Note: This article first appeared on the now defunct WHIP! magazine.
Rubbercult
The Alice, London, 8th October 2016
F*** ME THERE’S TONS OF GLORIOUS RUBBER EVERYWHERE!
There’s so much latex it makes you want to writhe around in a f****** orgy.
I really do love that little sensory overload explosion…
KABOOM!
Latex everywhere!
All different shapes, sizes, colours – blacks, reds, purples, yellows, pinks, golds, greens, and a vast and sumptuous array of styles, fits, angles and persuasions. Crazy extremes, too. It’s a detonation of latex…
Men dressed up in maid’s dresses and doll’s masks, crossdressers, catsuits, dresses, uniforms, gimp masks and hoods (I do love a lady in a hood!).
But look, there’s a giant inflatable Frog suit with a HUUUUUGE! set of cock and balls (no, it’s really huge!) Hilarious!
A quick glass of champagne and shine from the shine king, and then further into the rubber rabbit hole we go…
Kim and Cynth (Rubbercult organisers) are wandering around looking wonderful. Kim in a short skirt and blouse, Cynth in a red catsuit, hood and gloves. Great outfits, great energy.
And so let’s see what else I can spot: a knee length dress with a laced back that reveals the bottom; a gorgeous blonde with a massive mohican in a catsuit with big boots and a choker; hoods galore – some with pony tails or day of the dead features, others with zips and perforated breathing holes; many men and women are head to toe with catsuits and hoods, decorated with bondage straps and chains; one geezer wanders around in snorkelling gear and flippers; older men wear three piece suits; men and women of varying ages swish about in shorts, knickers and bras.
Anything goes as long as it’s rubber. And that suits me fine!
As for myself, I’m looking like a faded male stripper on the backside of thirty: waistcoat open half way, matching trousers and belt, and a scattering of bracelets (If I wasn’t here I’d probably want to be pissing about on a beach).
Ah, but there’s more people to see: turn a corner, take a glance, there’s always some other outfit or exciting combination that just walked in or happened to thunder by:
A handful of gas masks (a gas mask and a tight knee length dress is a good combo); a man in a suit with SUPER-MASSIVE torpedo tits and a GIANT inflatable arse! (even Kim double-taked at that one). And one particular couple dressed head to toe ( the fella wears a tweed flatcap) who seem to be having a great time with each other. I hope you had fun!
As for the rest of the goings on:
A vacuum bed is on the go in the corner: BRRRRRRRRRR-PHHWWWWWWPPP (crap sound effect, I know).
And what’s this? A big armchair on stage…
A burly man carries a lady in a latex mermaid outfit onto the stage and nestles her gently into the chair. Ah, LIFE DRAWING!
Gimme, gimme, gimme! (I sound like my Canadian ex-girlfriend!)
I used to love sketching as a kid and a latex mermaid appeals greatly … but alas … CRAYOLA IMPOTENCY! Ughhh, too shite to mention, but it was nice chatting briefly to a couple of fun ladies in hoods.
But what else is there…
Yum-yum, the rest of the play areas…
And what do we have here: slapping, spanking, flogging, and the like. The Tower of London isn’t too far away. I wonder what the Tudors would of made of a vac bed and a box full of dildos? They probably had people imprisoned within steel or embalmed in gold or silver like Han Solo in a slab of carbonite. Historical bondage tools and implements … interesting subject.
But there’s also some live performances to accompany the kinky play:
Singer DOLLS busts out some funkiness, and an S&M fashion show made everything hot and cheeky.
BUT WAIT! We also have Marnie Scarlet bringing her infectious/ingenious pop art performance.
I’ve been wanting to see Marnie Scarlet for ages and it’s piss poor that I haven’t seen her until now. I really should be turned into Wiley Coyote with a TNT jockstrap on a very short fuse as a form of punishment. She’s actually been at the top of the performer ‘to see’ list for ages, but it just hasn’t happened. I’ve even written about one of the photographers she works with (please have a look at Paramnesia Photography).
But what about Marnie’s show…
The lights dim a little, there’s a hum in the crowd. Excitement, anticipation…
MARNIE!
Dressed as Roadrunner! Big bill, blue latex, huge headdress…
The Looney Toons theme tune dances out of the speakers…
Da-da-da-da-da-da (grew up with this tune)
Marnie’s carrying two sticks of sizzling dynamite!
BA-BOOM!
Meep-meep!
Roadrunner by Imelda May bumps and rumbles around the room…
Marnie sweeps her feathers and coat tails around…
POW!
(written on her chest)
BIG BLUE FANS coming out: SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Marnie flings this way, pounces that…
It’s fun, flippant; a heavy dose of big, badass, turbocolour mayhem.
Some of the clothes come off, piece by piece. There’s the bill on the groin! And a Wiley Coyote face!
Haha!
And that’s all folks!
Very cool to finally see Marnie Scarlet in the flesh. BIG FUN!
(Marnie also did a second performance in yummy black feathers and latex)
So after all that gin and fun and games and entertainment, what musings are there to be mused over?
At a lot of events, the photographers wander round in something quasi-alternative or fetish. At Rubbercult even the camera man is wearing a f****** gimp mask and multi-layered suit!
Now that is really cool!
But something else awesome I noticed is how at somewhere around eleven pm or after … this little witching hour happens … something changes, there’s a little something in the ether, a little more deviance, a little more wickedness. .. the play areas become busier, whips and chains and floggers come out.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
>>WHAHH>>PUH!!SH!!! >>WHAHH>>PUH!!SH!!! >>WHAHH>>PUH!!SH!!!
Love it.
I spend quite of bit of time writing about Burlesque shows, but those are organised chaos. This is more … hmmm … consensual sexiful mayhem. Pretty hot, pretty awesome. But also relaxed and easy going. It’s enjoyable simply hanging out here.
xx
P.S. Those couples who were lucky enough to have someone to play with, I really hope you enjoyed your end of night Rubber F***!
Fin
Mardi Gras Magazine 