Peter Bjorn and John bring late 2000’s indies back to Union Square NY

By Colin malone | May 24, 2025

It was a night throwback vibes in the Irving Plaza the night of May 21st. Peter Bjorn and John brought their tour celebrating 19 years of the album that brought them into the public eye, Writer’s Block. The audience was more than excited to revisit some of the top hits of indie rock of the late 2000’s.

Starting the evening was NY based The Josephine Network, tearing up the stage with a fun old school power pop style with a full set of originals. Fronted by NY native Josephine, The Josephine Network has gained notoriety in the NYC local music scene as well as a strong European base from touring. The audience swayed and rocked to the band’s glam inspired setlist, wrapping up their time with a fiery ZZ Top cover.

Forming in Sweden in 1999, Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling, and John Eriksson came together to create the group Peter Bjorn and John. Their third album, Writer’s Block took the world by storm with the smash hit “Young Folks” that was everywhere on radios and tvs. After releasing their previous album days within the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns, the band found themselves unable to tour to support the new release which slowed down their touring in general. Now back for their first US tour since early 2019, they were ready to get back out and delight audiences yet again. The crowd that night was filled with fans of the 2006 album being played that night, albeit in a format different from most full album tours in that this was played with the tracklist reversed. The remainder of the band’s almost two hour set saw them revisit 7 other songs from their 2010’s catalog, along as a interesting cover that combined Teen Love by The Concretes and Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. Peter Bjorn and John remain one of the top acts in the indie pop/rock genre and proved it that night in Manhattan. Next time you hear of their tour coming to your town, or their next album release, you won’t want to miss it.