Punch is an Alternative Prog Rock band from Kolkata. It takes pride in playing in three languages: Hindi, English and Bengali. The acoustic section of the band features a sitar, which blends with the Rock and Roll sound. The band also uses the flute in the electric set up for the melody and soul. The band has played full length shows in all three languages, besides mixed sets at select pubs and exclusive English and Bollywood sets corporate events.
Original songs
Among the originals from Punch, Sau Saal, Khawab and Azaadi are currently under production and is expected to release in 2024. Sau Saal is about the bliss of meeting an old lover after many years to share unfulfilled dreams. Khwaab is song about chasing dreams, while Azaadi talks about the concept of freedom in modern India. The cover set ranges from AR Rahman, Amit Trivedi, Strings, Junoon, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam, Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, The Doors, Coldplay, U2, Michael Jackson and more.
The band is a regular at Kolkata’s iconic live music venues such as Someplace Else, Five Mad Men, Hard Rock Cafe and AM PM. Apart from regular gigs, the band also curates events by involving musicians from other bands to spread brotherhood.
On June 23rd, Punch celebrated its first anniversary by curating a concert at Someplace Else Kolkata featuring Between Blanks, Fickle Freelancers and the duo Tathagata and Shreemoyee. On October 2023, the band is set to play a Bangla Rock tribute gig at Five Mad Men along with Obokaash er Gaan and the duo Rahul X Titash.
Meet the band
The band comprises Wriddh, a vocalist and a media professional, who has been part of Indie bands such as Kryptic and Dump Terminal in the past, besides his solo project Stories of the Streets in Mumbai. He returned to his hometown, and has joined a band after 10 years. He is classically trained under Neela Bhagwat and Avijit Mukherjee, and is a big fan of Steven Wilson and AR Rahman.
High on adrenaline, Anindya aka Maity is the backbone of the band. A big fan of Led Zeppelin, the drummer of Punch is known for banging the cymbals with his forehead to express infinite happiness. He has been part of Punk Rock outfit ‘Page’ in the late 2000, and is a well-toured musician. When not playing drums, he plays an Instructional Designer at a corporate firm.
Ayan is a multi-instrumentalist who is handling the guitar and flute duties at Punch. He comes from a versatile school of music with expertise in sitar and saxophone. Ayan is also associated with several other interesting projects in the city with different musicians, and is busy playing gigs almost every weekend. Currently, he is also learning the sitar from Niladri Kumar. His repertoire includes Bollywood, Indipop, Indian Classical as well as Folk music.
Tamal, the bass player of Punch, is a Blues lover. When not playing a groove on those fat strings, he croons to BB King and Buddy Guy songs. He has been a student of guitar player Subhajit Roy Chowdhury. Along with Ayan, Tamal forms a strong backing vocal unit of the band. Even he was in Pune in the interim where he gained experience by playing gigs with different musicians.
Aritro, a seasoned guitar player from the city, played with several musicians and bands in Hyderabad before relocating to the city of joy. His sound ranges from Funk, Blues and Psychedelic Rock. He learnt the nuances of guitar playing from Tajdar Junaid and Vedant Raj Bareily, and is heavily inspired from Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson.
Born in a musical family, Rupsha Roy imbibed melody from her living room. Her parents fed her good music, and today, she translates them on stage. She is also a trained pianist who can pull off renditions of old Hindi classics to English Rock and Roll.
She is a featured artiste in Punch, and the brain behind our creative decisions.
Our extended family
Sayantan, the drummer on hiatus of the band, and Wriddh have been playing together since 2006 in Kryptic. A student of ace drummers Gaurab Chatterjee and Debasish Debu Banerji, he is a dynamic player with varied skill sets. A big fan of Chad Smith of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, he digs Funk out of everything. He is the backbone of the band who wears many hats – that of a musician and a successful businessman in the city.
Punch covers artistes such as Amit Trivedi, AR Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Lucky Ali, Pritam, Pink Floyd, Poets of the Fall, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and more.