They seemed to appear out of nowhere with Young Folks, their ubiquitous slice of whistling indie pop, but Peter, Bjorn and John are no fresh-faced ingénues. The bass player, Bjorn Yttling, and guitarist, Peter Moren, had played together for eight years before meeting the drummer, John Eriksson, in 1999: they honed their sound over two Swedish-only albums, before gaining a wider release for Writer’s Block, their new album. Their offbeat musical backgrounds may account for their mix of effervescent harmonies, wistful melodies and smart indie whimsy: Eriksson plays classical music while Yttling is a successful record producer in Sweden and has a jazz-based side project. They may be one-hit wonders but it seems unlikely we’ve heard the last of them.
Speakeasy, Queen’s University Belfast, Fri 8pm, £10.50 (0870 243 4455); Village, Dublin, Sat 7.30pm, €15 (0818 719 300)