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While many rockers have taken inspiration from high fantasy, only a handful have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they could decorate their album covers with creatures, goblins, manacled maidens and strong fighters, but did a member ever been forced to retrieve a misplaced unicorn horn from a snowy field in the heart of winter? Did anyone taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a traveling vehicle, fixing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and others as they embody their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, catchy tunes to eye-popping live shows, outfit creation, music videos and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a themed musical group,” states vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van drives from a packed show in Cologne to another in another town – they are playing multiple performances in the UK currently. “Initially, we performed twice and got booked on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. It was all completely self-made, but we had an amazing time and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have this much fun at every show?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the band – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a medic from history (bass player), proud bloodsucker (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (percussionist) – never turned back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups uniting to struggle onward through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the edge of bigger achievements.

This album was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “It made it a more powerful project,” she says of the group work. “I struggled at first – I often experienced a particular degree of satisfaction as a female in music going it alone. There have been multiple instances where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I wrote all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has grown, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on track for a fine art degree before hesitating at the idea of heavy loans. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to apply artistic expression,” she says. “Be it making masks, outfit planning, mastering post-production clips … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover on the fly.”

As if developing the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the singer taught herself how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she confessedly delegated her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she beams.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They embraced the fake blood, soft weapons and handmade props with as much gusto as the band. “We had a show in Detroit and it seemed like a Renaissance fair,” remembers Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in capes, wool garments, armor.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that touring existence as fantasy adventurers has been easy. “All our gear is constantly breaking and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we tour in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a unique problem to give the sense like a grand epic, then compress it into nothing.”

There have been further organizational challenges that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – went missing,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an backup plan of the concert where I lack a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – we should play stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is maintaining the handmade style, guaranteeing everything is custom-made. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Plus, I wish to appear on a unicorn at all performances. Remember how famous musicians ride bikes on stage? The same idea, but with a unicorn.”