Kicking off a concert bill to die for, Brooklyn six-piece White Rabbits took the stage last night at New York City’s Mercury Lounge and dove into a set of nine near flawless tunes. Layering concertgoers with a thick coating of hazy vaudeville piano jangles, airy lead guitars, and genre-negotiating drum patterns, White Rabbits revealed a range of influences via the bouncing, bluesy “Empty Nest” and the pulsating post-punk ditty “Kids on My Shoulders.”
Born Ruffians prefaced the latest export reaching for indie rock dominaton, Peter, Bjorn, and John, with a set showcasing tight-knit freak-outs, quick-shot vocals, and loud-soft dynamics. But most were there to see Swedish trio PB&J, who dapperly dove into “Young Folks” and answered fans’ nagging question: Yes, Peter can whistle live. Complete with duet partner and ex-Concrete Victoria Bergsman, frontman Peter Moren puckered up and fluted into the mic as the crowd exchanged looks of disbelief. The Scandinavian darlings finally wrapped their buzzed-about Stateside showing with a stripped-down version of “Amsterdam” and a raucous, lengthy rendition of “Against the Wall.” WILLIAM GOODMAN / PHOTOS BY LEAH MORGAN
>> Listen to Peter, Bjorn, and John on Napster
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