Goblin Voices: An Interview with Fergus McPunk, Lead Singer of Goblin Riot

The Iron Marches, a region of ceaseless clank and clatter, is a place of endless energy and unexpected art. It’s here, in the heart of the Urban Goblins’ domain, that a new kind of sound is echoing through the alleys and forgotten foundries: the raw, untamed energy of Goblin Riot. Their music is a blend of punk rebellion and goblin heart, a powerful anthem for a generation carving its own path in the concrete jungle.

Today, I’m thrilled to sit down with the voice of that movement, the enigmatic lead singer, Fergus “Fungus” McPunk.

Merkle: Welcome, Fergus, to Goblin Voices! It’s an honor to have you. Your band, Goblin Riot, has become a legend in the Iron Marches. Before the music, what was life like for you as a young Urban Goblin?

Fergus: (He offers a quick, sardonic grin, the piercings on his lip glinting.) Life? It was… quiet. My folks, they were the ultimate scavengers. They could find a broken radio in a rust pile and make it sing a beautiful tune. They taught me to find value in the discarded. But all that silence, all that careful tinkering… it made me want to make some noise. Loud, messy noise. The kind that tells everyone we’re here.

Merkle: That’s exactly what Goblin Riot’s music does. What drove you to start the band? Was it about a message, a feeling?

Fergus: It was both. I saw my kin, the Urban Goblins, living in the shadows. We’d upcycle a broken toaster into a clock, but our own voices were broken and silent. We were so good at fixing things, but we weren’t fixing the way people saw us—or the way we saw ourselves. I wanted to create a sound that was as honest as a rusted-out car frame, as powerful as a wrecking ball. Our music is about taking all that urban grit and turning it into something beautiful and angry and real. It’s our way of saying that just because we’re different, doesn’t mean we’re less.

Merkle: I see from the Goblin Riot poster (which, by the way, is everywhere in the Iron Marches!) that your nickname is “Fungus.” What’s the story behind that?

Fergus: (He laughs, a surprisingly deep, booming sound.) Most Urban Goblins, we’re all about the metal, the concrete, the electricity. But me? My magic, my roots, are still tied to the earth. I’ve got a secret love for mushrooms. I forage for them in the abandoned lots and the overgrown cracks in the pavement. To me, a mushroom growing out of the concrete is the ultimate rebellion. It’s life pushing back against the sterile and the unfeeling. So, “Fungus” it is. A tribute to where I’ve been and where my heart still belongs.

Merkle: Your music has inspired so many, both goblins and humans. What’s your hope for the future of the Goblin Riot movement?

Fergus: I hope our music gets everyone to ask questions. Not just about goblins, but about all the things people have thrown away—ideas, art, even people themselves. I want our sound to be a kind of reclamation, a wild, beautiful reminder that every scrap has a story, and every voice deserves to be heard.

Merkle: Thank you, Fergus, for your time and for the music that gives a voice to so many. The Iron Marches and the entire Goblin Realm are all the better for it.

Fergus: (He winks, a final flash of defiance and mischief.) Keep it goblin, Merkle. Always.