Peter Bjorn and John Manchester Academy 3, 31st March 2011 7.5/10

Sarah Blasko (Support Act)

Sarah Blasko is a singer-song writer from Sydney, who’s pursued a solo career since 2002, but is only just establishing herself in Europe. She normally performs with a five or six piece band, but tonight  there was a real sense of intimacy with just an electric guitarist, plus keyboard played by Blasko herself, and that beautiful voice. Her manner on stage was a little shy and self-depreciating, yet utterly charming.

Some listeners might mistakenly describe Blasko  as inoffensive, but this isn’t background music: her delicate voice captured the imagination and cast a spell over the audience. There’s a lightness of touch, but also real intensity: situated a few feet from her in a small venue, I could see she was completely absorbed in her performance.

Blasko performed largely from her third album As Day Follows Night, which was a departure from the 2006 What the Sea Wants, The Sea will Have, with a more laid back vibe, and a hint of the jazz club (an example of this being the song Bird on a Wire). Despite the differences in musical style, the album was produced in Stockholm by Bjorn Yttling, hence her supporting PB&J. Blasko has said that Bjorn encouraged her to strip back the songs so the voice alone could carry the mood and expression, and this gave an alluring, introspective, understated feel, enhanced by the direct lyrics.

Blasko ended with a subtle and haunting new song, ‘Night and Day’ which will form part of a forthcoming new album. This is an exciting prospect, and my only sadness was the shortness of the set: she really deserves to headline a show in the UK.

Peter Bjorn and John

PB&J’s previous album Living Thing was experimental, electronic, and somewhat downbeat, but the just released Gimme Some showcased in here in Manchester has a wider appeal, with an uplifting sense of optimism and joy which immediately affected every one present. 

I’m not going to attempt to analyse the music in detail because this (memorable) experience was all about fun. Multiple senses were engaged: feel, from the bass (thanks to John Eriksson’s drumming) moving palpably through the body; sight, with an imaginative use of lighting (the best I’ve seen so far); and their guitar led sound, which transported us to altogether more joyful plane.

This happy, catchy music came alive in an all-absorbing performance. PB&J have a great sense of theatre and showmanship. They didn’t talk much between songs, but involved the audience by putting all of their soul into the music itself with unbelievable energy. The audience was dancing, waving their arms, singing along (a microphone was passed around at one stage), and we played host to Peter Moren when he jumped into the middle of the (capacity) crowd. Before I discovered live rock music, I’d never experienced this feeling of being in a group of people with a common bond, who are there to experience shared joy, togetherness, and collectively come closer to an appreciation of the truly important things in life (such as music and love).

However, the set was not comprised exclusively of songs from their new album: for example my video below of Let’s Call it Off, featuring Peter jumping off the stage, is from the 2004 Writer’s Block. Like Gimme Some, this album has a positive feel, despite Let's Call it Off being about a relationship that hasn’t worked out. (The poor sound is a reflection of my camera's proximity to a speakers, not the venue, which was excellent, but hopefully still gives a sense of PB&J’s flamboyance). They played for around 75 minutes, without an encore.

This show was breezy, joyous and confident, and the catchy melodies permeated my consciousness for long afterwards, as did PB&J’s philosophy of seizing every opportunity to enjoy life. I certainly don’t regret taking advantage of this opportunity, and neither would you if they come near to your town.
 

7.5/10