Rune B Johnsen plays the drums and sings, Stig Joeraholmen is the bass player, Fredrik Hagen handles the lead guitar and backing vocals, and Eyvind Lindberg is the lead vocalist and second guitarist.

Previous to forming P & P, the members played in well known Norwegian bands like: Weld, Cosmic Dropouts, Norwegian Wood and Kwyet Kings.

Highlights of the career so far are three mini tours in the UK,

among others playing the legendary Cavern Club receiving great reception:

Review from The International Pop Overthrow Festival,at the Cavern, by Minty And The Beeb Go Gigging: http://mintyandthebeeb.blogspot.com/

“With this band, you know what you are getting and they never fail to deliver a great set, filled with catchy pop tunes that have you tapping your feet. You are guaranteed to have a great time, and if you haven’t seen them, make sure you catch them next year.” “The sound was tight, the harmonies in place, and the reception from the crowd, fantastic. They played many new songs, but also retained in their set, some old favourites such as “Took Me By Surprise”. Good, solid pop from Scandinavia. Always a great band to see at the IPO.

Power Pop Review Writes:

Peter and the Penguins are able to capture the essence of Beatlesque harmonies, melodies and song structure without sounding totally derivative of their idols. The exception might be the infectious 'Surprise' which is such a dead ringer for 'Please Please Me' it may as well have been a Rutles song!

However the band more than redeem themselves with very original spin given on their song 'There Goes Pete Best' which tells the story of how the writer is about to get Pete Best's autograph, but has a change of heart when he questions why he'd want the autograph of "...the unluckiest bastard in the world".

The Penguins went down a storm with more than a sprinkling of dedicated fans amongst the throng. Their nifty cover of the Spongetones "She Goes Out with Everybody" was another highlight and prompted our purchase of their latest album 'How To Choose A Sweetheart' at the gig as a souvenir of a great concert. Go to www.myspace.com/peterthepenguins to find out how to get your copy.

In June 2009 Peter & the Penguins released their first full length CD, “How to Choose a Sweetheart” which so far has obtained fabulous reviews. Here are some extracts: Alan Haber from “Pure Pop Radio” wrote: “The marvelous "Barefoot" wears its Beach Boys worship on its intensely-melodic sleeve, no more so than during its gorgeous, opening a cappella section. The mid-tempo toe-tapper "Sweetheart" sports a particularly catchy chorus with great harmonies. If Beatle-esque and beat pop are your game, then you're in for a great time, and you can't beat that. A round of hearty handclaps, then, for these boys from Norway. Prepare to get Penguin-ized!” Alan Haber http://www.buhdge.com/hot%20buhdge/penguins.html

Get this CD or you'll miss out!

This is one of the best CDs I have come accross in many many years. First off, my credentials for reviewing this CD.

I have been a professional musician for over 45 years and learned The Beatles' materiel as each album was released at the time! I have multiple music degrees, including a Master's in music composition and arranging from a private music school in Los Angeles. I have owned numerous recording studios over the years, been a staff arranger and also engineer. I have played with the best in Hollywood for years and made my living with music almost my whole life. I was a music production manager at Lorimar Productions for three weekly national network sitcoms and have an Emmy. I know a thing or two about music and bands and CDs....

This album is the bomb! If you like The Beatles, you will absolutely love this album to death. Yet, it is fresh and new; not a rehash of old-sounding stuff. Creative, timeless, nostalgic, current, rockin', exciting, hot... and many more adjectives aptly apply. There is not a dead puppy in the whole lot; every single song is wonderful. No filler songs here. And the sonic quality!!! Their mix engineer and mastering lab are to be commended indeed! This album is among the best I have ever heard when it comes to sonic clarity and presence. Every note, nuance... perfectly captured. The bass in particular sings out and the harmonies are something to marvel at.

These guys have their act together. Get this CD now, before it goes out of print and a major label grabs up these guys... and starts screwing up their sound! You will not regret adding this album to your collection; I guarantee it!!!

Marc C. Waszkiewicz

Bassist, Composer, Producer

Powerpopaholic:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2009

Peter & The Penguins "How To Choose A Sweetheart"

Last year on the IPO#11 disc a standout was "There Goes Pete Best," and this year has been chock full of Beatlesque bands making debuts this year. From The Poor Richards, Alan Bernhoft to Pete Best himself - the sound is just timeless and embedded in pop culture. Not even compared to other like-minded bands (The Fore, The Offbeat) this Norwegian band is easily a cut above the rest. That's because they take the template and enhance it - for example, "Barefoot" uses the Rickenbacker riffs, honey sweet Beach Boys choruses and sax touches to make a catchy song, not just imitate what's been done. Lots of highlights here that make them comparable to The Spongetones in quality (they even do a cover of "Here I Go Again"). "The Walk" has a jangle and beat thats just irresistible, and "She Took Me By Surprise" gets the early mop-top songwriting and guitar innocence down perfectly. "There's No Living Here Without You" updates the snappy Beatle ballad with a minor chords aplenty. Not every song is perfect, but with 14 tracks here, you'll find more than enough Mersey-inspired gems to keep your toe tapping. As long as bands like this keep making music, I will happily listen.

Labels: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Curty Ray - Power Pop Overdose:

Definitely in my top 10 for 2009. You don't get Power Pop better than this. If you ever wanted to hear a mix of Mersey Beat and The Beatles - pick this one up! Hard to stop listening to this!!

Reviewer: Curt Vance

Definitely in my top 10 for 2009. You don`t get Power Pop better than this. If you ever wanted to hear a mix of Mersey Beat and The Beatles - pick this one up! Hard to stop listening to this!! Curty Ray Power Pop Overdose



Popcicle:

Just in from Norway (yes, we said Norway) comes this delightful blast of knowingly-retro Beatlesesque pop with monster vocal harmonies. What at age we live in when we have Scandinavians with Liverpudlian accents...Great stuff!