Khruangbin, meaning ‘airplane’ in Thai, is a rather fitting name for a group who take their fans on a voyage across genres and styles through their funky, melodic tones.
Their second night in Manchester was no exception, as the first snow of the season began to fall outside the audience was psychedelically transported to sun-soaked places with Khruangbin’s celestial and enchanting melodies.
The set was laid back and minimal, featuring three arched windows and a white staircase that the band members travelled up and down smoothly throughout.
It’s fair to say that bassist, Laura Lee Ochoa, might just be one of the coolest people we’ve ever laid our eyes on.
Khruangbin in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Sporting sequin black trousers that twinkled under the stage lights and a matching sequin headband, we’ve already started planning our Christmas party looks accordingly.
ADVERTISEMENT
Accompanied by guitarist Mark Speer, both were of course wearing their iconic chunky black fringed wigs that shimmied side to side with every key change and with every understated, choreographed movement.
The first half of the evening was dedicated to their latest album, A La Sala. It’s a chilled album that features Ochoa’s soft vocals drifting over soothing drum work and ambient guitar.
ADVERTISEMENT
With every track, the colour scheme of the windows behind them changed and Ochoa pinpointed each bass line with a point of the toe, a dip in her step, a quick turn of the head. The entire audience were left completely mesmerised, united in a syncopated head bop from the start.
Khruangbin’s psychedelic tones left us in a magical trance, and so the second half which featured more funky tracks from the trio was very much welcomed.
Playing fan favourites such as ‘White Gloves and People Everywhere (Still Alive)’, the audience couldn’t help but throw a few shapes and so did Ochoa and Speer.
Their choreography was so carefully considered and in synch, even their sips of water were in perfect harmony.
Encore songs ‘Evan Finds the Third Room’ and ‘Maria Tambien’ showed off quintessential guitar-driven Khruangbin melodies, providing the perfect end to their final night in Manchester.
Seeing Khruangbin live is a very unique experience, let alone in a venue like the O2 Apollo; I entered with an amateur knowledge of their songs and left eager to deep-dive into their vast catalogue.
Featured Images – Press image (supplied)/The Manc Group
Gigs & Nightlife
A huge Irish festival with iconic music stars, markets, food and more is coming to Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A massive Irish music festival with masses of food, drink, crafts, workshops and surprises is returning to Greater Manchester this summer.
Craic by the Creek 2025 will bring together all the best bits of the Emerald Isle for a weekend-long knees-up in a gorgeous countryside location on our doorstep in July.
There’s a huge music line-up (with plenty more still to be announced) featuring Boyzlife, made up of Keith Duffy from Boyzone and Brian McFadden from Westlife.
And this fun-filled Irish Music Festival is the only one of its kind offering full weekend camping, at the beautiful village of Compstall in Stockport.
The countdown is now officially on for this unmissable celebration of Irish music, culture, and community spirit, which will take place between 18 and 20 July.
Craic by the Creek has been hailed as the greatest Irish music festival in the UK and is back for 2025 bigger than ever.
Already announced to perform live along with Boyzlife are The Tumbling Paddies, Derek Ryan, All Folk’d Up, Johnny Brady, The Kilkennys and loads more.
There are still more acts to be revealed in this stacked line-up.
And it’s not just about the music at Craic by the Creek – there’s also a bustling Irish-themed craft market with handmade goods, Irish-inspired food and drink, social dance workshops, and plenty of surprises.
Expect a weekend of tunes, traditions, community vibes and campfire craic.
Craic by the Creek will take place between 18 and 20 July, 2025 – tickets are on sale now via Skiddle, and they’re already flying.
Benson Boone has announced a headline gig in Manchester – and it’s a big one
Danny Jones
American pop sensation and unrivalled king of unnecessary front flips, Benson Boone, has just announced his first-ever headline Manchester arena gig as part of a new arena tour.
The solo artist and acrobatic chart-topper has seen a meteoric rise in the US and, as is usually the case across the Atlantic, he’s become increasingly popular over here too.
Benson may have performed here in Manchester before as part of the 2024 MTV EMAs and for a small show at The Deaf Institute, but now big fans have the added Boone of getting to watch a standalone show at one of Europe’s leading indoor entertainment venues.
Announced on Friday, 30 May, the 22-year-old will be making his way across the pond from Washington for a limited run of UK concerts, with a date at Co-op Live arena being one of just five dates.
Extending his ‘American Heart Tour’ ahead of the release of his eponymous sophomore record, with this autumn leg, Co-op Live will mark his individual visit to 0161.
The Grammy-nominated artist has earned several nods of recognition already for his first album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, which was released just last spring.
He has been described as among the current trend of male singers who fit into the American Idol and ‘Voice audition pop’ genre (a term recently coined online), along with the likes of Teddy Swims, Shawn Mendes, Alex Warren and others.
Regardless of the slightly tongue-in-cheek term, he’s become a huge hit around the world and landing him is still a big coup for the venue that has already welcomed similarly massive pop contemporaries like Swims, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and more.
In case you’re wondering just how big a deal he is over in the States, even this early in his career, his domestic headline dates sold out in seconds, quite literally…
The last time he visited Co-op Live was to perform at the most recent MTV EMAs
Benson Boone is coming to Manchester on Monday, 27 October and will be playing just two other British venues: The O2 in London (two nights) and the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Safe to say you don’t want to miss this one if you like soaring vocals and lots of flipping.
General admission tickets go live at 10am on Thursday, 5 June, but Co-op Members can gain access via the arena’s official pre-sale window from the same time on Tuesday (3 Jun).
Clementine Hall -
19th November 2024 
