The Rat Utopia Experiment are on the rise

Lead photography by @pnw_joey “We have this circus theme going on. It’s all for a purpose. It’s all for a performance,” Phia Lane, the lead vocalist of The Rat Utopia Experiment, tells me. “We want you to feel like you’re at the circus when you’re watching us. We want that feeling of awe.” Everything culminates in an electric show of polished madness. Fronting the band, Lane’s animated, melodic voice cuts through the band’s propulsive fuzz rock as she effortlessly shifts to hardcore screams in the time it takes to snap a finger. She and her comrades – lead guitarist Maddox Mullins, bassist Francis Green, rhythm guitarist Hendrix McGinty, and drummer Christian Montemayor – each have their faces clad in vivid clown colours and freakish grins to add fuel to the blazing theatrics, as does Lane’s candid storytelling that aims to combat social injustice. Sometimes no barrier exists between the audience and band – it is literally broken when attendees jump on stage to dance to the controlled chaos. With all these ingredients, The Rat Utopia Experiment embody punk culture to a T.Harnessing the fierce energy of riotous punk rock with such expressiveness, it’s not a surprise the band has mov...