tricot Live in Singapore

tricot. Now this is a band not many has heard. They recently held a performance here. Organized by KittyWu records and held in the Substation, this event is pure music (or Math Rock as it was billed) goodness. Furthermore, this is tricot's 2nd visit to Singapore.

*its even on Yahoo Japan: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20150601-00000072-minkei-asia*

Their current lineup. Credits to tricot FB page

MATH ROCK??

For the uninitiated, Math Rock is a concept where experimental meets indie. This brand of music has complex rhythmic structure and progression in any performance. Usually for bands doing Math Rock, there will be an absence of vocals. Though there have been loads of notable exceptions to this rule. Bands such the European group "Redneck Manifesto" and American "Autoclave" are adopters of this genre. Theres plenty of argument on whether math rock is a branch of "progressive rock". In another article, it stated the tricot stayed away from naming themselves as a Math Rock group. Well the argument and explanation will go on and on, so rather than dwelling on the theory, lets go onto the band proper.

Who are tricot?

tricot current line-up consists of 3 extremely talented ladies, all hailing from Kyoto, Japan. Active since 2010, they have been playing in venues all around the world. Leading the vocals and lead guitar is Ikkyu Nakajima. On the guitar is Motoko Kida aka Mortifour And on the bass is the demure looking Hiromi Sagane aka Hirohiro. Previously they have a drummer Kazutaka Komaki, the only male member. Alas, he left the group to pursue other interests. We were lucky he managed dropped by last year. And he was AWESOME. The aftermath of him leaving the group was the song "Break". It is to signify to breaking of the old group and giving birth to a new one. (That MV was impressive because it contained participation of fans around the world!)

The song BREAK

LIVE Starto!

Opening the live was local band SPHAERAS. Albeit that there was a sudden blackout, their performance is a good introduction to what Math Rock is all about. As expected, there was minimal or no vocals done and some neat instruments play. Please do support their group!

There was a brief intermission afterwards. After having experience the pain of missing out on their CDs, make it a point to visit their merchandise booth. The goods on sale were similar to the ones they posted in their Hong Kong trip. Anticipating that there'll be an autograph session, got hold of their CD. Entering the venue again (and got my viewing position taken by other attendees... GROAN!),
tricot starts there performance proper.

Ikkyu recording entering the stage

in Singapore pic.twitter.com/Te3yMq4TXg

— 中嶋イッキュウ (@oyasumi_ikkyu) May 31, 2015

On the drums is their tour drummer Miyoko. Its as intense as Komaki so there's no complaints. tricot belt songs such as "POOL" and "Oyasumi".  Newer ones like "E" and ぱい〜ん made the cut too. There's an interesting part where during おちゃんせんすうす that the band stopped abruptly and let Hirohiro sing. Similar to last year, the members were intense especially Hirohiro. She may be petit, but shes one brimming with energy jumping here and there. Ikkyu has that aura, you can help but be mesmerized by her. Hirohiro was awesome too, especially she did the 2nd last song (it was similar to a Samba song) with whistling and dancing. Almost everyone can be seen headbanging and moshes in between certain songs. Of course, theres the mandatory encore songs.

tricot's POOL

After the live, fans can have the opportunity to have an autograph AND a photo session with the members. Its more organized this time and was REALLY THANKFUL that I got a CD before its sold out. They were nice in person and Ikkyu commented on the "Sonic the Hedgehog" shirt I wore. Hehe, this is the 2nd time someone commented on my shirt, first being Hiyori from Niji No Conquistadors.

Their autograph session

LOOT! They autographed my CD though Komaki's photo there

Of course, photo taken with tricot!

In all, tricot is a breath of fresh air. Heavy hitting music and I love it. Its definitely different from the usual female rock bands like SCANDAL and Silent Siren. To experience such a rich atmosphere filled with pure "Math Rock" bliss, its highly recommended to attend their lives.

Awesome Level:
★★★★★stars　
(No surprises here)

External links
twitter: 
@tricot_band
@motifour
@oyasumi_ikkyu
@romi522
@komaki_drums
Main Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bakuretsurecords.tricot

Setlist
1. PIEEEN (ぱい～ん)
2. Colorless Aquarium (色の無い水槽)
3. Omotenashi (おもてなし)
4. Noradrenaline
5. Hashire
6. Anamein
7. artsick
8. Kobe Number
9. pool side ~guitar solo~
10. POOL
11. Oyasumi
12. Shoku-taku
13. Bakuretsu Panie-san
14. Ochasensu-su
15. Niwa
16. 99.974℃
Encore
17. Diver
18. Break