For When Chai Met Toast, a concert is about sharing chai, exchanging stories with strangers, and rediscovering the sense of being at home, even thousands of kilometres away.
The Kerala-based indie folk band are back in Australia with their Joy Rooms Tour 2026, playing a much more intimate show in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
The four-piece comprises vocalist Ashwin Gopakumar, guitarist Achyuth Jaigopal, keyboardist Palee Francis and drummer Pai Sailesh.
When we last spoke to the four-member band in 2024, they were on their first Australian tour. Two years later, they have toured internationally, experimented with their live shows, and nearly completed their new album.
Three tracks, Dreamland, Bato, and I’m Coming Home, have already been released, with additional music forthcoming.
Their sound blends indie folk, alternative rock and pop, with acoustic guitars, banjo, bright melodies and multilingual lyrics. Songs such as Khoj (Passing By), Firefly and Yellow Paper Daisy have become fan favourites. Their music moves between English, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam, combining Western folk influences with distinctly Indian experiences.
Their latest chapter centres on a theme deeply resonant with the Indian diaspora: the meaning of home.
A slice of home on stage
The Joy Rooms concept emerged from the band’s desire to create a more personal concert experience.
While their latest music explores the idea of home in various forms, Joy Rooms seeks to evoke that feeling through the shared experience of togetherness.
After approximately nine songs, the band takes a five-minute chai break, with local partners providing the tea. Audience members are invited to write memories on slips of paper, which the band reads between sets.
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The concept arose in part from what they had missed in the larger shows in India.
“The large crowds offered greater reach, but fewer opportunities for direct interaction with the audience,” recalls Ashwin Gopakumar.
The inspiration also drew from a familiar Indian family experience: being asked to sing or play an instrument at gatherings.
For the band, these performances capture the warmth they hope to recreate: a cup of chai, a familiar melody, and a room full of strangers singing together may be enough to make an unfamiliar place feel like home.
“It’s more about the connection and the love of doing these smaller shows,” explains Achyuth Jaigopal.
“It’s not the size of the room, it’s the joy we spread,” Ashwin chimes in.
That joy has touched fans as young as six and eight (who’ve rocked up dressed as daisies and sung along), and one 99-year-old who could not attend, but was lucky to receive a call from the band.
Four musicians and plenty of disagreements
Behind the cheerful tunes is a group that has experienced numerous lineup changes and diverse musical influences over the past nine or ten years.
Even the band’s quirky name reflects its musical identity, a meeting of Indian roots and Western influences. The name reportedly emerged during a café visit, inspired by the pairing of chai and toast. It has become a fitting description of their warm, upbeat and multilingual sound. And with a name reminiscent of the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, it’s hard not to smile.
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Their influence extends beyond the indie folk scene. They have looked to bands such as Avial and Motherjane as examples of successful musicians from Kerala.
Their early music exhibits a distinct metal influence, and Coldplay has notably shaped their approach to live performances.
“Everything that we write about comes from experiences that we’ve all gone through,” they agree.
Given their four distinct musical perspectives, disagreements are inevitable – including, apparently, one right before this very interview!
Ask them for their favourite song, and you’ll get four different replies: Dreamland, I’m Coming Home, Joy of Little Things, Constellation.
Ashwin humorously described their relationship as a ‘four-way arranged marriage’. After years together, they have learned to recognise each other’s habits, reactions, and creative preferences.
And there’s room for more – as in, mentoring other musicians. The ongoing Australian tour features Frizzell D’Souza, an emerging singer-songwriter.
And through it all, over chai and toast, on grand stages and in intimate venues, their goal remains the same: to take Indian independent music to new audiences, one performance at a time.
Read Also: Into The Unknown: Eight musicians and one growing sound
When Chai Met Toast
