Khruangbin

I’ve always found it a great setting for a single stage festival, set in a cozy bowl pretty far from the city itself. It’s fair to say our day of sunbathing outside the fence was a lot less stressful than that of TVOTR who, after flight cancellations, landed just 4 hours before their stage time.

Though you wouldn’t have noticed this as they stormed into opener ‘Young Liars’. It’d been 15 years since I’d last seen them and musically they haven’t aged a bit. Amongst what was then a mire of landfill indie, Kyp Malone, Dave Sitek (who unfortunately hasn’t joined the reunion) and Tunde Adebimpe really transcended that with their more tender, soulful, and funky moments. Following up with ‘Golden Age’, from their incredible 3rd record Dear Science, they showed why they felt so ahead of their time.

The punk ethos was always there too as they ripped through some of their higher energy catalogue. Late-career single ‘Happy Idiot’ was an early set highlight before they almost subtly tilt into seminal indie disco classic ‘Wolf Like Me’. For a track with such a powerful intro, the initial pounding drums and buzzsaw synth don’t quite have the impact they do on the record. Maybe it’s somewhat deliberate to segue into their biggest track with the minimum of fanfare, but once it’s in flow, there’s no stopping it. There’s definitely a contingent here who came specifically for them, as every word is belted back as powerfully as Adebimpe serves them. 

I’d like to give a shout out to the backing visuals on this. I highly doubt they meant it to look like 90s British kids TV show Funny Bones, but it really sprinkled some extra nostalgia on top for this English millennial. They still have a few of their own classics to go, too. A breathless ‘Dancing Choose’ doesn’t let up the energy, before ‘DMZ’ brings us into a powerful end to the set. The bookend is another classic from their first EP, a rumbling and intense ‘Staring at the Sun’. Alongside their firm speeches in support of Palestine, this is clearly a group of artists who feel as vital and important as they ever did, both to themselves and to us.

After we all have a little calm down, it’s time for Khruangbin to make the space their own. It’s a low key opening as they ease us into the new vibe. Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald ‘DJ’ Johnson are a jam band and there are no graces made to pretend they’re anything different. There’s very little in terms of crowd engagement or the theatrics that are commonplace in headline shows these days. Instead, what we get is pure instrumental virtuosity.

I’ve always been fascinated by what makes a good guitarist. Some make it sound like what they’re doing is very difficult. That’s impressive, I guess, but a lot of the rock and metal where that style is found leaves me completely cold. What the guitar and bass duo do here sounds so easy. It’s much more akin to when you hear Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke locked in, or Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards. It doesn’t matter how technically frantic it is, the auditory experience to us is as smooth as the swan on the lake.

This is exemplified with a beautiful rendition of ‘So We Won’t Forget’. Sadly, this was interrupted by a medical emergency in the crowd. Yet their return is as smooth as the hour before it, seamlessly continuing the song from where they left off.

In their earlier breakthrough days, Khruangbin used to punctuate their jammier tunes with medleys of classic pop and disco hits. Now, as festival headliners, they’re happy to speak for themselves.