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Five Bengaluru bands: a folk rock band born in Mysore, a Carnatic prog outfit, a Kannada folk project, the city's longest-running rock band and a thrash band that opened for Metallica.
Bengaluru has long been one of India's busiest cities for independent music, with bands that mix folk, Carnatic, rock and metal traditions in several languages.
This list covers five Bengaluru bands worth hearing, from 1990s rock veterans to a thrash band that opened for Metallica in its home city.
Each entry covers who they are and three tracks to play first.
For more on the city, see Bengaluru Indie Scene and Indian Folk Fusion Bands.
Swarathma is a folk and fusion band formed in Mysore in 2002 and later based in Bengaluru. It mixes Indian folk and classical elements with blues rock and reggae, with lyrics that move between personal stories and social and political subjects.
Its self-titled debut (2009) won Band, Song and Album of the Year at that year's Jack Daniel's Indian Rock Awards. Topiwalleh followed in 2012 and Raah-e-Fakira in 2018, and the band released "Belongaluru", a song about its home city, in 2025.
Essential tracks
Agam is a Carnatic progressive rock band formed in Bengaluru in 2003. The name is the Tamil word for the inner self, and the band sets Carnatic ragas against the structures of Western progressive rock, fronted by Harish Sivaramakrishnan on vocals and violin.
Its breakthrough came with "Malhar Jam", featured on MTV's Coke Studio and later included on the 2012 debut album The Inner Self Awakens. A Dream to Remember followed in 2017, then a run of 2018 singles reworking Carnatic compositions such as "Rangapura Vihara", and the album Arrival of the Ethereal in 2025.
Essential tracks
The Raghu Dixit Project is the multilingual folk band fronted by singer, composer and producer Raghu Dixit, singing mainly in Kannada and Hindi. Its music combines Indian folk traditions with influences from around the world.
The self-titled debut album was the first release on Vishal & Shekhar Music and was later issued internationally on Wrasse Records in 2010; Antaragni: The Fire Within followed. "Lokada Kalaji" and "Gudugudiya" are among its best-known songs, and Dixit also composes film soundtracks, mainly for Kannada cinema.
Essential tracks
Thermal and a Quarter, or TAAQ, formed in Bangalore in 1996 and call what they play "Bangalore rock": classic rock with Indian touches that are subtle but hard to miss. The name is a joke about the line-up, three Malayalis and one member who is a quarter Malayali.
They opened for Deep Purple in Bangalore in 2001 and for Guns N' Roses in 2012. Their eighth album, A World Gone Mad, came out in 2020.
Start with "Bangalore Flower", a song about the city itself. Then play "Meter Mele One-and-a-Half" from 3 Wheels 9 Lives (2012) and "Stone Circle" from A World Gone Mad.
Inner Sanctum is a death/thrash metal band from Bangalore, formed in 2006. Their 2009 EP Provenance was recorded at Resonance Studios in Bangalore and named one of the top ten EPs of the decade by Rock Street Journal. In 2010 they won Best Emerging Band at the Jack Daniel's Rock Awards.
In their home city they opened for Metallica at Rock 'N India in 2011 and for Slayer at the same festival in 2012. In 2013 they toured Europe, ending at Metalfest Open Air in Poland. Vocalist Gaurav Basu draws the band's artwork and gig posters.
Start with "Wake of Destruction" from Legions Awake (2015). Then play "Guardian" and the 2020 single "Divided by Hate".
Essential tracks
Related reading is linked in the article above.
