New Music

Singapore's Caracal Set To Storm Australia On Debut Voyage

Aug 29, 2019

4 min read

BIGSOUND 2019 is just around the corner! From September 3-6 Brisbane's Fortitude Valley will be the show grounds for Australia's newest up and coming bands. If you're as excited as us for it, well, we have another band for you to add to your must-see list.

Caracal are coming down under all the way from Singapore to play their showcase, and have just released a brand new single called 'Mouth of Madness'. Furiously charged by frantic drums and dissonant guitars you'll want to catch this band live for the short time they're here. Get to know the band below.

It’s not often you hear about a post-hardcore band from Singapore, can you tell us a bit about yourselves?

Trent: Hey there Wall Of Sound! Firstly, thanks for having us! Caracal is a 5-piece post-hardcore/rock outfit from Singapore comprising of Rachel, Gabriel, Field, Martin and I. We’d describe our sound to be visceral with heavy, crushing instrumentation, and moments of cathartic release.

We’re just starting to hear your music over here in Australia. You’ve been played on The Faction and on Triple J’s Short Fast Loud segment, how exciting is it to be breaking into the music scene in another country?

Trent: I’m from Australia and have been working in Singapore for the past 6 years. It’s always been my dream to have my own music played on there! It’s such a big deal, but the other guys aren’t convinced that it is.

Field: No, don’t get us wrong, it IS a big deal! But we feel a bit rude. It's Australian radio, then a noisy Singaporean band pops out of nowhere.

Your newest single ‘Mouth of Madness’ is powerful. What’s going on in Singapore that inspired this track?

Trent: Singapore's ultra-conservatives have an incredibly loud and influential voice, and for a long time it has been used to dismiss certain ideas or lifestyles. The cancellation of a show by metal band Watain is a recent example, and following that 'victory', that group has felt empowered to target other artists.

We don't necessarily promote provocative art like Watain's, but art shouldn't always be comfortable. This situation has thrown us back to the Satanic Panic of the '80s and has made things like organising shows and submitting music for release even more difficult in Singapore. We wanted to evoke a reaction to that in "Mouth of Madness", albeit at times playfully, and capture the frenzy of both the provocative and the conservative.

You’ve been on the circuit for a decade or so, is the heavy scene thriving in Singapore?

Gabriel: I won’t exactly say it's thriving. I mean, there are great bands that have been making some waves, like Marijannah, Hrvst, T-rex and more, but there aren’t many avenues to help elevate the heavy rock scene here in Singapore. Many bands stick to playing underground local shows. Some manage to attain a slot at Baybeats (the biggest alternative festival here in Singapore) and then they go quiet after.

Martin: The next natural thing to do is play shows around the region, but it costs a lot to fly around Asia to do a tour, and most of us along with all other bands have day jobs. Some begin to settle down and start a family. So, these are just some factors that make it difficult for bands to survive.

It’s your first time coming to Australia and for an event as huge as BIGSOUND, what are you guys looking forward to most?

Rachel: We are looking forward to watching Lo!, Wither, The Dead Love and Tobacco Rat. We're also looking forward to the nice weather, coffee, food and meeting like-minded people.

We can’t wait to see you down here and get a taste of how you rock out in Singapore.

Rachel: Our BIGSOUND set is on Wednesday, September 4th Ric's Big Backyard. Party starts at 4pm! We can’t wait to be in you Australia!

Interview by Ebony Story