Steampunk is definitely something I’ve loved ever since I was introduced to it last year by fellow Emilie Autumn fans. It’s a fairly new style which was originally a subgenre of fantasy fiction. Think of the wonderful worlds Jules Verne and H.G. Wells created and you’ve got it. It then leaked onto the fashion scene and then, very recently, spilled forth upon the music scene. It is neither Gothic nor emo, and contains the restrained beauty of the Victorian yet at the same time has the edge and rebellion of Punk.

It’s quite a difficult look to achieve in my opinion, but many people have obviously succeeded:

Top hats, cogwheels, bronze goggles, patched waistcoats, copper wires, stripes, and brown. Oh yes. Heaps of brown.

It’s a very beautiful and brave look don’t you think? And they have the best accessories, the type that make you go “Holy moley I want one!” one second, then next find your jaw on the floor after hearing that they made it themselves:

Steampunk is a very DIY style, and the more you sew your heart into the fabric, the better. Which is probably what pulled me towards this genre/style/whathaveyou in the first place. They neither entertain the elegant aristocracy of the Goths, nor the expensive indulgence of the Lolitas. They are the pirates of the subculture, the ruffians and the artists, twisting my beloved Victorian era into a future of airships and gadgetry…

Yes, that’s a real and working computer.

It’s one of the best subcultures, and most definitely the most beautiful of the punk spawn by far. Cyber and Glam never really thrilled me, and as for Stonepunk– not my cup of tea.

My favourite Steampunk band is easily Abney Park. They weave storytelling and music so effectively and in a way that I have only seen in musicals and Japanese bands such as Sound Horizon. You can almost imagine the scenes of pirates fighting in the air and scientists showcasing their new clockwork down below.

I like a bit of theatre in concerts. I want to know that they are carrying their theme and vision even onstage. So once again I am left wishing that Abney Park will play here in Australia.

Give them a listen, they’re definitely different from the music that’s currently saturating our radios.

Herr Drosselmeyers Doll – Abney Park