Space aliens finally landed in San Francisco on Wednesday night.
And — no surprise — they were treated like conquering heroes from some far-away world, one where music and artistic expression don’t sound like anything you’ll hear on earthly Top 40 pop radio.
These visitors go by the names of Khn and Klek de Poitrine and their backstory, at least the one they reportedly like to tell, is that they are 333-year-old aliens from another planet.
But you can just call them Angine de Poitrine, the hottest buzz act in all of rock ‘n’ roll right now. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure we can call what they play rock ‘n’ roll. They definitely don’t call it that, preferring instead the label “Orchestre Mantra-Rock Dada Pythago-Cubist” — which I’m sure will be a brand new Billboard chart any day now.
It’s a definite cousin to artsy math rock, which is characterized by complex rhythmic structures, odd time signatures and other aspects that are not heard in Benson Boone songs, although there is also a sizable groove element to it.
Whatever you want to call it, or however you hear it, the music sure hit home with the 500-or-so attendees who were lucky enough to score tickets to Angine de Poitrine’s way-sold-out show at The Independent in San Francisco.
It was definitely the place to be on Wednesday — a true bragging-rights ticket for all the cool kids and hipsters, who can now claim they witnessed the duo that everyone seems to be talking about right now. And, thankfully, Angine de Poitrine proved during its 75-minute show that it’s definitely worth all the buzz, and then some.
The Angine de Poitrine story really takes flight in the Canadian province of Quebec — which, apparently, is the place these space aliens choose to adopt as their home-away-from-home planet about seven years ago. As the pair began building a musical empire, they drew attention to their absurdist outfits and imagery — which include large papier-mâché masks and a ridiculous amount of black-and-white polka dots — but solidified their following with their bizarrely engaging microtonal musical approach.
Klek de Poitrine plays the drums as he performs with Angine de Poitrine at The Independent in San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
Angine de Poitrine (the French term for angina pectoris, which is chest pain caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart) broke through thanks to a “Live on KEXP” recording taped in late 2025, which went viral and now (collectively) has more than 20 million hits on YouTube alone. The comments on the videos find viewers wrestling to understand and contextualize the duo’s futuristic, out-of-this-world performance.
“This feels like a trip to the ’70’s … (The decade from 2970 to 2979),” @angelistick commented.
“Most convincing UFO footage I have seen in a while,” @thesumo24 added.
The online buzz has led to the band’s sophomore release — this year’s “Vol. II” — being a surprise commercial hit (reaching the Top 40 in several countries) and, even more so, establishing the duo as the hottest club/theater show of the year. Angine de Poitrine has already outgrown clubs the size of The Independent and has plans to perform two more Bay Area shows later this year at bigger venues: Dec. 7 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco and Dec. 8 at the Fox Theater in Oakland.
Tickets for both of those upcoming local shows, as well as every other date on the tour, are long gone, suggesting that Angine de Poitrine is headed for even larger spaces in 2027. Could it be a place like the 8,500-capacity Greek Theatre in Berkeley? I’ll go one bigger and predict that Another Planet Entertainment — the booker of all the local Angine de Poitrine gigs — could take a leap of faith and tab the duo to headline the 2027 Outside Lands festival.
Canadian experimental rock duo Angine de Poitrine performs at The Independent in San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
Despite all the fanfare, however, Angine de Poitrine still went about its business as usual at The Independent — with Khn and Klek de Poitrine serving as their own roadies and music techs, just like they probably did when they were first playing gigs in the Quebec area. They set up their own instruments prior to the performance, wearing face coverings — but not the full-on masks — as they readied the gear.
Moments later, the duo was back in all of its fantastic polka-dot glory, complete with those oversized masks, and doing some quick stretching/calisthenics to get ready for the show. They got into position — with Klek sitting down at the drums and Khn holding his highly customized double-neck guitar-bass — and got right into action with the new album’s “Angor.”
Both players were brilliant, showcasing what can happen when beings presumably devote most of their 333-year-old lives to studying music. Facing off against each other, as opposed to looking out at the crowd, Khn and Klek were absolutely locked in as they grooved and moved through their eight-song instrumental set.
Khn went back and forth between guitar to bass parts, using his foot pedals to record and play live loop segments from each half of his axe, creating wonderfully rhythmic passages and walls of sounds. Klek worked in and out of the towering mix, dropping deliriously fun beats from his drum throne and continuously moving the music forward.
Khn de Poitrine stretches before performing with Angine de Poitrine at The Independent in San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
The de Poitrines communicated between songs in their own language — which may well predate English (or French) by several millenniums. At first, the language reminded me of dolphins noises and then, later, of Tuvan throat singing (the latter explaining why I really feel like listening to Ondar today). By the end of the show, however, I quit trying to compare it to anything and — dare I say it? — even seemed to understand it a bit.
The presentation was fascinating — from the polka dots and lighting affects to the oversized noses (with Khn’s standing out like a French baguette and Klek’s swinging about like a cucumber taped where the nostrils should go). Yet, none of that would have mattered if the music didn’t match, or exceed, the visuals.
Fortunately, you get the full package with Angine de Poitrine. And, as this Independent gig underscored, the sky appears to be to the limit for these 333-year-old visitors from another planet.
Khn de Poitrine plays a hybrid guitar and bass as he performs with Angine de Poitrine at The Independent in San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
Klek de Poitrine stretches before he performs with Angine de Poitrine at The Independent in San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
Khn de Poitrine uses his toes to change loops and modify sounds as he plays with Angine de Poitrine at The Independent in San Francisco on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)