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While numerous artists have drawn from high fantasy, rarely any have genuinely embodied the enchanted lifestyle. Sure, they might embellish their album covers with creatures, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but has any musician ever needed to find a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a performer devoted hours peering in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?

Living the Fantasy

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have had to face both these scenarios and more as they embody their epic fantasies. Starting with medieval-inspired, catchy anthems to breathtaking performances, outfit creation, videos and album art, they’re more than a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” says vocalist, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport drives from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK this week. “After a couple of performances and got booked on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to wear a costume. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was incredible. I realized, ‘What if we could have such enjoyment every time?’”

The Band’s Evolution

After that, the group – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” together with a pestilence physician (bassist), aristocratic undead (six-string player) and secretive shaman (drummer) – haven’t looked back. The new record, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that places them on the verge of far grander things.

The release was a new experience for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her collaborators. “That contributed to a more powerful album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I’d always felt a specific level of pride being a woman in music doing everything solo. There have been multiple instances where after a show and some guy will say, ‘The other members create awesome guitar parts!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has expanded, so has the scope of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. Initially, she was on path for a university studies in art before balking at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistic expression,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s enjoyable to discover as we go.”

Even though developing the band’s intricate lore (“Everyone’s urging me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and making clothing didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to make chainmail – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.

Audience Reaction and Challenges

As for audiences? They embraced the fake blood, soft weapons and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the band. “We performed a concert in the Motor City and it resembled a medieval event,” reminisces Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, animal hides, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “All our gear is always failing and ends up fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Moreover I get numerous thoughts as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a bus with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then compress it into minimal luggage.”

We faced other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my luggage – which had my sword in it – got lost,” says Riley. “It was a terrible situation, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I want to go all the way – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is keeping the handmade style, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. That’s an element I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Plus, I want to make an entrance on a magical horse every night. Think about how some artists use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”