Performatist
    Rock/Pop

    Riko and Whaler Collective | Mimicking Mars

    Illustration for Riko and Whaler Collective | Mimicking Mars

    Thursday, September 24, 2026

    10:30 PM

    Bowery Palace

    East Village, Manhattan

    Scheduled

    About This Event

    Riko and Whaler Collective perform at Bowery Palace under the billing "Mimicking Mars," pairing Japanese singer Riko Ishino with the New York rock/pop group. Ishino, from Hiroshima Prefecture and affiliated with SML Management, is a former member of Idol Renaissance and has sung with Akai Ko-en and Aooo, a path that brings idol-pop sensibilities into band-based rock. Whaler Collective emphasizes structure and rhythm over theatrical staging, a working-ensemble approach suited to mixed-genre bills.

    About Mimicking Mars

    At Bowery Palace, the other “Mimicking Mars” lands in New York as a rock/pop bill built around Riko Ishino’s shifting musical life. Raised in Hiroshima Prefecture and working under SML Management, Ishino moved from idol group work to band-fronting roles with Akai Ko-en and Aooo, carrying pop discipline into louder forms. She shares the night with Whaler Collective, where ensemble playing reframes her voice as an instrument inside the arrangement. It reads as a small document of how Japanese pop and rock lineages now circulate through NYC rooms.

    About the Artists

    Riko

    Riko Ishino is a Japanese singer from Hiroshima Prefecture, affiliated with SML Management. She has served as a former member of Idol Renaissance, as well as vocalist for Akai Ko-en and Aooo.

    Whaler Collective

    Whaler Collective is a rock/pop group heard in New York City settings such as Bowery Palace, where they have appeared on bills including “Riko and Whaler Collective | Mimicking Mars.” Their work is shaped through collaboration, notably alongside Japanese singer Riko Ishino, whose path runs from idol pop to band-based rock.