From the get-go, I liked “Nothing to Worry About” by Peter Bjorn and John an awful lot the first time I ever heard it. Interestingly, this band from Sweden has stated that the song, with backing from a children’s choir, started out as a homage to Jay-Z‘s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem).” But I think you will agree with me that PB&J’s “Nothing to Worry About” sounds nothing like Jay-Z’s 1998 opus. A look back at the 10-year history of this Swedish trio and you will see their influences and approaches to making pop music are so varied among the three of them, and they are musical chameleons that keep changing their sound and never seem to stay in one place. Here’s an example: their fourth album, Seaside Rock (with an extremely limited release in America) was purely instrumental. But that’s what makes them so original and intriguing.
In May, I missed the chance to see PB&J at a sold-out show at the 9:30 just weeks after their fifth album containing “Nothing to Worry About,” Living Thing, had been released. (The night of the 9:30 show, I was a couple blocks away at the Black Cat covering Noah and the Whale, another favorite of mine). So was I thankful when I heard the band would be starting their celebratory “10 years in the music business” birthday tour in Washington and I’d be there to see them this time around.
El Perro del Mar, fellow Swede Sarah Assbring‘s solo project, was the opener for the night. I don’t know if it’s the 9:30 Club, but this was yet another show there that I felt the bass was too heavy in the mix. Upon further listening to the recorded version of El Perro del Mar’s “Change of Heart,” you will find some of her songs tend to be bass-heavy anyhow, so if you like sultry, bass-driven rock, definitely check out her Love is Not Pop, released in America on October 20. Assbring and her three-piece backing band started their set with “Let Me In,” Assbring contributing what felt like very shy vocals that were in sharp contrast to her shaking her body to every one of the backbeats. I don’t know if it was nerves and shyness or fear, but she sipped a glass of wine with her back to the stage and talked little between songs, not saying much at all except to thank PB&J for choosing her to tour with them, and then she and the band left the stage rather abruptly.
El Perro del Mar set list
Let Me In
Change of Heart
L is for Love
Party
Gotta Get Smart
A Better Love
I Can’t Talk About It
About 20 minutes passed and then the lights dimmed for Peter Bjorn and John. Their backdrop magically appeared – a black cloth with “PETER BJORN AND JOHN” at the top and “BACKDROP” repeated over and over again in white letters; if you’ve seen the cover for Living Thing, this will make more sense. The crowd chanted “PB&J! PB&J! PB&J!” Bearded and extremely tall Björn Yttling (bass and synths) strapped on his bass guitar and deadpanned, “I’m Björn.” The audience cheered. Then he turned to point at his bandmates, “That’s John. And that’s Peter.” As if the audience needed a roll call. More cheering. Then the trio got to work, launching into “Amsterdam,” from the 2006 album that broke them, Writer’s Block. Peter Morén, guitarist and usual lead vocalist, was footloose and fancy free all evening, his white sneakers pounding the stage in a somewhat dizzying spectacle, as sometimes he would be onstage and sometimes he’d be rocking out on one of the big speakers on either end of the stage that you knew were positioned just so he could show off. After the second song, Morén quipped, “This [Washington D.C.] is the best place in the world!“, which of course elicited wild cheers from the crowd. The club was abuzz in excitement all night long.
In “I Want You,” another track from the current album, drummer John Ericksson assumed lead vocal duties, with Morén’s guitar providing another “voice” if you will that complemented Ericksson’s perfectly. “Young Folks,” now a mainstay at indie dance nights, exceeded my expectations; the vocals done so well by Victoria Bergsman (formerly of the Concretes) on record were replaced live by Sarah Assbring, whose own dance moves matched Morén’s in energy. Kids on the floor were dancing and waving their arms without abandon for this and “Nothing to Worry About,” a soon-to-be club dance classic. In a word: brilliant.
“Lay It Down” became a club-wide singalong with its humorous chorus of “Hey shut the fuck up boy / you’re starting to piss me off / take your hands off that girl / you’ve already had enough“; during this, Morén danced about with his guitar in a Chuck Berry fashion. Before the encore, we got a special treat. Morén explained that they had never played any song from Seaside Rock in America, and they were going to play “Needles and Pins” from that album, complete with a guest band, Hat City Intuitive (four guys equipped with two saxophones, a clarinet, and kazoos). When they returned for the encore, they decided to play “Paris 2004,” Morén saying they didn’t play this too often live and that he wasn’t sure if he knew all the notes. But the trio played the song gorgeously, and like all the other songs of the night, it appeared effortless.
At the end of the show, Morén unexpectedly threw his guitar to the ground, jumped on one of the big speakers, and shouted, “Now I’m going to the merch table!” At that point, I was expecting a riot as patrons predictably flooded the merch table in the back, hoping to get a photo with Morén or an autograph. Turned out all three of them patiently took photos with fans and signed anything put in front of them. Truly a class act. Peter Bjorn and John, hope you come back to D.C. in the very near future, we would be happy to have you back.
Peter Bjorn and John set list
Amsterdam
Far Away, By My Side
Living Thing
I Want You
It Don’t Move Me
Lay It Down
Just the Past
Young Folks
Nothing to Worry About
Needles and Pins (instrumental)
–
Paris 2004
People They Know
Objects of My Affection
Tour dates
Nov 09 - Webster Hall / New York City#
Nov 11 – Phoenix Theatre / Toronto#
Nov 12 – Metro / Chicago#
Nov 13 – Gargoyle Club / St. Louis#
Nov 14 – House of Blues / Dallas#
Nov 15 – La Zona Rosa / Austin#
Nov 17 – Rialto Theater / Tucson#
Nov 18 – House of Blues / San Diego#
Nov 19-20 – Great American Music Hall / San Francisco, CA#
Nov 21 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles#
# with El Perro del Mar
Peter Bjorn and John: website | myspace | @ 9:30 Club (May 2009) | Remix Monday: Peter Bjorn and John: It Don’t Move Me | @ Granada
El Perro del Mar: website | myspace
Scandinavia is just bursting with talent right now. In the last 2 years, I’ve seen acts like 
