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Grim grooves await you and your dead and bloated beloved starting at 8 p.m. this evening at Launchpad (618 Central Ave. SW) during Apparition Goth Night’s 4th Annual Zombie Prom. Hosts and Albuquerque goth overlords DJ Ren Adams, DJ Batboy and DJ Moonside will be spinning all your favorite dirges from the ‘80s all night!
“A lot of different people from different scenes converge on this one night, and we get people who come out who never go out dancing,” Adams says. “They can put on crazy makeup and go out and dance, and there’s sort of a level of protection there with a mask, so to speak.”
Adams says fans of goth, death rock and darkwave will appreciate Apparition’s signature style of alternating between rapid DJ sets, because the playful approach creates a “conversation in the music” between the trio and keeps the audience’s attention. She says audience engagement is part of what makes the event such a hit every year. About 80 percent of the guests who attend the night of “haunting and debasement” dress up in costume, but it’s a very low-pressure event — even if the idea of dancing with the dead makes your skin crawl.
“We’ve had people who have come in with full facial and body latex and movie style gore where they’ve just gone completely nuts with the costuming,” Adams says. “But if people are not in the mood to dress up or they just don’t flat out like zombies, they are not going to be out of place. If you’re there in regular clothes, you just haven’t been turned into a zombie yet.”
What prom would be complete without photos to preserve the morbid memories? Get your picture taken at the zombie photo booth with custom zombie mannequins designed by Arelis Haskamp of Person of Interest Arts, who will also be vending at the event.
“We’re mixing horror and prom and a spring Valentine’s Day dance. And I know, technically, proms are not in February. But who cares? It’s our thing, we’ll do whatever. It’s basically our way of finding some middle ground where it’s fun for both the romantic zombies and the anti-romance type of zombies.”
Adams says they have already sold a record-breaking amount of online presale tickets, so they anticipate the event will sell out this year. Make sure you don’t miss out on the party and grab tickets here!
Zombie Prom
Feb. 14, 8 p.m.
Launchpad
618 Central Ave. SE
$8 Presale
$10 With Costume, $12 Without (night of)