Members of La Trinca: three names, no departures and one loss

The members of La Trinca were Toni Cruz, Josep Maria Mainat and Miquel Àngel Pasqual, and that is a rarity: in a group that lasted two decades on stage there was not a single arrival or departure. Their story is best told in stages, not in changes of line-up.

The three

• Toni Cruz (Antoni Cruz i Llauna): born in Girona in 1946. He died in Barcelona on 11 July 2025.
• Josep Maria Mainat i Castells: born in Canet de Mar in 1946.
• Miquel Àngel Pasqual, also spelled Pascual, i Llinàs: born in Mataró in 1949.

Cruz and Mainat met in Canet de Mar and formed The Blue Cabrits in the mid-sixties. Pasqual joined in 1968.

First stage, 1969 to 1979

The Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana dates the group to 1969. They made their debut on Radioscope, hosted by Salvador Escamilla, and their first record won the Sant Jordi Prize in Barcelona. They followed with Pebrots i cuplets, Trincar i riure, Xauxa and Mort de gana show, and with Set anys i un dia de cançons, Trempera matinera and Pel broc gros. All of them are show albums, with sketches and songs.

Second stage, 1981 to 1987

Nou de Trinca came out in 1981 and passed 300,000 copies. In 1982 they also switched to Spanish. Quesquesé se merdé, from 1983, made them known across Spain, and Marro!, from 1987, was their last studio album. In all, 42 albums are credited to them between 1969 and 1989, counting compilations.

Third stage, television

In 1987 Cruz and Mainat founded Gestmusic and Pasqual stepped away. Before that, in 1986 and 1987, they had made No passa res on TV3, which won an Ondas Award, and then Tariro, tariro on TVE. Gestmusic ended up in Endemol in 2002 and produced Crónicas marcianas and Operación Triunfo. In 2012 Cruz and Mainat created Reset TV.

Reunion attempts

TV3 aired Buscant la Trinca in 2009 and 2010, a talent contest that picked Dídac Flores, Marc Marginet and David Moreno as a new trio. It was not a return of the originals. The three of them did appear together in 2015 at a political event in Barcelona. In 2017 Essencial was released and in 2019 came the Creu de Sant Jordi and the Honorable award from Enderrock.

The loss

Toni Cruz died aged 78 of brain cancer. The farewell was held on 14 July 2025, the day he would have turned 79. Mainat and Pasqual attended and spoke. Canet de Mar will award them its Gold Medal of the Town at the Festa Major Petita on 6 September 2026.

Which stage to listen to first

Our editorial advice is to start with Essencial and then move to the advanced first stage, with Pel broc gros and Nou de Trinca. The humour is sharper and the songs hold up better than those of the switch to Spanish. Marro! is best left for last, once you know the style.

One useful warning: a good part of the jokes depends on the context of 1970s Catalonia. Anyone unfamiliar with it may miss something, but the voices and the melodies still work.

How to keep track of them today

With Cruz gone, the trio will never reunite. Mainat and Pasqual remain, having said goodbye to their companion together, and a large catalogue is available on streaming platforms. The event in Canet de Mar, in September 2026, is the natural occasion to visit the town where it all began.