PETER BJORN AND JOHN + Young Galaxy @ Club Soda

By Sinbad Richardson - There You Have It Folks! - 01/21/2008

After canceling their Osheaga performance last August (to appear at the Music Video Awards in Las Vegas), Peter Bjorn (pronounced BUH-jorn) and John left their Montreal fans bitter -- this at the height of their first wave of international popularity. Last Monday, the Swedish band performed at the very friendly Club Soda with plenty of tickets still available. I “missed” the opening performers, Young Galaxy, but caught the lead singer when she joined Peter, Bjorn and John to sing the female vocals of their smash radio hit, “Young Folks.” Folks from The Guinness Book of Records were on location to register the new record number of people whistling at once, which was last set by a crowd attending an Otis Redding concert. Although the overall performance left me unaffected, I did appreciate the live version of “Amsterdam” off of their latest album, Writer's Block.

I remember a Bill Nye the Science Guy episode where he explained what made a song catchy and what didn't. What makes a band great? It has to be more than a hooking melody. Cultural phenomena have expiration dates and I think it's time for Peter, Bjorn and John to get back to the drawing board to preserve their creative credibility that I am sure they have.

Would I suggest this band to a friend who has been living under a rock for the past year? Probably not. Was the concert a total waste of time? No, not really. Do I always ask myself questions which I then answer too? Sometimes. My favorite part of the evening was the choice of words of Peter, Bjorn and John's backdrop, which read: "Peter, Bjorn and John's Backdrop." I appreciate that sort of humor.

The band formed in Stockholm in the late ‘90s with a major English pop influence. It would be interesting to see what happened between then and now. When a band gets a major break from a hit, there seems to be a one-year period where it can ride on the success of that song. Perhaps now would be that point when we either forget about them or we whistle to a new hit.

My rating for Peter Bjorn and Yawn: 3.5 / 10

My question to the reader: Do you ever feel silly enjoying something hyper mainstream?

Tune in to There You Have It Folks! with Sinbad every Monday from 9am - 11am.