This was the show BYT was by far the most excited about this spring. A lineup that PROMPTED us to start our “Come early for…” opening band tribute, sold out the 930 club and put on one of the finest, best edited shows we’ve seen in a while.
When Peter,Bjorn and John said: “Did you like Fujiya and Miyagi? We Picked them. And Au Revoir Simone? We picked them too”, you knew they were honest and not just spewing some publicity fed mantra.
3 bands, 3 members each, 3 wonderfully stripped down complements to one show.
Joel took some amazing photos, NPR allows you to relive it here, and we recruited the super fans in us to review it.
so here it is: 3 reviews by 3.
(you get 3 guesses as to who actually took notes during the show)

read our interview with them HERE
Occasionally a concept is so simple and (Seemingly) natural that you have to wonder:
Why has no one done it before?
(or done it well?)
Au Revoir Simone is one of those: 3 girls (not French), 3 sets of keyboards, all perfectly slight. synth driven pop, and it s flawlessly executed: from songwriting, to band dynamic to audience interaction.(AND those perfectly coordinated summer dresses)
It is artificially created (all electric) music (there are no drums but a drum machine, there is no guitar or bass or actual piano) that feels oddly human and affecting.
Listening to Au Revoir Simone is like listening to Saint Etienne circa “Sylvie” and “He’s on the phone” or like that very first time you heard “Postal Service” (rememeber that time before “Such great heights” was played till death on “Gray’s anatomy”? a show that, incidentally has featured the Simone girls 2 times already) and you got that warm and fuzzy feeling inside, like you stumbled upon something you want to tell people about (which works out well if you run a nightlife/music blog, as, guess what, you get to do exactly that).
Their album is US released by Moshi Moshi on May 15th and if by then there aren’t at least several dance remixes of “Fallen snow” floating around the interwebs, then, then, then… we don’t know what.
Bonus: they are super darling in person, and will be back on June 13th at the Cat, so, write that date down on your calendar in unwashable super sharpie style.

read our interview with them HERE

Occasionally a concept is so unique and (seemingly) influential that you have to wonder:
Why has no one done it again?
(or done it well again?)
Fujiya & Miyagi brought their updated and revived Krautrock vibe to the sold out 9:30 Club last night, snuggled in comfortably like the middle cinnamon roll between Au Revoir Simone and Peter Bjorn & John. No need to announce who they were as they took stage, bursting into the repeating “Fujiya, Miyagi, Fujiya, Miyagi” of Ankle Injuries. I dry humped the balcony railing and busted moves as they continued to run through most of Transparent Things, while the rest of the audience, in typical DC fashion was paralyzed. As to not kill my buzz, I just pretended all these Gray’s Anatomy fans were simply frozen in awe. Ok, so I’m a little biased because I love this band so much, it wasn’t a perfect show. It was the first night of the tour in the biggest venue they’ve ever played and this jetlagged trio lacked some of the confidence that I believe another year of touring will surely bring. Nevertheless there was not a dull moment as Steve Lewis (left) manned a table of electronics and synths, David Best (center) scratched out guitar riffs while doing his syncopated beatbox scat, and Matt Hainsby (right) pounded out and endless stream of slinky bass lines. At the end of the set during an extended jam of “Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style” I felt the crowd was finally starting to get into it, let’s hope for a sweaty crowded dance party next time they visit us.

(we did not get a chance to interview them, safety breeches and all, but Thomas himself is in a (really good) melodramatic pop song band so look and listen to them instead: Bellman Barker)

For fans lured to the 9:30 Club by the whistling bliss of Peter Bjorn and John’s undeniable hit “Young Folks,” the a cappella squawk from a sampled Speak & Spell that opened the first show of the Swedish group’s North American tour may have been a tad confusing. But the genuine article is usually confusing – this tour finds a group with three full length albums under its belt, each honing hook-heavy pop songs with a healthy amount of sonic experimentation. While their sophomore album Falling Out was released in 2005 in the U.S., the band didn’t tour stateside to promote it. But now, propelled by the media tidal wave created by Writer’s Block, the group showed Monday’s capacity crowd that they do indeed have the goods to match the hype.

Not that there weren’t moments of doubt. PB&J stuck mostly to material off of Writer’s Block, whose sample-heavy loops and unearthly reverb are difficult to recreate live, particularly as a three-piece. And as a three-piece, the audience needs to hear every single texture of every instrument. Unfortunately, from where I was standing on the balcony at the back of the hall, the bass was really resonant and booming, often covering up the guitar. Also, Peter’s vocals were often muddled, particularly early on in the set (I don’t know if this was due to mic technique or mixing?).

Nevertheless, overwhelming bass never keeps good songs down and Writer’s Block has them in spades – they brought down the house by inviting Au Revoir Simone’s Heather for the classic “Young Folks” duet (originally with Victoria Bergsman formerly of Sweden’s the Concretes) and made the audience oooh with the vocals on a beautiful acoustic rendition of Amsterdam.

The big, spacious moments on Writer’s Block demand peerless acoustic treatment (which I just took for granted at 9:30 Club) – with that nailed down, PB&J might even be ready for big arena rock. But on Monday the group really shined on rough ‘n’ ready up tempo numbers that showcased their punk energy and infectious (dorky) enthusiasm on their instruments. Peter particularly endeared the audience with his earnest guitar feedback assaults, jumping around with knocked-knees and attacking his guitar with Peter Townsend windmill action (only pausing to push his glasses back up onto his nose). That’s why I was a bit surprised that the group didn’t play more songs off Falling Out, which focuses more on traditional songwriting in a 60’s-style garage pop style (accompanied by Speak & Spell, of course).

Maybe it was just the accents, but one of the best parts of the shows was PB&J’s appealing innocence when it came to relating with the crowd. With thank you’s and bows after each song, the group never put on the rock ‘n’ roll swagger typical of 99% of modern acts. Their stage props (a backdrop that read “Peter Bjorn And John Backdrop” and bass and guitar amps that similarly announced their function) even poked fun at the trappings of a big-time touring band. The boys looked comfortable onstage and even spontaneously extended their encore, starting a cover of the Sonics’ “Psycho” after John had actually gotten up to leave, then agreeing on a key to play it in, then finishing the song with ample audience participation on the “HEY!” breaks.

While Monday night might not have been a perfect performance, great songs, high energy and good natures suggest that Peter Bjorn and John have the goods to make good on high expectations here in the U.S.

Set list:
1) Far Away, By My Side (Falling Out)
2) [I Just Wanna] See Through (B-side of Let’s Call It Off single)
3) The Chills (Writer’s Block)
4) Start to Melt (Writer’s Block)
5) Big Black Coffin (Falling Out)
6) Collect, Select, Reflect (Peter Bjorn and John)
7) Amsterdam (Writer’s Block)
8) Paris 2004 (Writer’s Block)
9) Young Folks with Heather of Au Revoir Simone (Writer’s Block)
10) Object Of My Affection (Writer’s Block)
11) Up Against The Wall (Writer’s Block)

ENCORE

12) Poor Cow (Writer’s Block)
13) Let’s Call It Off (Writer’s Block)
14) Teen Love (Concretes cover recorded on Falling Out)
15) Silly Girl (Television Personalities cover recorded on Teen Love single)
16) Psycho (The Sonics cover)

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