"Khruangbin" is Thai for airplane, and kicking off the first night of their U.S. tour, the band took the crowd on a blissful journey. The power trio comprises Laura Lee Ochoa on bass/vocals, Mark Speer on guitar and vocals and Donald "DJ" Johnson on drums, backing vocals and keyboard. The vocals are spare; the band is largely instrumental, entirely a vibe.
Although they formed in 2010, the group is starting to permeate the mainstream. Last year, they were nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. It's no surprise it would happen eventually: The band, known for its unparalleled style, builds momentum with every new release and every performance. Their sound is enigmatic, ranging from an ethereal daydream to downright groovy, taking influences from Thai pop and funk morphed with dub, soul, surf rock, R&B, rock and psych. Guitarist Speer has been referred to as a "music encyclopedia," and he's spoken about first becoming obsessed with a CD-ROM with music samples of the world. Ochoa was a guitarist and piano player, and Speer helped her transition to bass before they both toured with Yppah. This was the inspiration for the two to form their own band.
The band members' legend is that they came together in a barn to create the sound that is now Khruangbin. Speer and Johnson had played in a church band together and he was added to the final lineup in the past few years. Theirs is a band that seems to pop up everywhere once you become aware of them. Some fans discovered them while tuning into their favorite TV show — including this past season of White Lotus, which featured their music heavily this season. They've also had songs appear on Outer Banks, The Black List and Barry, to name a few. Their sound is a natural fit for creative visual mediums such as Mike White's exotic White Lotus universe, as the music presents a creative bed to enhance many scenes and moments. But, mostly, fans have discovered them by word of mouth, and they've become a fan favorite at festivals who play that circuit regularly.
Speer wanted to play drums as a kid but could not afford them, leading him to bass and ultimately, guitar.
Andrew Sherman
The main attraction, Khruangbin, played the show in two sets; the first was the 2024 release A La Sala in its entirety. After a short reset, the band came back and played the crowd favorites. This is not a jam band, but make no mistake, they fucking jam. The songs had extended solo sections and felt much more stretched out live. The track "HOLD ME UP (THANK YOU)" was extended by solos traded back and forth. Ochoa really shined on this one. The last song of the first set (and also of A La Sala) was "Les Petits Gris." The stage was black but backlit. Speer and Ochoa sat peacefully in the front center of the stage with Johnson gently tickling the piano. The sound, feel and look of a thunderstorm slowly built in the background and grew into a full-blown storm that resonated onstage, ending the set. After that and a very quick stage re-set, it was onto the better-known servings from their catalog.
One might expect that seeing a mostly instrumental band live might be less visually stimulating, but nothing could be further from the truth. There was something both methodical and random about the way the band moved around the stage and interacted with each other. Some songs did feature vocals, and for those songs, the band seemed to have lightly choreographed the movements and placements of the mic stands.
At other moments, Speer and Ochoa spun around in place or strolled past each other, sharing a knowing and loving look. There was a lot of open space on stage, and they used it all, wandering back and forth but with purpose. They maintained a good stage balance throughout, stopping intermittently to pose stoically, always looking weird and super cool. It all fit perfectly. Drummer Johnson wears sunglasses and mostly just looks like a badass. Ochoa was smiling for much of the show and seemed visibly charged from interacting with people in the crowd. She also had a cute dip move she mixed in with the flow of the song. Speer had slightly less bop in his step, but he covered a lot of ground. They crisscrossed so much that it might be a cool art project to 3D-map their movements on the stage.
The big takeaway from Wednesday night was that Khruangbin is a total vibe, and that vibe is gaining traction. Jump on the plane now while you still can.
Ochoa started on guitar and piano and transitioned to bass before inventing the "Khruangbin sound."
Andrew Sherman
