In India’s ever-evolving cultural landscape, few establishments can claim to honour the past while carving out the future. Fewer still do so every single night, with the conviction that regional music deserves a space in the mainstream; not as an annual celebration or nostalgic throwback, but as a living, breathing expression of who we are today.
At Tavern-Behind-Trincas (@TavernBehindTrincas) in Kolkata, that mission is now unfolding in real time. In a country of fleeting music moments, Trincas is the only stage where regional sound is the headline act, night after night.
India’s Only Stage Where Regional Music Is the Headliner, Every Night
Once a laundry room tucked inside the iconic Trincas on Park Street, the Tavern has transformed into one of India’s most unique and consistent venues dedicated to regional music in a mainstream hospitality setting. Plush with velvet, lined with medieval shields, and pulsing with live performances, this intimate speakeasy-style venue doesn’t simply host live music but curates an immersive cultural experience.
In a nation where regional sounds—whether Assamese folk, Tamil indie, Marathi natyasangeet or Bangla rock—often sit outside the dominant entertainment matrix, @tavernbehindtrincas is pioneering a space where these genres are not alternative, but central.
A Template for Indian Venues: How One Kolkata Venue Is Rewriting the Rules for Regional Music in Modern India
TBT is doing what few venues in the country have dared to do: programming regional music nightly, without reducing it to a novelty or heritage act. It proves that audiences—local and visiting—are hungry for authenticity, surprise, and rootedness. It also suggests that Indian hospitality can do more than serve food and drinks—it can shape sonic culture.
This is not just about Bengali music. It’s about showing that there is room—and hunger—for every Indian region to be heard on its own terms.
As World Music Day approaches this June 21st, the cultural significance of such a space becomes even more poignant. While brands, cities, and platforms plan one-off tributes to the idea of “global sound,” TBT offers a nightly reminder that the most powerful world music begins at home.
Between Bangla Rock and Tagore: The Sound of a City, the Sound of a Country.
The in-house band Tavern-ér-Taal anchors the space with unmatched versatility. One evening might lean into the poetry of Tagore or the undying charm of Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. Another might roar with the angst and electricity of Bangla rock—songs that once made bands like Fossils, Chandrabindoo and Lakkhichhara icons across the country.
The roster includes acclaimed voices like Ushoshi (ex-Indian Idol), Suprabhat, Deep Chakravarty, Rahul, and Amitabha, who together reflect the evolving soundscape of a region—but their resonance extends far beyond. The programming often includes artists from across India, brought into the mix through unexpected collaborations and genre-bending sessions.
Music That Fills the Room—and the Soul
This is not the kind of venue where music is a sideshow. It is the heartbeat of the room. The plush velvet setting, calligraphic signage, and old-world intimacy draw you in, but it’s the music that holds you captive. Social media clips show audiences breaking into song, entire rooms becoming choirs, strangers singing in the same language—sometimes literal, sometimes emotional.
TBT dissolves the line between performer and audience, between old memory and new moment. And in doing so, it offers a cultural blueprint: how Indian music can be rooted, rebellious, and relevant all at once.
A Week That Celebrates the Mission
In the lead-up to World Music Day, TBT has curated a week of performances that showcase the many moods of contemporary regional sound:
- Monday June 16: Rudra Sarkar & Rudraneel Chowdhury of Missing Link kick it off with a powerful jam session with Tavern er Taal.
- Tuesday June 17: Tavern er Taal – a journey through Bengaliana
- Wednesday June 18: A Centenary Tribute to Salil Chowdhury by Tavern er Taal with surprise guests
- Thursday June 19: Cizzy & Banglar Thek
- Friday June 20: Shrestha Das & Hiten join us for a fresh fusion with Tavern er Taal
Across these nights, and the many to follow, one thing is clear: @TavernBehindTrincas is shaping how Indian music is consumed, celebrated, and shared.