Skrat

Skrat is a Chennai rock trio that has kept garage-rock volume going in the south for two decades. The band formed in 2006, when its founders left planned careers as engineers for late-night rehearsals and long motorcycle rides. It started as a five-piece and slimmed down to a trio. The current line-up is co-founders Sriram T.T. (vocals, guitar) and Tapass Naresh (drums), with Jhanu Chanthar on bass. Earlier members include guitarists Chirrag Sheth and Abhinav Krishnaswamy (later of The F16s) and bassist Satish Narayanan.

The debut album Design (2010) includes "Gunslinger," which built Skrat's early following in Chennai colleges. Bring Out the Big Guns (2013) brought in funk and garage rock and the festival favourite "Samurai Badass." The Queen (2014) moved toward an arena-sized sound, and Bison (2017) was angrier. Sriram writes in recurring characters such as the Gunslinger, the Queen and General Bison, so the albums share one story world.

After the pandemic the band played Bandland (2023), Lollapalooza India (2024) and Mahindra Independence Rock. In January 2025 they released Circus Act, five songs recorded fully live with no metronome and no overdubs. Its story continues the "Bison" saga, and it was mastered by Maor Appelbaum in Los Angeles.