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While numerous rockers have drawn from epic fantasy, few have truly lived the fantasy lifestyle. Certainly, they may decorate their record jackets with monsters, goblins, chained damsels and strong fighters, but has any musician ever been forced to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time squinting in the interior of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and others as they live out their heroic dreams. Starting with knightly, memorable tunes to eye-popping concerts, outfit creation, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK this week. “We played two shows and received an offer on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was highly handmade, but we had a blast and the energy was electric. It occurred to me, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

Since then, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a medic from history (bassist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of famous rock groups uniting to battle their way through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the edge of far grander things.

This album was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her fellow members. “That contributed to a more powerful album,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. There have been so many times where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “My philosophy is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. At first, she had been on track for a university studies in art before pulling back at the possibility of heavy loans. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to express creativity,” she says. “Be it crafting disguises, outfit planning, figuring out video editing music videos … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to figure it out in the moment.”

Even though developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes wasn’t enough, the singer taught herself how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she confessedly left her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she grins.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

What about the crowd? They took to the theatrical gore, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with as much gusto as the musicians. “We performed a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” recalls Riley happily. “All attendees was in robes, wool garments, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, though, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is constantly breaking and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Plus I get countless concepts as to how I desire the presentation, but we are on the move in a van with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then store it into a small space.”

There have been other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled legendary fantasy heroes. “There was an ‘disastrous’ moment when we appeared at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I am without a sword.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the what’s next. “My goal is as far as possible – we should play huge arenas,” she says. “The main aspect that’s truly essential to me is maintaining the DIY aesthetic, ensuring all elements is handmade. This is a feature I want to stay authentic to, regardless of we scale to. Additionally, I wish to ride out on a unicorn every night. You know how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? The same idea, but using a unicorn.”