykjavík’s freakiest drag cabaret is now one of Iceland’s longest running drag shows. Their anniversary celebrations will take place on Friday, July 5 at Gaukurinn with a blowout extravaganza that will highlight ApocalypsticK’s nearest and dearest in a fabulously filthy spectacle.

ApocalypsticK started in 2021 by Hrafnar (Raven) Izzy Robles, creator and “stepmommy” who hosts the shows as their drag persona MorningStarr. Raven recently took on the role of general manager at Gaukurinn while also holding down a job at the car wash Löður (not in full drag, of course.)

Apocalyptic beginnings

“The name stems from a joke that I made back when Covid was still funny and everybody was throwing around all the memes of the apocalypse,” says Raven. “The TV people were showing up with no makeup on and I said to my boyfriend at the time, ‘Well, it might be the apocalypse, but at least put some lipstick on.’”

The show’s stylised name with the first and last letters capitalised both highlights the portmanteau and acts as a nod to Metallica’s logo — a nod to Raven having been raised by a metalhead dad.

“The idea came to me that it would be funny when we reemerge to some kind of Mad Max situation; everybody’s grungy, everybody’s dirty, but still glamourous,” Raven explains of the concept’s development. “I explained [to the performers] that it’s like a Mad Max moment and it looks more like a freak show. They were thirsty to perform.”

Born and raised in northern Mexico, Raven started doing drag during university “just to be one of the girlies” and to support their friends, but not as artistic expression. Drag “found [them] again” after Raven relocated to Iceland about 12 years ago. That’s when they discovered that the local drag scene represented a wider array of styles than they had experienced before. A world of possibilities opened up to them and MorningStarr was born.

Fuck polite society

ApocalypsticK’s cabaret-style events showcase cutting-edge performers both established and new who are often on the fringes of “polite society”.

The idea came to me that it would be funny when we reemerge to some kind of Mad Max situation; everybody’s grungy, everybody’s dirty, but still glamourous.

“We have sex workers, we have trans people, non-binary, drag kings, drag queens, live music, and stand up comedy in one show,” Raven explains, noting that there wasn’t a show of this kind prior to ApocalypsticK coming on the scene. The “anything goes, but all with love” style of humour always punches up and firmly stands alongside Gaukurinn’s “bigots not welcome” door policy.

“I’ve always said ApocalypsticK is adult entertainment. We always went unhinged, we always went for the jugular,” Raven says, “If you get offended, well, this is the wrong show for you.”

Learning to take the compliment

Raven credits the success of the series largely to the performers who have graced the stage over the years, admitting they tend to feel uncomfortable receiving adulation for their work.

“People might think that I’m such a narcissist, but I have a hard time taking compliments,” Raven laughs. “People always tell me the shows flow so well and I was giving full credit to the performers. Then my boyfriend at the time was like, ‘You were up to five in the morning working on the lineup for the past week. Take the compliment!’”

“For the third anniversary, I want to keep it just family to highlight the performers who made ApocalypsticK the show that it is,” says Raven, citing the huge amount of support they have received over the years from their community. Which members of the ApocalypsticK community to expect on stage on July 5 is being kept under lock and key for the time being — you’ll just have to show up to find out.

ApocalypsticK’s birthday extravaganza gets underway at Gaukurinn on July 5 at 21:00. Tickets are 2.500 ISK, but the good vibes are free.