They’re playing sold-out shows nationwide, and just rocked Coachella’s main stage, so we were quite pleased to have Swedish pop trio Peter Bjorn & John stop by SPIN’s downtown Manhattan offices for an intimate, happy hour performance last night for about 150 invited guests.
Playing in the 26th installment of our in-house concert series, SPINhouse Live — which has featured bands like …Trail of Dead, Silversun Pickups, and Mando Diao — the Swedish band delivered an energetic five-song set of tunes largely culled from their latest, SPIN-approved album, Living Thing.
Performing behind a simple setup of keyboards, percussion, and acoustic guitar, the trio kicked off with “Nothing to Worry About.” Peter Moren busted out a mean harmonica solo before snarling the song’s chorus: “Do this thing, this type of thing / Put a little money into this type of thing / I got nothing to worry about.”
PB&J continued to get their groove on with “It Don’t Move Me,” which, despite its title, got the after-work crowd dancing away their work-week blues.However, it was energetic Living Thing single “Lay It Down” that incited a sing-along to the tune’s expletive-filled chorus: “Hey, shut the fuck up boy / You are starting to piss me off!”
And before they headed out to Brooklyn for their late-night gig, the trio busted out a spirited cover of “Fa-Cé-La” by influential New Wave act the Feelies, during which Moren leapt from the stage and into the audience — not your average, everyday happy hour!
