There’s no dance floor. No EDM reverb. No one yelling ‘vodka soda, bro!’ from the corner. Just a drink menu with references to Tarantino and Wes Anderson—and a bartender who might recommend a truffle cocktail because the jazz tonight is modern, not classic.
This is Crimson. The name itself comes from the palette: rich, unmissable red. And no, it’s not in Bengaluru, Mumbai or Delhi. It’s in Coimbatore. A city better known for filter coffee and family dinners now has a space with live jazz. The city has never looked—or sounded—like this. And honestly? It’s about time.
Crimson is hidden in plain sight within Coimbatore’s Broadway complex—a nine-screen multiplex and commercial space on Avinashi Road. From the outside, it looks like any other busy building with shops and a cinema. But those who know, know where to go. There’s no visible signage or front-facing entrance. Instead, head to the back of the complex and take a separate lift to the third floor, home to Crimson.
Step inside Crimson, and you’re immediately transported to a speakeasy straight out of a Fitzgerald novel—imagine Gatsby’s glittering soirées but nestled in the heart of Coimbatore’s Broadway complex. Deep-red velvet walls envelop the room, gold leaf detailing gleams under low, ambient lighting, and the polished Yamaha piano commands the stage.
Designed by Bangkok-based studio Paradigm Shift, the space is basically a choose-your-own-adventure. Want to hum along to the piano with a drink in hand? Sit up front. Meeting friends you haven’t seen since college? Grab a corner booth—they won’t hear your gossip over the music. Got roped into a cousin’s birthday dinner? There’s a quieter side table that lets you survive with dignity. On a first date? Stay close to the exit—just in case. Even the bar station is important—it’s to host wine-tasting events where one guy swirls his glass like he’s in Succession.
At the helm of the music lineup is pianist Pranesh S, who plays here up to 15 nights a month and curates the performance calendar. Having played over 500 shows across Coimbatore—of which he says 480 were purely commercial—Crimson feels like a turning point. “I’ve done solo piano concerts, sure. But a venue that gives freedom to play ‘Blue Bossa’, ‘Take Five’, or the Interstellar theme is so rare in Coimbatore.”
Pranesh is also the founder of a city-based music community called Coimbatore Musicians, and any artist looking to perform at Crimson can reach out directly through him.
With International Jazz Day sets, like the Martin Wizard Trio, and weekly local acts, Crimson is slowly shaping Coimbatore’s live-music culture. Artists like guitarist Ivan Enos and pianist Aman Mahajan have also taken the stage, making Crimson one of the few places in the city where you can catch world-class jazz.
Interestingly, next week’s programming also includes a one-of-a-kind murder mystery dinner, in collaboration with the Coimbatore Art and Theatre Club. Expect a scripted storyline where the food follows the plot—like a Ratatouille Pizza arriving just as someone gets “murdered”. It’s part theatre, part dinner, and entirely unlike anything else in town.
But the entertainment isn’t the only thing being curated here.
The kitchen is just as deliberate. “The idea,” says Neha Satish, the project director, “was never to serve ‘bar food’. It was to build a menu that fits the mood of the music and the memory you want to walk out with.”
