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Although plenty of musicians have borrowed from fantasy lore, rarely any have genuinely embodied the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they might embellish their album sleeves with ghouls, beasts, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has an artist ever been forced to find a misplaced mythical horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Did a performer spent time straining their eyes in the back of a road transport, repairing their own chainmail?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and others as they live out their grand tales. Starting with medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy tunes to breathtaking performances, costume design, videos and album art, they’re more than a rock act as a total artistic immersion.

“The band wasn’t intended to be a costumed concept band,” explains singer, guitar player, sword-wielder and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a sold-out gig in Cologne to a second one in another town – they are playing five gigs in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a Halloween gig, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. It was all highly handmade, but we had a blast and the feeling in the room was incredible. I thought, ‘What if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

Since then, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (lead guitarist) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. Their latest album, the group’s sophomore release, evokes images of famous rock groups collaborating to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a epic masterpiece that sets them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger album,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a certain amount of satisfaction being a woman in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and some guy will say, ‘Those guys write great riffs!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I created all that.’”

Artistry and Imagination

As the band’s stature has expanded, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. She was originally on path for a university studies in art before pulling back at the idea of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “From creating face coverings, attire creation, learning how to edit music videos … everything is I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to discover as we go.”

As if developing the ensemble’s complex backstory (“The team is pushing me to record it because all the ideas are,” Riley says, indicating her head) and stitching garments didn’t suffice, the singer learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she confessedly entrusted her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They embraced the fake blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We had a show in Detroit and it seemed like a historical festival,” recalls Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in robes, animal hides, chainmail.”

However, this doesn’t mean, nevertheless, that life on the road as fantasy adventurers has been plain sailing. “Each item is constantly breaking and ends up duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I want things to look, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with limited room. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a grand epic, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled fictional warriors. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is enthusiastic about the days to come. “I want to go to the top – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The only thing that’s really important to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I want to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. Remember how famous musicians do the motorcycle thing? Exactly that, but on a mythical creature.”