Dispatch #2 - The Humming Tree is Back
Saturday, 10 January 2026
The Humming Tree is back.
After six years of silence, the iconic Indiranagar venue reopens its doors this weekend as THT 2.0. For those who spent countless nights there—watching indie bands find their sound, comedians test new material, filmmakers premiere shorts—this isn't just a venue reopening. It's a resurrection.
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This Saturday (Jan 11): DJ ADHD (USA/UK), Baalti (IN/USA), and Ira BB bring electronic heat.
Sunday (Jan 12): Ruuh Bakhsh with Tajdar Junaid for something more soulful.
The January calendar is stacked: Habibi Funk, Hempress Sativa, Pacifist, an open mic, even a talk by a former NASA engineer. THT isn't just back—it's back with intent.
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## The Stages We Lost
THT's return is bittersweet. It reminds us of the venues that didn't make it back.
B Flat Bar (Indiranagar) — The jazz haven. Sunday jam sessions that ran past midnight. Where Bangalore learned to love live brass. Closed 2019.
Take 5 (Koramangala) — The other jazz spot. Intimate, smoky, real. Musicians sat so close you could see the sweat on their fingers. Gone.
Opus — Before there was a scene, there was Opus. The proto-venue that made people believe Bangalore could have a live music culture.
Kyra — Theatre, music, poetry. A black box that hosted everything the city wasn't sure it wanted until it was gone.
The 2000s Bangalore jazz scene wasn't just alive—it was thriving. Sunday afternoons meant live music. Weeknight jams weren't rare, they were ritual. Then came the license wars, the noise complaints, the real estate hunger.
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## What THT's Return Means
A venue like THT surviving—returning—matters. It's proof that the city still wants this. That there's space between the breweries and the Bollywood nights for something quieter, weirder, more human.
So go this weekend. Stand in a room where the sound is too loud and the drinks are overpriced and someone on stage is playing something they wrote last week. That's what cities are supposed to feel like.
Welcome back, THT. We missed you.
*— CL*