The day you arrive in Sao Pãulo you realize it's a BIG city, one of the world's biggest, dirtiest, scariest. But it's also very exciting. We were right in the middle of it. The hotel was walking distance from the club Studio SP, which is placed on the famous Rue Augusta, full of criminal-looking people. Maybe we blended in, probably not. Pretty close to the club we found an old gentleman who's making hats and sewing up suits and scarfs for chic people of all ages. We think he's actually French but he has relatives in Vaxholm, just outside of Stockholm. Me, Christine and John all found great stuff there and recommended it to Shout Out Louds. Of course Eric bought the same hat as John, without planning it. It suits them both. It's weird. They both have bald haircuts and play drums and you could probably swap them in photos without a lot of people noticing. But, just so you know, Eric is taller and John is smaller. I also managed to find a music store to get some percussion. I'm a great fan of Brazilian music, the old school type, Caetano Veloso, Jobim, Milton Naschimento and Jorge Ben, etc. Especially Ben uses loads of guika.

Guika is sort of a drum, with a wodden stick inside it, that you rub with a wet piece of fabric before pressing your finger on the front of the drum to make differently pitched noises. It mostly sounds like a rhythmical horny ape. If you haven't heard Jorge Ben, Paul Simon uses it on "Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard". I love the sound of it. But of course it's really hard to play. I'm determined to learn. The guy in the percussion store learned me the basics and we also played some samba together. I never play samba in Swedish music stores! Apart from the guika I got some other percussion stuff, like a mini coconut bongo and a small samba drum. After playing the sambarythm over and over again and started to slow it down, I found out how they invented bossa nova! Maybe not a new discovery, but new for me.

Me and Christine also got lost in the area Villa Madalena and started talking to some nice guys who did electronic ambient music and they showed us a bar and great caschasa. I got to the gig on time, in spite of it all. Studio SP is a great proper little rock club. Perfect atmosphere.

Both nights were packed with people and what a treat it is to have an amazing band like Shout Out Louds as openers. Also of course we got Bebban to sing "Young Folks" with us (she's done it once before at the Coachella festival in California) and Eric was a great guest on the bongos.

The crowds were superb. The first show had a great flow and I think we have never had so much in-tune sing-a-long and on-the-beat-clapping as on this gig. Lovely people. After the first night we did some proper partying with Shout Out Louds so the second gig was maybe a bit looser and more crazy as a result of that. But I think it was even more special and better because of it.

I loved theese shows and will never forget them.

I hope we can come back soon. All the best/peter

Hello again!

Peter here on the plane from sunny Recife to São Paolo. I worked up a nice tan yesterday and never got attacked by any sharks despite all my swimming.. Some of the guys went on a touristtrip to the old city and some other sights, but since me and Christine are gonna stay in Bueno Aires after the last gig on this tour, we wanted to take our chance at some quality sun and bath-time, since it’s way chillier there.

Peter plays the harmonica in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Recife. Photo: Caroline Bittencourt 

I will miss waking up and having breakfast with the atlantic coast outside the window. The gig the other night was pretty great too. There was some delays at the festival so I don’t think we we’re on stage until 1.15, which is late for old men like us, but it worked out fine. We projected our intromovie behind the stage, which is really a promotionfilm for a gigantic moose that they are building in the north of Sweden. It’s gonna contain restaurants and conference-centers. We always joke that we are gonna start a festival there. We edited this movie a bit and put on our own soundtrack (a piece from our new instrumental album.) The moose builders might sue us if they read this, but we are really promoting them in Brazil though the audience I guess mainly must have been really confused by the clip. Anyway as soon as we got going they were really into it, jumpin and shouting.

It was a pretty big stage and a big almost packed room. Lots of space to move around on. We did the usual energetic show and I learned a couple of portugeese phrases for in-between-talk, ending up with “We love Recife” which of course got a lot of cheers. The highlight though must have been the letter we got from the 13-year-old girl up front.

The famous Peter Bjorn and John backdrop. Photo: Caroline Bittencourt

Unfortunately we did’nt read it until afterwards, so we never met her and gave her autographs. But it for sure was the funniest fanletter we ever received. Along with some charming drawings of us, she excused her 13-year-old stupidity (whatever that is?) and said that we seemed to have humour and were heavyeaters?! I know I am but how could she know that?

Are we that fat? Anyway her senteces were priceless. We will write her back!

p

Hello!
Peter from Peter Bjorn And John here. After a 12 hour flight (which I slept most of) we arrived yesterday afternoon in Recife, Brazil. It’s springtime for Brazilians but for us obviously 28 degrees is high summer. And what a welcome! Hotel just by the sea! A glorious long beach! And warning signs about sharks! All in all a sort of cultural shock. I love cultural shocks! My girlfriend Christine (who is obsessed with Spielberg's “Shark”-movies and is as scared as excited) and John's girlfriend Stina is coming along on the trip so this definitively feels more like pleasure then business. And I always wanted to go to Brazil anyway.

Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn and John polishing on his blogging skills. Photo: Sweden.se

Walking along the beach sipping the first Caipineira and ordering amazing grilled fish on the beach for close to nothing, we run into our good friends Shout Out Louds! Of course we knew they would be here, but still it feels weird to meet them in their bathing trunks. This can only get better! And it does as I try the ocean anyway, never mind the sharks, fully dressed. Kind of stupid as my bag got lost on the flight and I have nothing dry to put on. Thankfully the bag turns up later in the evening. After an awful fishdish at Shout Out Louds hotel (double the price of the amazing one at the beach, never eat at hotels folks) we go and catch their show, before we crash. The breakfast this morning was great, lots of fresh fruit, juices, local specialities, etc. And the seaview to go with it. Food is very important to me as you might guess. After a dip in the pool  I’m ready for another day. I love my life right now. A lazy day today, gig tonight, sightseeing tomorrow in the old city and then São Paulo Monday. It’s only bound to get better and better.

All the best/peter