Review | Khruangbin Brought the Funk Zone to Town

Musical Trio Electrifies Santa Barbara Bowl with Funky, Psychedelic Sounds

Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry

Though I only discovered Khruangbin a couple of years ago, I was over the moon to hear they’d be making a stop at the Santa Barbara Bowl during their tour this year. Like many others in the crowd, I donned my cowboy boots and wore my best Stevie Nicks–inspired outfit. I matched other free-flowing thinkers in similar getups as we mixed in with rainbow tie-dye and rockers making their way up the slope to our seats for the first night of psychedelic funk.

Usually when people ask me what kind of music Khruangbin makes, I find it hard to accurately categorize them. The trio blend together funk, soul, psych, surf, and dub with technical mastery that transcends into its own genre. It’s even harder to describe the exact psychedelic, free-flowing style of their pieces intermixed with guitar stylings that rival rock ‘n’ roll legends.

The first hour of their set explored the entirety of their latest album, A La Sala — a return to their roots of mostly instrumental pieces scattered with soft, multi-language vocals. The first set brought the crowd into the groove of their western psychedelia, the pop of West African funk, and the softer strokes of indie folk tunes. Guitarist Mark Speer shredded without a break through the entirety of the album, building on solos and showing off his expertise across the stage.

Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry
Khruangbin performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl | Credit: Carl Perry

In contrast, bassist Laura Lee Ochoa brought the same technical precision while dancing across the stage in choreographed steps that made it seem like she floated effortlessly across it, occasionally taking to the keyboard when called for. Ochoa and Speer would mirror each other’s movements or come together at center stage, playing towards each other as if feeding each cord into the other’s. Drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson imbibed the crowd with the rhythm of each song, also taking to the keys for a few magical moments on the simple set.

And it wasn’t just the music that brought the stage and the crowd to life — each song was perfectly synced with cloudy and sunny days passing by on their set through three windows (a reference to the A La Sala album cover). During the interlude when Khruangbin exited the stage, a red thunderstorm rolled through the windows and the sound shook the audience into excitement for their second act.

They finished out the night with multiple favorite offerings: “Dern Kala,” “The Number 3,” “August Twelve,” “Lady and Man,” “Evan Finds the Third Room,” “Time (You and I),” “White Gloves,” and “María también.” Though the songs ebbed and flowed within their sound, the ramped up crowd cheered for an encore — Khruangbin fed right into it with popular hits “So We Won’t Forget” and “People Everywhere (Still Alive).”

Speer and Ochoa riffed on their guitars for the finale, taking to each side of the stage and playing right to the fans in the crowd side by side, before leaving with a final bow and electric sound still plusing through the Bowl.