The atmosphere inside Koko on an unseasonably hot April Sunday is stifling to say the least but everyone assumes Peter, Bjorn and John will be chilled out enough not to raise the temperature to an even greater level. How wrong we are. What is about people, stages and turning into jumping jack-like maniacs?
Guitarist, Peter, is leaping around like he’s in The Sex Pistols whilst strumming out songs like ‘Let’s Call It Off’ and ‘Writer’s Block’, holding his head like a madman and playing his guitar like Hendrix. It sounds fantastic, especially as it is so unexpected. Peter, further endears himself to the increasingly sweaty public by declaring that “there’s so many of you, I can’t watch, I’m scared” before launching into one of the evening’s highlights, ‘Amsterdam’, a beautiful rendition of a standout track that encapsulates ‘Peter, Bjorn and John’ perfectly. Throughout the set, the contrast between Bjorn’s rough, uncomfortable and almost out of tune vocals contrasts wonderfully with Peter’s sweet, angelic, perfectly in tune take on the songs. It’s like a sweaty beauty and the beast. However, it’s the band’s rendition of ‘Young Folks’, complete with guest whistler that eventually sends the audience Koko-nuts, a song that it is actually impossible not to whistle along to. I’ve been whistling it while I’ve worked all week.
