When one thinks of the live music scene in Bangalore, there are certain popular names that come to almost everyone’s mind. The great thing about music is that you don’t need a great big stage with equipment to make it and share it. Get an ordinary acoustic guitar and a harmonica and you’re good to go. And that’s what we’re trying to get in sync with. We’re looking at a few places that probably won’t be among the first names that come to mind when you want to have some good food, ale and check out some great bands.
Music And Menus: Where To Unwind With Great Food And Live Music
Church Street Social
Besides being one of the busiest places almost every day of the week, Church Street Social is quite the hub of fun and serious activities such as karaoke night, social offline, vinyl trading and much more. Naturally, music isn’t too far behind with the venue promoting numerous popular international and local electronic and hip hop acts such as Sarah Farina, MADBOY/MINK, Dualist Inquiry and others. With a slightly tight venue and music bouncing off the brick walls, you can’t help but get into the party mood. My favourite poison has been the Bira beer {which will be back in stock soon…fingers crossed} or the Two Lost Souls Swimming in a Fish Bowl cocktail with a plate of the Pork Belly Pops.
Toit
While Toit would definitely make to your list of microbreweries, it probably wouldn’t feature in the list of venues for live music. While it’s not exactly built for live acts, Toit has hosted a fair number of bands including namma Bengaluru’s Thermal And A Quarter, Suraj Mani and the Tattva Trip, Peter Cat Recording Company, One Girl Shy and many other bands from the indie scene. Make sure you get there early to grab a good seat, a tall glass of the Toit Tintin with either their chicken wings or any of their pizzas. I’m also a big fan of their Meatball Spaghetti.
Big Pitcher
This is another venue that probably won’t be among the top few when you think of live music, but the venue does offer patrons a healthy mix of DJs and live music from big bands such as the Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate and White Mug. Tuesday nights, known as the Big Jam, has bands fresh to the music scene play here. These include bands like Motorwide, Inception and Mother Root. The venue has also hosted pre-gigs for the hallowed Bangalore Open Air metal gig too. Irrespective of what you eat or drink, do try the Trio Chocolate Mousse for dessert.
Murphy’s Brewhouse
One of the more recent additions to the Bengaluru scene, besides having regular EDM nights over the weekend, Murphy’s has also played host to live music acts like White Mug, Thakara, Thermal Projekt and others. While EDM does seem to be the strongest musical brew in this venue, it’s still got what it takes to bring in live acts to accompany the beer. The Beer Battered Prawns with Carolina Sauce and the Chilli Cheese Finger Toast were my choices the last time I went here, to be paired with the Blackbeard from their beer menu.
