Review: Peter Bjorn and John Packed Bluebird With a Wholesome Nostalgia

Swedish indie-pop legends Peter Bjorn and John returned to Denver on Wednesday, May 14, gracing the Bluebird Theater stage to play the entirety of the classic 2006 album Writer's Block, and a handful of other tracks. The night was filled to the brim with a wholesome air of nostalgia, as the band brought its upbeat, guitar-forward songwriting to a packed audience.

Made up of Stockholm-based musicians Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson, Peter Bjorn and John became well-regarded for their indie-pop anthems, including the popular and catchy whistled tune "Young Folks" off of Writer's Block. However, beneath this poppy exterior is a firm foundation in hooky rock and roll, and this was especially evident in the band's energetic live performance.

The group's 2025 tour, which only includes eleven North American dates and features the trio playing all the songs off of Writer's Block, shows Peter Bjorn and John still writing and performing hits almost twenty years after the album's release, and I'm pretty grateful that this tour stopped through Denver. The night was opened by autumnal, a four-piece indie folk outfit based in Fort Collins. At the Bluebird, the band's ethereal vocals and dynamic combination of space and noise were on full display, especially during "breathing," a track that was released in March and was produced by Miranda Fling and Jim Eno of Spoon. After just a few minutes of anticipation following autumnal's set, the lights dimmed to a pensive, reworked, string version of "Young Folks." Peter Bjorn and John arrived on stage to applause and opened with "Poor Cow," the closing track off of Writer's Block. The band went on to perform the full album in reverse order, before playing popular tracks from other releases, such as "Breakin' Point," "I Know You Don't Love Me," and the band's incredible cover of "Teen Love" by the Concretes.
Perhaps the most exciting moment in the show — and there were a lot — came when Morén hopped off the stage during an extended outro to "Up Against The Wall," running around the audience and repeating the refrain, "Wish you had me up against the wall." A few minutes later, he made it back on stage with the help of some surrounding folks, before bursting into more of his loud, distorted guitar chops. Ahead of the show, I caught up with Björn Yttling over the phone to discuss Writer's Block. He says the album was the band's most collaborative at the time, especially with the inclusion of songwriting from Eriksson. He noted that it was also an effort to strip back some of the elements the band used on the previous releases, Falling Out and Peter Bjorn and John, and to focus on crafting something that was sonically well-rounded.

"[Going into Writer's Block], we had a little dogma, so to speak: If we have an idea on a melody, for example, to put in there on the record, then we're going to try first the sounds that we already used on the album," Yttling explained. "So we would have more cohesive sounds on the album." In addition to playing bass, Yttling has produced most of the band's albums and was working as a producer prior to Writer's Block. He said that a major factor in the approach to the album included the need to make the record as affordably as possible.

"We didn't have any budget at all," Yttling recalled with a laugh. "So it was much easier, if someone would dream up, like, 'We should have a church organ falling down a mineshaft.' Recording that would be very expensive, so we just tried to not come up with ideas like that."
The May 14 audience would likely have no idea that the album was recorded on a budget, especially given that the record launched the band into a long, robust career that continues today. From Yttling and Eriksson's more driving rhythms on songs like "The Chills," and "Start To Melt," to the more reflective late-album tracks such as "Poor Cow," and "Roll The Credits," Peter Bjorn and John's performance took me right back to some of the first times I listened to Writer's Block, and to the many times that would follow. Yttling also reflected on the many years in between Writer's Block and later releases, such as Breakin' Point, Gimme Some, Endless Dreams and many others, saying that the band now has enough of a discography to draw upon its own releases for inspiration for future material. "It's like we have our own history," he said. "We can reflect, and that's kind of cool now. Apart from when you're starting out, when you have no history, you're more aware about what to put out, because it's going to define you so much." Yttling's comments bring to mind a favorite lyrical moment from the album, off the track "Objects of My Affection":

And the question is, was I more alive then, than I am now? I happily have to disagree.
I laugh more often now, I cry more often now, I am more me. You can see more photos from the show below, and be sure to check out "Last Night On The Mountain," Moren's new single from his side project, SunYears.
Find more concerts on our Denver concert calendar.