Khruangbin / Helado Negro @ Texas Trust CU Theatre, Grand Prairie, TX

Words and photos by Scott Rowe

Not gonna lie, this show was long overdue for me. The last time Houston-based Khruangbin came through the DFW Metroplex, they had made a stop at the Factory in Deep Ellum back in December of 2021. That show included a couple of songs accompanied by Fort Worth's own, Leon Bridges. I was approved for that show, but was not able to attend, and after seeing photos from the show and its setlist, I have been wanting to catch them for some time now. Fast forward to 2025, the band has released two albums in Ali and 2024's A La Sala, the namesake of this current tour. The three-piece from Texas has been on quite the run, performing at larger and larger venues, as well as performing at some of the most recognizable festivals across the globe. While the Texas Trust CU Theatre is not Coachella, it provided a great backdrop from a band that seeks to captivate its audience with smooth grooves and lots of funk.

Starting off the night was Helado Negro, whose smile and love for music was infectious. I'm not sure if I've seen an artist love what they do more than this man. His short set set the tone for the evening's show, bringing a mix of Latin-infused funk and soul that got the crowd's head bobbin' and only built up the anticipation for Khruangbin.

The show in Grand Prairie was the first of three initial dates announced (Grand Prairie, Houston, Austin) as part of a Texas tour, which evolved into a much larger 20+ tour across the States. During the A La Sala tour, the band performs the album of the same namesake in its entirety before performing a second set of songs that covers their catalog. During the A La Sala portion, you get a nice sense of the dynamic the trio shares, as each provides their own magic to the music. DJ behind the drum kit is always on time, setting the tone with great precision. Laura Lee adds the boom on bass, elevating songs from a nice groove to full-out funk. Mark Speer adds what I would consider the 'voice' of the group, as his guitar narrates most of the songs more than their voices do. Together, they create a great harmony of music, and you can see the symmetry between Speer and Lee as they either mirror each other on stage or walk in parallel. It's like a visual representation of how everything works together or in tandem to create their sound.

The opening of the show itself was a bit of blur, having shot the first three songs and have our gear escorted to guest services and quick run to get a beer, I finally made my way to my seat nearly five songs in. "Pon Pón" is a great example of how the drumming and bass thump lay the groundwork while Steer's guitar tells the story, even though they actually have some small vocal parts in this song. Some of my favorite tracks from the A La Sala set were "Hold Me Up (Thank You)"and "A Love International". The set ends with "Les Petits Gris", which is a bit of a departure from their signature sound, a more somber tone that sees the band exit together under the sound of rain and thunder.

The remaining ten songs from the second set and encore were pulled from three of their albums, plus a song from their EP, The Infamous Bill. Fan favorites "August 12" and "María también" were found in the second set, which proved to be a good representation of their catalog. If you were looking for their hits, you would have found them here or in their encore. The encore concluded the show in a nice one-two punch of "White Gloves" and "People Everywhere (Still Alive)", a song that has proven to be a great selection their show closer for years. The show overall was a lot of fun, super chill and simply a wonderful experience to the eyes and ears.

Photos of the show are below:

Helado Negro