Location: O2 Academy Brixton

Date: 3rd December 2019

Price: £35+ booking fee

Khruangbin is the unusual, and somewhat hard to pronounce, name of the musical trio from Houston, Texas; On Tuesday the 3rd December the trio graced Brixton Academy with their gorgeous, melodic guitar and their soft, sparse vocals.

The band have created something unique and syrupy for the ears through blending several genres together. Global musical influences include Spain and the Middle East, classic soul, dub and psychedelia. Their opening song was unusually one of their older tracks, Cómo Me Quieres, which is purely instrumental and set the tone perfectly for a slick, well-rehearsed and mesmerising evening.

Khruangbin’s sound translates so beautifully on stage, especially when paired with their bold outfits, stage dressing and lights; their aesthetic is a strong contract to their music – clean, angular lines compared to soft, melodic jams. Both Laura Lee (bassist) and Mark Speer (lead guitar) donned their signature black wigs with straight blocky fringes giving off an air of sophistication and uniform to the band. This slickness was also present in the lighting – each riff, every strum, every beat was timed perfectly with pointed lights.

In fact, each song had its own lighting scheme, almost giving an aura and personality to each one. Each track and its associated color built up throughout the set moving through the spectrum of blues, pinks, yellows and reds. Crowd favourites were clearly Mr. White, Lady and Man and Evan Finds the Third Room; the latter of which was given a quirky introduction with Laura Lee suddenly faced with a ringing glittery telephone. She answered the phone and after a short monologue explaining that Evan was in fact in the third room, the music ensued. At this point, it was apparent what the 12 disco balls on stage were for, as bright white light beamed on to the disco balls, projecting sparkling light across the crowd who assertively echoed Lee’s “yes”.

Khruangbin definitely gives off a classic retro vibe, but perhaps being in the edgier ends of Brixton for the night inspired them to play a few covers. The Next Episode from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought an entirely refreshed energy to the crowd, followed by some Ice Cube, Warren G and Nate Dogg and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The covers continued into the encore where they gave a not so subtle nod to Christmas with Wham!’s – Last Christmas.

The band has three studio albums that are well worth a listen: ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’ (2015), ‘Con Todo El Mundo’ (2018) and ‘Hasta El Cielo’ (2019). Plus, they have just released a new single titled Texas Sun with Leon Bridges – who they played with on his recent tour in 2018. And if you’re wondering, Khruangbin translates to ‘flying engine’ or ‘aeroplane’ in Thai – which serves as a nod to their many musical influences from across the world.

#FLODown: The psychedelic influences even permeate their merchandise… check out their band tees and posters that are made bespoke for each gig!

Words by Mollie Kate Cohen