Curated playlists & sing-alongs: How Kolkata is unplugging with listening parties

Imagine this – on a humid Kolkata evening, a room full of strangers are singing along to lyrics on a screen while sipping cocktails. Phones disappear into pockets as music takes centre stage. Across the city, listening parties are emerging as a new kind of social ritual – from curated playlists and sundowner sing-alongs to intimate sessions where musicians test unfinished tracks. In an age of passive streaming, these gatherings are bringing people together to slow down and listen intentionally.Not just background noise anymoreIn an age of algorithm-led playlists and passive streaming, Kolkata’s listening parties are reviving attentive, collective listening. For Rupam Islam, the idea is deeply personal. “Music, for me, is not something to be consumed randomly or in fragments while doing other work,” he said. The same approach shaped the Fossils 7 listening session, where audiences followed projected lyrics. “People didn’t just listen and leave; they stayed, reacted, discussed,” he added. A similar ethos drives weekly Jam Steady sessions at Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club, where curator Nishit Arora has built a community around curated playlists, projected album art, and shared listening experiences.Creative labs for musicWhile some listening events are audience-facing, others function as collaborative spaces within the indie ecosystem. Q says OddSpace, his collaborative initiative, operates less like a venue and more like an artist collective, hosting “peer-group listening sessions” where producers share unfinished tracks with a curated circle. These sessions prioritise feedback over fandom, often evolving into mentorship hubs. OddSpace has also partnered with Reproduce Sessions for public events featuring Death By Anjuna, Takeverse & National Animal to name a few.Nostalgia and the rise of community music spacesFor many organisers, listening parties are becoming about participation and shared experiences. At The Courtyard Project, Niharika Chowdhury is hosting a Summer Solstice Listening Party on June 21 built around familiar music, projected lyrics, and communal singalongs. “What excites me most is that this will not be centred around one performer or band, but around a shared musical experience,” she said, adding that the idea grew from attendees wanting a more participative format. Niharika describes the venue as “a space that feels like an escape from the city – somewhere rooted in nature, community, and slower intimate experiences.”