Khruangbin at Gunnersbury Park
As the sun sets on one of summer’s hottest days and Khruangbin take to the Gunnersbury Park stage, the evening cools in more ways than one. The signature chilled Texas-born band perform their biggest UK headline gig to date, having gained a mass following in recent years for their blurred genre lines – melding reverb, funk and psychedelia, with inspiration drawn from Asian and Middle Eastern sounds. This alternative trio, named after the Thai word for “aeroplane”, take flight in the corners of West London, delivering a consistently mesmerising performance full of musical highs.
The evening’s openers are vibrant and varied, featuring Korean-American artist NoSo, rock group Palace and long-standing band TV on the Radio, who appear unexpectedly fresh despite a delayed flight and use their platform to make political statements, introing with “Free Palestine, Free Sudan”. In contrast to this rockier setup, Khruangbin are unapologetically mellow and minimalist, with hazy projections on screen, moody lighting and set design replicating their latest album A La Sala.
There’s something inherently intimate about a Khruangbin show, even in larger outdoor venues. The stage talk is almost zero (bar stopping mid-song to aid a medical incident and saying “hello” before the penultimate track). Aside from hushed whispers within songs and the occasional harmony, the instruments carry the conversation. With only three artists, it becomes a masterclass in expansive musical layering. The style is unique: drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson provides the backbone via a laidback beat, whilst bassist Laura Lee and guitarist Mark Speer groove about the stage in a hypnotic fashion, rarely stationary, with dramatic lunges and equally dramatic fringed wigs. Any kind of choreography that includes walking up and down stairs whilst playing an instrument is certainly impressive. The audience matches them with their own kind of movement: it’s the kind of musical set you can’t help but sway to.
The trio drift seamlessly and efficiently through albums, starting with an uninterrupted flow of songs from A La Sala and saving the more mainstream big hitters until the end. It’s deliberately lowkey and therefore hard to pick individual favourites, so tracks with a bit of added edge are the ones that stand out more: the more upbeat Hold Me Up (Thank You), older track White Gloves, with more vocal features, and the funky Evan Finds the Third Room. Time seems to slow down throughout, as the band experiments with tempo, be it pacing in slow motion, creating dramatic contrast in Lady and Man, or simply pausing for effect. The evening is one big blur of sun-kissed grooves, shimmering guitar hooks, 70s disco and more. Swept up in a cinematic trance, one could almost forget the musicians are actually performing note-perfect and live. The set would no doubt play perfectly in the middle of a forest; tonight, a park such as Gunnersbury is close enough. Closing with Time (You and I), its bass riffs barely contained on-stage, followed by People Everywhere (Still Alive), the gig concludes with an upbeat, crowd-pleasing finale.
Just as it might be difficult to pronounce the band’s name (in the West), it can be equally tricky to describe their sound to those less familiar. From Texas to a collective dream-state, Khruangbin may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s certainly a long brew full of flavour, best-served on a relaxing, cool evening.
Bev Lung
Photos: Victor Frankowski/Hello Content
For further information and future events, visit Khruangbin’s website here.
Watch the video for Pon Pón here:
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