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Although numerous musicians have drawn from high fantasy, rarely any have fully embraced the mythical way of life. Admittedly, they might embellish their album sleeves with monsters, goblins, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but has any musician ever needed to retrieve a missing mythical horn from a frost-covered ground in the depths of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time squinting in the back of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?

Immersed in the Legend

Formed in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face these exact challenges and additional ones as they embody their epic fantasies. From knightly, memorable tunes to stunning performances, attire styling, visuals and record designs, they’re not just a rock act as a full immersive experience.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” explains vocalist, guitar player, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the band’s tour van speeds from a full-capacity concert in Cologne to a second one in Aschaffenburg – they are playing multiple performances in the UK this week. “Initially, we performed twice and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to dress up. Everything was super-DIY, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was electric. I thought, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement every time?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the group – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” joined by a plague doctor (bassist), aristocratic undead (guitarist) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. Their latest album, the band’s second album, conjures visions of famous rock groups uniting to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a heroic opus that positions them on the edge of bigger achievements.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she welcomed contributions to her bandmates. “This helped a more powerful project,” she says of the team effort. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a specific level of satisfaction as a woman in music going it alone. There have been multiple instances where after a show and an audience member will say, ‘Those guys compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Wait – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As the band’s stature has grown, so has the breadth of their visual elements. “My motto is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton chuckles. At first, she had been on path for a art school education before hesitating at the prospect of financial burden. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply artistry,” she says. “From making masks, costume design, mastering post-production music videos … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s exciting to figure it out in the moment.”

As if building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to document it because it’s all in here,” Riley says, indicating her head) and sewing costumes didn’t suffice, the vocalist learned on her own how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It feels like actual armour,” she beams.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They loved the stage blood, soft weapons and papier-mache rat skulls with as much gusto as the musicians. “We played a show in Detroit and it seemed like a medieval event,” recalls Riley fondly. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, armor.”

This isn’t to say, though, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “Each item is frequently damaged and gets repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Additionally I get endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a van with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to make it feel like a mythic tale, then pack it down into a small space.”

We’ve encountered further organizational challenges that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We experienced an ‘disastrous’ moment when we played a Portuguese festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my sword in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a worst-case scenario, because there’s not an alternative version of the performance where I lack a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

As a genuine leader, Riley is enthusiastic about the future. “I aim to reach to the top – I dream of stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring all elements is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, whatever we grow into. Oh, and I desire to ride out on a magical horse each show. You know how some artists use vehicles in concerts? That, but with a unicorn.”