There are a few factors that help push instrumental-based bands in a live setting. As we have recently seen with the likes of Explosions in the Sky and Physics House Band, the light show and general aesthetic of the performance act as huge incentives towards the production and ultimately, the final package. Three Trapped Tigers was to be no different as they arrived onstage to stark blue lighting and an array of synthesised electronics that swooned around The Haunt. This helped generate the stage, not only in a physical sense, that Three Trapped Tigers were to puncture.

Puncture they did, as the opening tom thud of ‘Silent Earthling’ cut through the ambient electronics. As it cut through, it became apparent that Three Trapped Tigers had little remorse when it came to putting forward a statement of intention. For a band that have toured relentlessly between their debut release back in 2011, travelling with an array of musicians has allowed their sound to firstly grow tight and secondly, become tuned to a live, dynamic performance. The synth swells within ‘Silent Earthling’ and euphoric guitar lines that shimmy below act as testament to this; they are transportive in what they attempt to offer. Time signatures cut underneath and the trio onstage, Matt Calvert on guitar and keys, Adam Betts on drums and Tom Rogerson on piano and keys, seem to pull off the performance effortlessly.

Rogerson comments around the mid-point of the set that their Brighton date acts as the closing of a nostalgic tour that appears to have finally pulled together what they have been working over the past 18 months or so. Silent Earthling as an album was showcased, largely in its full tonight. Songs such as ‘Strebek’ pull the set through the experimental sections of the set, leaning closer to the drum and bass, noise-rock existential aspect of the set. Synths race towards you like the missiles fired by X-wing fights in Star Wars, they drop the ambient front that previously swarmed their debut; the Boards of Canada, Tycho notion is gone in favour of a sound that is more akin to the likes of Incubus and Deftones. It is certainly more hard hitting and full throttle. It is ram packed with energy and this is testament to their set tonight.

As the performances grew and the trio onstage whistle through Silent Earthling showcasing the blistering likes of ‘Kraken’ and ‘Tekkers’, the individual and collective performance is exceptional. Not a note is played wrong, and not an utterance is spoken between the set, bar Rogerson’s touching sentiment to the set. However, something is lost along the way and the focus on putting together such a tight, polished set brought about the detriment of losing the soul and conversation with the crowd. As the set grew and pulsated, it was all exceptionally perfect, but kind of in an uncanny, George Orwell sort of way. The lack of breaking the fourth wall gave the set no real dynamic with the crowd, there was no real urge to get people to enjoy themselves, it was all very expected and this led for little movement or real interaction. This is something that is key in live performances. You want that added bit extra to justify the money spent, otherwise, you kind of leave feeling slightly empty knowing you could have just been as equally satisfied having listened to it in the comfort of your own front room so to speak.

Similarly, dropping the vast majority of their first album left them with one issue that appeared to pull the set down slightly. It is commendable and similarly, recognisable that Three Trapped Tigers are a band that are exceptionally proud of their latest release. However, this pride may have become their stubbed toe to a certain extent. It leads for something slightly one dimensional, any tenderness and sparsity that they used to find is extinguished. Silent Earthling is exactly what you would kind of a draw from the title, it is slightly 80s sci-fi and live, it feels this way. There is an incessant amount of guitar fiddling that, albeit interesting and compelling to watch, kind of finds itself slightly on the 17 year-old guitar hero, trying-to-impress-his-mates-playing-Dragonforce side of the fence. There’s a fine line that balances the tasteful and the obnoxious and at times you want to believe that Three Trapped Tigers have found it tonight but really, you are never quite sure if they have.

Nevertheless, when it does find tasteful, it becomes remarkably apparent that their tight live performance does take into account audience receptions; ‘Engrams’ poses this with its slightly sun-kissed synth patterns before erupting into it’s stuttered guitar patterns. Betts’ drum patterns tap away underneath, demonstrating the intergalactic talent that he poses. The talent of the group is not to be diminished whatsoever, their live set though has become so honed that it is void of mistake, but similarly, it is void of soul, and that is what you so often pay for when seeing a band live.
Tom Churchill