Peter Bjorn and John's pop sensibilities are plenty charming, as is the group's on-stage banter. It showcased both at our SXSW broadcast in Austin, Texas, this past March, as its members combined melodic electro-pop songs with quirky European humor. They teased our sound engineer and invited the audience to sing along. After Peter Bjorn and John kicked off the set with "Blue Period Picasso," Peter Moren exclaimed, "Yes, give it up for the song name!" — throwing in a little Modern Lovers shout-out for good measure.
The new songs may have an electronic feel to them, but all three guys were bursting with rock 'n' roll energy, jumping in the air as they played and even running off stage and into the audience. At one point, Moren warned the crowd, "Beware of the rock!" It was only 3 p.m.
They also showed that even a technical malfunction can't bring them down: At the end of "Nothing to Worry About," John Eriksson's drum machine stops working. At first, he beatboxes, but then he tries playing drums on the trashcan, at which point he gives up and just throws the drum machine in the trashcan. With such sparkling, engaging personalities, these Swedish pop stars really don't have anything to worry about.
Engineered by Kevin Suggs.
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Copyright 2009 KEXP
