Raven Records in Camden carries a warm, familiar energy by day, shaped by Chloe and Ben into a space people rely on. The shop blends an alcohol‑free bar with shelves of vinyl, giving the room a calm, inclusive feel where fans settle in with an alcohol‑free beer or a coffee as easily as they browse records. Regulars know how the space shifts when something special is happening. Chairs appear, displays are adjusted, and the room takes on a quiet anticipation without losing its sense of welcome.
That atmosphere held steady for the Castle Rat event celebrating their latest album, The Bestiary, released last year. Riley Pinkerton, the Rat Queen herself, was the only band member present, arriving with the same grounded warmth she carries offstage. Chloe and Ben guided fans inside as the room filled and the air grew heavier with excitement.
Raven Records has a way of making strangers feel familiar. That feeling settled into the space as Riley took her seat, ready to speak openly about characters, chaos, and the world Castle Rat have built during the Rat Queen Q&A.
Riley began by talking about her relationship with London. Camden’s The Underworld remains the hottest show the band have ever played, with sweat dripping from the ceiling and raining back down onto the crowd.
She remembers the moment the audience began chanting a riff back at them, something she described as feeling uniquely British. The energy was intense, loud, and a little terrifying in the best way, and it left a mark on the band.
Castle Rat’s universe started as an accident. The band name came first, followed by a couple of shows, and then a Halloween booking in Brooklyn where every group on the bill was dressing up. Riley decided Castle Rat needed a queen, so she built the first version of the Rat Queen from cardboard, a hockey‑stick scythe, and a costume assembled with DIY determination.
The plague doctor mask came from a simple idea, the vampire guitarist felt right, and the rat priest emerged from improvisation. The band stepped into those characters for the first time that night, and the response felt electric. Riley realised they had stumbled into something larger than the room they were playing in.
The characters developed over time. Riley guided the look and feel, painting faces, building props, and helping the band find their own versions of the roles. In the early days, she did everyone’s makeup, which became too much to manage, but the others learned their designs, practised at home, and sent her progress photos.
The Rat Queen herself sits somewhere between Riley and the character. She described it as a spectrum, a blend, where she stands on stage with her shoulders back in a warrior stance while internally panicking about what song comes next.
The live show is built on confidence. Riley talked about the emotional range she carries into a day, and how stepping into costume forces her to set those feelings aside. Once she is on stage, there is no option to be anything other than the Rat Queen.
That transformation is empowering, a moment of escape that allows her to deliver something extraordinary. Fans connect with that commitment, and the realm feels real because the performers give themselves fully.
The choreography developed naturally. Some moments began as accidents, repeated because they were funny or felt right. Other sections, especially the battles, were shaped deliberately to avoid the band hitting each other mid‑swing. Everything is planned, but there is room for gestures and interactions that grow over time.
Riley spoke at length about Castle Rat’s recorded world. Their first album, Into The Realm, captured a band still finding its direction. She described it as a meandering journey where all the riffs lived in C, a murky snapshot of the band before the realm fully took shape. She remains proud of that record.
The Bestiary, their second album, came with pressure. Riley talked about how no one cares when you make a first album, but people cared this time. The Kickstarter went “absurdly well,” hitting its goal within minutes.
She woke up, made tea, checked her phone, and found the campaign already complete. By the end of the day, they had passed numbers they never expected. That support was thrilling, but it also created a weight.
Riley spoke honestly about the challenge of honouring fans without writing for approval, and how people can sense when an artist is not standing by their work.
The band recorded The Bestiary live in Woodstock, surrounded by snow and cold. They played together in a circle, choosing takes based on feel rather than perfection. Vocals and solos were overdubbed later, but the core of the album came from those sessions.
Riley described Crystal Cave as the most difficult song to finish. It was the last track they worked on, and the band disagreed on which take was best. She wanted to keep going, but it was the final day and no one else wanted to continue. Tensions were high, but they chose the performance she believed in.
Riley also spoke about future plans. Castle Rat have an Australian tour coming up, followed by bigger US stages and then a full focus on writing album number three. She has been working on new masks and designs.
Fans asked about expanding the lore into other mediums, and Riley mentioned discussions about books, comics, and even film. The band have joked on tour about a story where a kid discovers the Book Of Lore and stumbles into the realm, blending reality with fantasy and crossing paths with characters who feel both mythical and familiar.
She also mentioned whispers of UK dates in 2027, though she laughed about how little attention she pays to the calendar.
The Q&A closed with the same warmth it began with, and Chloe and Ben guided everyone outside for a short break before the Castle Rat signing at Raven Records. The heat inside the shop had built up with so many people in the room, and the fresh air offered a welcome pause.
Raven Records shifted again, chairs moved aside, a table set up for records, the signing, and even a handmade gift. One by one, Castle Rat fans filtered back inside, part of the same Camden alternative community that keeps the shop alive day after day.
Some brought freshly purchased vinyl, others held posters, and a few arrived with gifts or items they had made. Riley welcomed every person with a quiet word, a moment of recognition, and a smile that softened the theatrical edge of her character.
The signing moved at a gentle pace, giving each fan time to speak, share, or simply stand in front of someone whose work meant something to them. Many left with a cherished photo taken in the warm light of a shop that feels more like a community space than a venue. Raven Records held the room together, just as it always does.
Castle Rat’s universe keeps expanding because the band keep expanding. The characters evolve, the lore deepens, and the music shifts into new territory. Riley mentioned Type O Negative as a major influence, especially the darker, industrial flavours shaping their new direction. Her favourite song is Love You To Death, a track she described as so good she wonders if she will ever write anything that reaches that level.
For now, Castle Rat remain a band who built a world by accident and then chose to live in it. The Rat Queen stands at the centre of that world, shoulders back, sword raised, ready to lead fans into the realm night after night.
The sweat, the battles, the characters, the lore, all of it comes together to create something that feels both theatrical and deeply human. Castle Rat are not just performing in the realm. They are building it, one show, one record, one story at a time.
Castle Rat have launched their first-ever online webstore, where fans can purchase VIP passes, exclusive merch, album variants and much more. Check out Castle Market at CastleRat.com.
For all things Raven Records, visit RavenRecordShop.com. You can visit them at 24 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DP.
