Peter Bjorn and John w/ Au Revoir Simone & Fujiya and Miyagi @ The Phoenix

On Sunday night I was beyond exhausted and if I had not already bought the tickets to go and see Peter Bjorn and John, I would have certainly backed out. However, I’m very happy that I didn’t because, so far, they put on my favourite show of the year.

It was sort of an add choice for opening acts, since neither one of them really fit into the power pop mould of PB&J. For starters we had Au Revoir Simone, an all female trio from New York. They were beyond adorable, and they specialized in dreamy synth-heavy indie pop. Both the style of music, and the fact that all three girls stood behind their own keyboard/synthesizer, obviously didn’t lend itself to a highly animated performance. Still, the strength of the songs and the charm of the performers helped to win over the still relatively small crowd at this point.

Download: Through The Backyards mp3
Au Revoir Simone on myspace
Purchase the CD "The Bird Of Music"
My pics from the show are on flickr.

Next up, was another trio, this time from the UK known as Fujiya & Miyagi. I had heard of these guys and I was already mildly intrigued. They had a highly danceable sort of Krautrock thing going on, equal parts Can, New Order and Roxy Music. They played mostly songs from the “Transparent Things” release, and I have to admit that they were really really good. My highlight was a mostly instrumental number that they pulled out midway through their set. Being new to their music, I don’t know what the song was called, but it had a very progressive electronica vibe to it that entirely enthralled me.

Download: Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style mp3
Fujiya & Miyagi on myspace
Purchase the CD “Transparent Things”
My pics from the show are on flickr.

Peter Bjorn & John were, in a word, fantastic! I figured the show was going to be enjoyable, but I did not expect this to be the high energy rock spectacle that it was. The three of them were in fine form, with Peter’s energy and sense of humour being highly contagious. The show was packed with singalongs and jump-arounds and there were so many highlights to choose from. Of course, the way-to-much-fun performance of their signature song (and all of a sudden mega hit) “Young Folks” had us all grinning from ear to ear. To fill the irreplaceable role of Victoria Bergsman was Heather D’Angelo of Au Revoir Simone. She did an admirable job, and they looked like there were having just as much fun performing it, as we were watching it. Bjorn was also highly energetic, and he took over lead vocals for a stripped down version of “Amsterdam.” It’s really great to see a band having a total blast onstage and I really hope they’re back again soon (although hoping for the $15 price tag next time around might be a little too optimistic.)

Download: Young Folks mp3
Peter Bjorn and John on myspace
Purchse the CD “Writer’s Block”
My pics from the show are on flickr.