05/09/2026
Concert Review: Kaaktaal কাকতাল Returns
Kaaktaal returned to the stage after more than a year since announcing their break(up) - and they returned in style, befitting Aia and Nazm’s creative imagination and flair for presentation. It wasn’t merely a concert, but a carefully constructed theatrical and musical experience that felt entirely in keeping with the band’s distinctive creative sensibility.
To start with, we need to talk about the stage. Designed to resemble an old Dhaka house, complete with a few shops on the ground floor, the set was far more than a backdrop. Some of the band members were positioned inside the shops, while Aia and Nazm sat in front of the middle one - the quintessential tong’er dokan (tea stall). The entire setting evoked the feeling of an adda: intimate and unmistakably Dhaka; something immediately familiar and deeply local. It was clearly an inspired visual metaphor for Kaaktaal’s music which is rooted in the everyday textures of Dhaka, but filtered through an eccentric and highly individual artistic imagination. The stage also served a musical purpose. Rather than placing the band uniformly across a conventional stage, the arrangement created a sense of movement and discovery. The musicians appeared to inhabit the world being presented, rather than simply performing against it.
With four new band members—Samin on guitar, Hasin on drums, Samit on piano and Ashfaq on bass and keyboards - the band played with remarkable precision. For a band returning after such a long absence - and with four new members - that degree of cohesion is particularly impressive. There was no sense of the musicians merely filling positions in a reconstructed line-up. They sounded like a band. They were tight, assured and, quite simply, excellent.
But while the band certainly did not disappoint, the most revealing aspect of the evening may not have been on stage at all. It was in the audience, the Kaaktaalians - Kaaktaal’s hardcore fan base. They are, without doubt, a class apart. Intelligent, patient and fiercely loyal to the band they so dearly love, they sat through two performances, seated on the floor, without a word of complaint - even though the show started an hour late due to logistical issues. That kind of devotion is rare in Bangladesh, and it says as much about the connection Kaaktaal has built with its audience as it does about the music itself. This is not simply a band with listeners; it is a band that has cultivated a community around its music and its aesthetic universe. Kudos to the sponsors for sensing that vibe.
One could think of many ways the overall experience could have been made even better, but what Kaaktaalians will remember is the remarkable creative imagination and sheer effort that went into Kaaktaal’s return.
From the ticket design, to the exhibition, to the concert itself, Kaaktaal has set a new standard for how a band can create an experience around its music.
