Concert Review: King Buffalo at the HIFI in Indianapolis, IN

Heavy psychedelic rock band King Buffalo from Rochester, NY headlined the HIFI Indianapolis main stage on Friday, June 26, 2026.  After completing an overseas tour in May, they brought three June shows to three cities here in the United States on their Terror From Outer Space tour.  They played The Stache in Grand Rapids, MI the night before.  After the show in Indy, they stopped at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. 

I arrived at the venue early, as I had never been to this particular spot before.  Indianapolis traffic was exceptionally slow with construction and drivers not exactly knowing what they were doing, but it was easy enough to find.  I had email notifications about VIP being sold out and the reserved parking lot was also sold out.  This told me that there was going to be a full house.  It had been a while since I’ve shot and reviewed a full house show, so I was pumped.  Standing in line waiting for doors, the fans in line behind me were chatting about how many King Buffalo shows they have been to and all of their favorite songs.  The anticipation was high even out in the line. 

After inside, I quickly realized there was no photo pit, or even a barricade.  So, I made finding my place up front a priority.  The people kept arriving and the venue was filling.  I overheard more conversations of favorite songs, favorite shows, curiosities of setlists, etc.  I also met a very talkative, and very elated eleven-year-old super fan.  She told me this was her second ever concert and both were King Buffalo.  She was literally jumping with excitement.  She kept saying to me, “I am so excited!”  

Joshua Powell (Indie-Core) opened up the night with his power trio of a band made up of his brother Jacob Powell (drums) and Josh “Bass Mountain” Townsend (bass).  Joshua is the frontman on vocals and guitar.  Joshua Powell was a fantastic opener and fit the vibe perfectly.  I knew that Joshua Powell would be a great fit for the night, and I was very pleased with an absolutely outstanding performance.  I hadn’t realized that Josh Townsend was the bassist until they walked out on the stage.  He plays bass for another band from the area (Maciann).  As soon as I saw them come out, I knew the crowd was about to have their faces melted off.  The next thing I knew, a familiar face was standing next to me completely hyping up the boys.  It was Maciann herself.  I don’t shoot or review much in Indianapolis, so I wasn’t expecting to know anyone.  This made me feel right at home.  Joshua Powell was energetic.  His tone was on point, and I loved the in-your-face placement of the drum set.  I’m always fascinated by drummers.  They played two of my favorites, “Spring Break 99” and “Coffin Club.”  Their set was about 45 minutes and gave us seven songs that had the crowd all worked up and ready for King Buffalo.  

I have been listening to King Buffalo for the last four months or so, as they are a relatively new discovery of mine.  I’ve really fallen in love with them.  I love the long songs, and the lyrics are few and far between.  When he is singing, the lyrics feel deep and meaningful; the lyrics are more than just words.  The music feels transcending and otherworldly.  When I saw the announcement for the three June shows, I immediately requested to cover this show.  Waiting for them to take the stage felt like forever, but they came out with a bang.  

They started their set with “Hours.”  The music sounded great and I was pumped that my favorite song “Grifter” was a part of the first three.  Bouncing beside me, the eleven-year-old super fan was having the time of her life.  This makes me so happy to see others so touched by live music.  The drum set was clear and lit up with colored lights.  Scott Donaldson kept the beat like the pulse that pumped a powerful catharsis out into the crowd. The bass warmed my soul, and the voice of Sean McVay was hypnotizing as he managed vocals, keys and guitar all through the set.  After the first three, I packed up the camera and just vibed.  The place was packed like a can of sardines, but with little bobbing heads.  I went to stand back by the sound board and just take in the sounds of the music.  I’m relatively shorter than average, so I couldn’t see much, but honestly you didn’t really need to see to know that it was an unforgettable sensory experience.  They played some of my other favorites, “Hebetation,” “Mammoth,” and “Orion.”  Who am I kidding, King Buffalo is a band that honestly, every song is so great, I could probably say they are all my favorites. I’m glad I went, I’m glad they came and I’m honored to be writing about them.  If you haven’t heard of them, or haven’t checked them out yet, do yourself a favor and please make that the top of your To-Do list.  Keep an eye out for shows, and definitely get yourself there.