Clink, Clank, Whoosh: The Musical Word of Steampunk

Does the lyrical sound of a string quartet appeal to your taste in music? How about a synthesised string quartet accompanied by the sound of bagpipes and an accordion? And what if all this is backed by the sound of gears and propellers setting a scene high above the clouds or deep down in a mechanised forge? This collaboration becomes the norm once you've discovered the incredibly varied and loosely defined genre of Steampunk.

Just like with the culture itself, every person's interpretation of what Steampunk music is can vary dramatically. Steampunks often originate in other subcultures before also becoming interest in Steampunk. Goths, punks, along with people interested in ragtime, cabaret and industrial music have all influenced the style of music known as Steampunk.

What in the Name of Jules Verne is Steampunk Music?

The trouble with defining Steampunk as a genre is its eclectic nature. Because it means different things to different people it is impossible for it to have one defining sound. Since the beginning fans have been split over what actually constitutes Steampunk music. A Victorian-esque sound is seen as essential by fans of historical Steampunk. These fans see Steampunk as being our history in an alternate timeline. In this timeline steam powered engines and clockwork mechanisms became the dominant modes of power during the Victorian era. Historical Steampunk fans reflect this idea in their music by playing classical music or music popular in past decades, such as ragtime and cabaret.

Modern or futuristic fans may share similar qualities in their music to the more historical Steampunk but with a number of additions. Futuristic Steampunk includes ideas such as robotic limbs, steam powered space travel, and the LASER weapon. The music associated with this type of Steampunk has a much more underground/industrial feel to it. Gothic and techno music heavily influence the sound of this style. Keyboards and synthesisers are common amongst ands playing this style of music.

Steampunk also contains hints of cultural music from around the world. While most bands will have the expected equipment: drums, bass, guitar, keyboard; some will have an additional instrument to add a fresh new sound to their music. Bagpipes, accordions and cellos are relatively normal with Steampunk bands. Some bands become a bit more adventurous with their work and have added sitars, pipe organs or even the occasional theremin to their roster.

The Show Must Go On...And What a Show It Is!

No matter what the style or how famous the band is, the most important part of Steampunk music is the performance. As a general rule bands and musicians are supposed to have personas with an enthralling backstory. The characters are allowed to be as crazy and fantastical as they need to be as long as they are in some way grounded into the culture of Steampunk. A running theme through the genre is that the songs are narrative and tell a story, either about the fictional backstory of the group or about some other fictitious character.

Just like metal-heads wear jeans and ripped t-shirts and Goths wear black clothing to their respective gigs, so do the Steampunks arrive to shows in the customary costumes of their people. A Steampunk audience could be described as a sea of tanned leather and bronze broken up by the peaks of top hats and pilot helmets. The costumes bare a distinct Victorian aesthetic with a varying level of class and engine oil. In the spirit of the culture, the band members are also expected to dress up in a fitting costume to go along with their alternate personas. From pirates and burlesque dancers to engineers and captains, the characters created by the band allow the audience to visually immerse themselves into the music during live performances.

Customising ones instrument is a Steampunk tradition that shows the dedication of Steampunks to their culture. The end result of modding their instrument is that, once completed, it will stand out as a bronzed, clockwork, neo-Victorian piece of equipment that will leave the crowd in awe. While many performers choose to mod out their instruments themselves, there are numerous talented craftspeople ready to create a steam powered instrument of musical awesomeness.

With the theatrical element of Steampunk music being a key component in its appeal, it is no wonder that there are a number of popular Steampunk themed venues dotted around the world.

"The Edison" in Los Angeles is probably the most famous Steampunk nightclub. Named after the American inventor, Thomas Edison, the nightclub was originally a power plant built in 1910 and was destined to signal in the future of LA. After being abandoned for a number of years the building fell into decay and sustained heavy flooding. The building was converted into a Steampunk themed nightclub in 2007 by Andrew Meieran and has since hosted countless popular Steampunk performers.

Other popular locations for Steampunk shows include airships, airfields, abandoned factories and at science fiction/ fantasy conventions. DragonCon is an American sci-fi/ fantasy convention with crowds averaging over 50,000 annually. It has the largest Steampunk gathering of all conventions and always has a large line-up of Steampunk musicians.

Abney Park: The Quintessential Steampunk Band?

If you were to mention Steampunk music to any enthusiast the first band that would come up would be "Abney Park". Known as the "quintessential Steampunk band" and the "face of Steampunk", Abney Park have the largest fan base of any Steampunk group.

Originally formed in 1997 as a Seattle based Goth band, Abney Park got its name from the Abney Park cemetery in the UK. While the band did not officially declare themselves a Steampunk band until 2005, much of their work contained the style and themes of the culture, especially the industrial narrative feel to their songs.

To fit into their new style of music the band created a fictional backstory for the new characters and what they were about. According to the story, the band's plane collided with a time-travelling machine called the "Ophelia" in a freak storm. The band commandeered the vessel, deciding to become airship pirates, and formed a new band from the surviving members of the crash. Their music since 2005 has generally discussed different elements of their backstory and new characters.

Under the command of "Captain" Robert the band quickly rose to fame both in the Steampunk community and, to a lesser extent, with the entertainment world. The band became a headlining act at both DragonCon and SteamCon within a few short years of changing their image. The band has appeared at DragonCon four times and has played to crowds in their thousands. Their music has also featured on MTV from time to time and one of their songs was used in an episode of the hit HBO series "True Blood"

While not on the same level of success at Abney Park, there a countless artists who associate themselves with Steampunk to some extent.

Voltaire (Aurelio Voltaire Hernandez) is a popular Cuban- American musician known for his dark cabaret music. He is often linked to the Steampunk scene due to his use of Victorian horror themes throughout his songs along with Victorian/ gothic style of dress. His album "Riding a Black Unicorn Down the Side of an Erupting Volcano While Drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children!" (Yes, that is the actual name of his album) features some Steampunkish stories. Voltaire has become increasingly popular at conventions in recent times and has made appearances at the Steampunk World Fair.

With a mixture of dark cabaret, neo- classical trip- hop rock and themes of Victorian scientific romance, Vernian Process encapsules several key aspects of a good Steampunk band. The band was formed in 2003 and its name is a reference to one of the first Steampunk writers, Jules Verne. The band has never gained as much fame as Abney Park or Voltaire but has maintained a large, devoted following since their formation. Their song "Something Wicked (That Way Went)" contains an interesting mix of the Victorian style music commonly heard from Steampunk bands, and dark cabaret circus music. This

blend of styles is increasingly popular with many artists, especially those also linked with the gothic or cabaret subcultures.

While these artists, along with countless others, share a number of characteristics that make up the genre they all contain their own distinct interpretation of what Steampunk is. The endless combination of instruments, stories, and styles ensures that Steampunk remains an ever expanding genre. It covers incredibly difficult tastes, all of which are linked by a love of top hats, goggles and bronze.

Back to Top