Last Wednesday night, Chris, me, Taylor and her new boyfriend, Greg, all went to see one of our favorite indie rock bands, Peter Bjorn and John, play at Antone’s. Hailing from Sweden, Peter Bjorn and John (their title is simple – the first names of the three band members) rarely play in Texas, so Chris and I had been super eager for this night to finally arrive. Taylor, on the other hand, received tickets at the last minute to the sold out show as a “thank you” gift from the manager of the band for assisting them with getting a good reservation at Uchi. Taylor works as a hostess, cocktail waitress, and reservationist at Austin’s acclaimed restaurants, Uchi and Uchiko while also pursuing her PhD. This simple act of gratitude from the band is just one example of why we fell head over heels in love with them.
On tour promoting their recently-released album, Gimme Some, the band rocked out with a healthy mix of new and old music. Chris and I purchased their new CD a couple of weeks ago, and although we enjoyed it from the start, we found that after hearing the songs performed live, the album now deserves a deeper level of respect as the songs leap from the CD, reminding us of our stellar night at Antone’s.
While their musical quality proved to be out of this world, what made the night so special was the small band’s big, warm personality. A little on the goofy side, all of the members had an endearing quality, as if they were still so excited and appreciative that they’d really made it as musicians. Their effervescent energy and enthusiasm was contagious and their side commentary genuine and humorous. For instance, the band sighed at how they can’t eat barbeque anymore because they are trying to save the world and eat more vegetables and fish. (They also happened to mention that they enjoyed Austin’s amazing fish options, which we assume was a shout-out to Uchi!) Even more lovable, the lead singer came out twice into the audience and high-fived almost everyone at the venue, not to mention that the band returned to the stage for two hearty encores! One of my favorite memories from the show is when the lead singer pulled out a harmonica and started playing a Swedish version of Texas blues, paying tribute to the fact that he is in a blues mecca at Antone’s.
What an amazing show with amazing friends – I recommend this band live and on CD to anyone and everyone!!!
Check out this cute music video from their famous hit, Young Folks:
This was such a fun concert!!! They did such a great job of making you feel a part of the show. They seem to care so much about their fans.