Khruangbin Buffalo – Review and Photo Gallery

Khruangbin came to Buffalo to perform at the AKG Art Museum on May 25. Rain was forecast and it started to pour as fantastic opener John Carroll Kirby took the stage. The set was interrupted a few songs later as a lighting threat put everything out.

As the sky darkened, it started to rain and people ran to various places to hide, with the smarter ones going inside (I wasn’t one of them). The rain was falling harder and I was starting to think Khruangbin was going to get rained on. There was more and more movement on stage and it is to the team’s credit that they managed to prepare the stage even though it was still raining.

Khruangbin splits their show into two sets, the first of this tour was a reading of their fantastic new album, At the Sala. The album is a bit more laid back than previous efforts, but it’s full of luscious textures and melodies, which were often a slow burn that really simmered into the night with the rain falling.

You could tell the Texas trio (Mark Speer on guitar, Laura Lee Ochoa on bass, and DJ Johnson on drums, everyone sharing vocal duties) enjoyed playing the new material. The album highlights were my highlights of the set (“May Ninth,” “Hold Me Up (Thank you),” and “Three From Two”) and the set climaxed with the happy ending of “A Love International.” The album comes closer then closes the set, the dreamlike “Les Petits Gris” and they take a little break.

A “Bin Bin” started the second set and got the crowd moving. After playing the new album, the second set was more of a favorite with the older crowd. The rain was a little too much for some so the crowd thinned out and we seemed to lose some of the chatterboxes and some of the more nice weather fans so the crowd during this part of the show was really cooped up.

Khruangbin’s vibe is usually a deep groove, but by the last section of “Lady and Man” they seemed to flick the switch and the rest of the set sounded like music you would hear in a rather than on a beach. The soaked crowd ate it up and tried in vain to dance dry, although the rain finally stopped near the end of the second set.

Khruangbin then heads to the Midwest before wrapping up his U.S. summer tour at Bonnaroo.

Khruangbin – Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, NY – May 25, 2024

Set 1: Fifteen fifty-three, ninth of May, Ada Jean, Farolim de Felgueiras, Pon Pon, Todavia Viva, Juegos y Nube, Hold Me Up (Thank You), Caja de la Sala, Three from Two, A Love International, Les Petits Gris

Set 2: Bin Bin, August 10, Master of life, Father Bird, Mother Bird, Lady and Man, so that we do not forget, even find the third piece, time (you and me), people everywhere (still alive )

Bis: Maria Tambien