Posted 2 years ago
(the first) 5 Questions for… Peter Bjorn & John!
Sweden and music go hand in hand- example: Peter Bjorn and John. The indie-pop trio, who released the album Living Thing earlier this year, is getting ready to embark on their 10th Anniversary US Tour Bash with fellow Swedes El Perro Del Mar.
I would tell you more about the band, but John (the drummer) manages to explain everything so much better than I ever could:
You guys have been together for about ten years now, but you didn’t really reach out to an international fan base until the success of your album Writer’s Block. What was it like to progress from playing local shows to larger and unfamiliar audiences?
Well, sometimes it’s a bit hard to play in front of your mom, brother, and friends because they know you so well; you want to deliver in front of them. In more ways, it’s more relaxing to play in front of strangers. I must say, we’re never as nervous as when we play in Stockholm because we know everyone there. But, as for the transition to go out and tour- the hardest part was to learn how to deal with staying together in a small van, because in the beginning it was a small van. I mean, if you spend 19 hours cramped up in small car for 2 weeks, you can go crazy! That was the first thing we had to learn. We learned, and now we have a much bigger bus.
Peter Bjorn and John has played big festivals like Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Virgin Fest, as well as smaller venues and clubs- even some bar shows. Do feel any notable differences between the two? Do you have a preference?
Everything is fun; it all depends on small parts of fate- like when the gig is perfect. I must say, we recently played some really, really small clubs in New York, like The Cake Shop, as well as some small venues in France. I think they were among the best gigs we’ve ever done. If I could choose, we would play smaller venues. On the other hand, if you do that, you may not make as much money as when you’re on tour. That being said, I think we’re open for everything. When we did the Depeche Mode tour over the summer, we realized that we could have a really, really good time performing in a big arena as well. It all depends on what you have for breakfast.
Speaking of Depeche Mode , you made a stop in DC during that tour. Actually, your upcoming tour will mark your third time in the US & DC over the past 6 months. How are you able to handle so much touring?
It’s not that hard! I mean, I think it’s much harder to work as a Kindergarten teacher, or at a bee farm, or as a ski jumper. We like to play in front of people who come to see us. During next tour, when we come to DC, we’re going to try to do something special. Maybe have some secret guests or some special light effects. I think we might even Twitter on stage- I don’t know, we’ll see!
Alright, let’s talk about your fans: have you ever had a weird or strange experience with a fan when you were on stage?
Well, not too many on stage, but off stage, we definitely have. In Germany, about 3 years ago, we came off stage and we were supposed to sign some autographs. A girl fainted when she saw us. We thought she was so happy to see us, for us, it like a “we are The Beatles” moment. A little bit later some people at the venue were able to wake her up and give her some water- it turned out that she had eaten some bad Indian food and had gotten food poisoning. We felt bad for her, but also for ourselves.
Through touring around the world, you’ve been exposed to dozens of cultures and customs. Do you feel that there are differences between the audiences depending on location?
Well, not particularly. You could say that in Amsterdam, there’s a different smell. In Holland you might smell something, maybe a smoke smell. In France, you might smell cheese. In the US you smell really good, actually the US is one of the best smelling audiences. I have to say that the audiences smell different.
This is the first part of our two part interview with Peter Bjorn and John. Check back soon for the second half! In the mean time, check out some PB&J on the Hype Machine and track them on Bandsintown to find out when they’ll be in your town.
