The Mysterious Freakshow

Now, I reviewed The Mysterious Freakshow's debut release not too long ago, and I was somewhat impressed. And, to uncover a few secrets from this cryptic band, I passed along a few questions to ring leader of the band, Fey Pink, and got very delightful answers right back to me. Read on below:

As per the standard rules, I'll begin this off by asking for an introduction of your group.

Fey Pink - "Hello, I am Fey Pink, the front woman for The Mysterious Freakshow. We are a Steampunk & Alt-rock band from the wilds of Devonshire. We work out of an amazing studio on the edge of Dartmoor which is a constant inspiration. As a band we are all very different individuals with VERY different tastes in music which can be both a great hindrance AND yet it allows for such an eclectic mish mash of ideas. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

The Mysterious Freakshow are:
Fey Pink (me) works closely with her producer KIKI in France to create weird electronic wonders and adding her voice to a number of French hip-hop tracks. Con Harries is our former drummer (and performs all the tracks on the album). She brings a very authentic Punk Rock feel to the band. Kye Godfrey lives with his head in a bass amp listening to the heaviest & loudest of music and has a number of bands under his belt including The Toretz and The Two Hats - He is also 1 half of the anarchic radio show Revolutionary Radio. Our Guitarist, Tom Rosenbloom is another multi-instrumentalist who is usually found behind drum kit for bands such as The Toretz and Skaper.
Our new drummer - Tracy Austin is a very accomplished drummer with a wealth of bands behind her."

Now, you guys formed in 2012. Whose idea was it originally, and how did all four of you come together?

Fey Pink - "We originally formed in 2012 with a different guitarist - Ben Lee. Ben decided that reggae was more for him and left to work with JABROCK. Tom - at the time - was playing some keyboards for us but always wanted to play guitar so he stepped in. We have all been friends for many years and met through the Devon free party scene. I had a load of songs that I had brought back with me from France, I chatted to Kye about them and we decided that we should form a band - and thus the Mysterious Freakshow was born. Connie left the band at Christmas due to her work as an international jewel thief and Tracy joined us shortly after."

Now, Steampunk is a very niche genre. Do you remember when you were first exposed to the genre? And what kept you glued to the subject?

Fey Pink - "The steampunk scene is great. Never before have I met a more eclectic, kind and silly bunch of people. My first hearing of steampunk music was from Professor Elemental many years ago, I subsequently interviewed him for a radio show I was working on and since then we have become great friends. It was he who suggested we work with the steampunk scene as he knew of my great love of reworking Victorian poetry. It all seem to fall into place from that moment on. We were all very excited to bring a bit of 'punk' to steampunk too ? it all seemed like a perfect marriage."

Aside from your overall style, what else makes The Mysterious Freakshow fall under the Steampunk category? Lyrical themes? Overall views in the world?

Fey Pink - "The above answers much of these questions, but it is also important to tip ones hat to the pure aesthetic of steampunk. We all LOVE dressing up and loosing ourselves in alternate realities. Steampunk clothing is simply beautiful and unique. It is a throwback to a past age with a blast of the future. Steampunk clothes can be very expensive (mostly because they are so exquisitely made - and often by hand) but with a little imagination and lots of rooting through second-hand shops, you can make something that is just your style. It's a lot of fun!"

If you could pick one work of Steampunk fiction, art, or even just a character, what would you say influenced you the most?

Fey Pink - "Gosh, that's hard - just one!! Aghhh! OK...Well for me it would have to be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - the dark, brooding gothic-ness coupled with very futuristic technology (for its time) and the amazing imagery has and will always inspire me!"

Do you do a lot of craftwork? Meaning, for your costumes, do you make a lot of your own accessories, or even customize your own clothing?

Fey Pink - "Yes I do - I have a great understanding with local second-hand shops to put aside interesting pieces for me. Also see Q.4."

Outside of the Steampunk genre, what musicians have influenced you?

Fey Pink - "I have very eclectic taste - but to name a few - X-ray Spex, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Kate Bush, Skunk Anansie, Frenchy & the Punk, Manu Chao, Dead Kennedys...and the list it goes on and on!!"

I know that a lot of the times, when aficionados of the genre dress as they want, with the whole vibe of Steampunk just dripping off themselves, they can be mocked and made fun of. Has this ever happened to yourself? And, if so, how did you deal with it?

Fey Pink - "I think the whole premise of steampunk is to have FUN!!! Most are bright, creative and silly people who love literature and film and enjoy the escapism Steampunk brings. Yes, mockery does occur but I thinks it's important to be able to laugh at yourself so it's never really bothered me. In my experience most people are interested in what steampunk is, the clothes etc."

Though formed in 2012, your debut album just released on July 12th. Did anything stall the album, did you just try and make it as good as possible, or did you just slowly work on it?

Fey Pink - "Yes the album was a tricky thing. We recorded the music quite early on and tweaked a bit as we went. The biggest problem we encountered was the artwork. As I have mentioned before we are all VERY different people with VERY different tastes so there was a lot of 'discussion' around what we wanted. We were unfortunately let down by a couple of artists we were working with...but finally we found the amazing graphic artist Colin Howson who designed the album cover as it is now. And we all agreed - which called for a celebration I can tell you. The Absinthe followed freely that night!"

You decided to name the album after the band itself; did you want to make this album an overall representation of the core ideas that are found within your band?

Fey Pink - "We wanted it to wet people's appetites - give a taste of the Mysterious Freakshow as it were. It does hold a lot of our beliefs in terms of the world state but also the literary nods to Lewis Carroll and Shakespeare."

When writing out the songs, do you look to have fun with them? Or do you take both a passionate, serious approach with it?

Fey Pink - "Both really. Some songs are fun - like excited - and others reflect more important themes."

Was there a theme present within the debut? Musically, thematically, or what not?

Fey Pink - "Not really - it is a blast of Freakshow material - we have A LOT of songs, so it was very difficult to choose which ones to record."

You've gigged throughout the UK before. Is there a possibility of a full on tour to present the new album?

Fey Pink - "We would love to tour, but as we all have to work it is unlikely. We are also going to be locking ourselves away over the dark months to work on our concept album - loosely called 'Winter is Coming' (tipping our hats to Game of Thrones)."

You've also been hosting Steampunk events with help of the Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre. How have those events been so far?

Fey Pink - "We LOVE our Exeter Phoenix nights! It's such an amazing venue with just the best people in the business working there. We try to make our events HUGE - as many acts as possible in one place - a festival in a night. The phoenix has a 500 person capacity and we fill it with the most wonderfully eccentric people for the westcountry and beyond (last event we had people travel from Germany & Italy). We run a profit share with all the acts involved to make it as fair as possible. They have been a great launching pad for many peculiar Westcountry acts. Our next extravaganza is The Steampunk Yule Ball on Saturday 13 December with the crème de la crème of the UK & US Steampunk scene - Professor Elemental, Montague Jacques Fromage's Steampunk Funk Bizarre, BB Blackdog, Birthrite, The Wattingers, Miss Von Trapp...And us of course! There is a main stage and a cabaret room. And it is going to be out of this world!"

And, this is where we end off! Feel free to leave any final messages below.

Fey Pink - "Massive thanks to you for reviewing our album ? we are very pleased! Last words...from the great bard himself...

'If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.' "