Ghosh has taken his place), Melon (Bass), Chemise (Guitar), and Scot Jowett (Drums).

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking with Chandy—with the occasional pop-in answer from Joel—about their music, their band, and their views on steampunk.

Hello & welcome to Beyond Victoriana!

Chandy: Hello and thanks for inviting me!

Let's start by telling us about where you're from, how you became interested in music, and any musical training you'd like to mention.

Chandy: Where I’m from—that’s a complicated one. I was born in the town of Hartlepool in the North East of England (Industrial heart of the Victorian world! Sadly those days are gone…). My parents were newly arrived in Hartlepool from the town of Hospet in South India, and a local family took them under their wing. So I was broughtup in an environment that was a cross between Geordie and South India. These two cultures have a lot more in common than you think—effusive hospitality and a great fondness for food for example. Hartlepool is famous for hanging a monkey during the Napoleonic wars, thinking he was a Frenchman.

I have been surrounded by music my earliest years, listening to my mother singing Carnatic music (Classical music from South India) to the sounds of sizzling spices in the kitchen, and my Dad chanting Sanskrit mantras every morning and evening.I sang along to hymns at school every morning and to musicals like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Wizard of Oz, and Oliver Twist every evening.

I didn’t take well to music training as a kid—I hated giving up my