‘They can play their asses off’ – SPIN.com

‘Electrifying, soulful performers… ★★★★’ – The Age 

They’re heralded as one of the USA’s finest live acts – a band unparalleled in groove. Now, Houston, Texas psych-funk trio Khruangbin announce their highly anticipated return to Australia next summer with shows in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney in February/March 2025 as part of their global A LA SALA tour.

Having recently wowed fans at European festivals such as Rock Werchter and Roskilde, bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, drummer Donald ‘DJ’ Johnson, Jr., and guitarist Mark ‘Marko’ Speer will return to Australia to celebrate their first album in four years: A LA SALA (“To the room” in Spanish). If 2020’s Mordechai was a party record that enhanced the band’s musical reputation, A LA SALA is the measured morning after. A gorgeously airy album made with minimal overdubs, A LA SALA scales Khruangbin down to scale up, a creative strategy with the future in mind.

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday 7 August (9am local time) via frontiertouring.com/khruangbin. Khru Club, Frontier and Penny Drop members can get early access via presales, which start Monday 5 August (9am local time). Check the Frontier website for full details. Fans in Adelaide: your news is coming soon...

Kicking off an extensive North American tour next month, Khruangbin launched the A LA SALA tour in April at Coachella, with sold out shows across US/Canada in May/June. With festival sets at Nos Alive (Lisbon), Latitude (Suffolk), Bilbao BBK (Spain) and Bonnaroo (US) on the itinerary, and European/UK dates in November, Khruangbin return to Australia in early 2025 for what promises to be some of the hottest shows this summer.

Joining Khruangbin as special guest at all shows and making their debut trip to Australia is acclaimed two-piece Hermanos Gutiérrez, the instrumental guitar duo of Swiss/Ecuadorian brothers Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez. The pair’s new album, Sonido Cósmico,  was released in June and produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys). Brimming with Latin mystique and otherworldly guitar interplay that “shimmers with hallucinogenic energy” (Rolling Stone), the album is an odyssey through lush musical soundscapes, as heard on lead single ‘Barrio Hustle’.

Khruangbin’s last trip to Australia in 2022 included three magical shows at the Sydney Opera House – one of which was committed to record as part of their 2023 live album series – and a balmy, memorable night in front of 12,000 fans at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. The shows came at the end of a huge two years for the band, including sell-out performances at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and Alexandra Palace in London.

In addition to the Sydney Opera House recording, Khruangbin released another four live LPs showcasing their stage prowess – featuring storied guests such as Toro y Moi, Men I Trust and Nubya Garcia. They’ve collaborated with Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré honouring Vieux’s late father, Ali Farka Touré, with the album Ali celebrated everywhere including The New York Times and NPR. The band also released their second collaborative EP with Leon Bridges, the sultry, chart-topping Texas Moon, which arrived to widespread acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, Uproxx, Vulture, FADER while pushing the boundaries of psychedelic R&B.

Across four studio albums – The Universe Smiles Upon You, Con Todo El Mundo, Mordechai, and now A LA SALA – Khruangbin’s journey is emphatically its own. A sound and visual representation with few precedents, ignoring pop expectations, relying only on internal inspiration and a multitude of visions. It’s a mindset of penetrating the self, connecting to the surrounding world, modelling your own life experiences.