“Simon stopped us sounding naff,” was cellist Helen Liebmann’s blunt conclusion. As a performing entity, the idiosyncratic Penguin formation – with its uncategorisable blend of ethnic folk, minimalist ...

Some groups form in school or college, some grow out of teenage friendships and others from "musicians wanted" ads; nearly all of them are formed with the initial idea of sounding like somebody else.

Originally conceived by Simon Jeffes (when delirious with illness from a dodgy fish dish) in 1972 as a utopian locale for dystopian chaparral, over five albums Penguin Café Orchestra proffered sunlit ...

2025 sees Penguin Cafe bringing the music of the legendary Penguin Cafe Orchestra back to life, with UK dates featuring a collection of PCO classics, celebrating the unique sound that has captivated ...

Penguin Cafe continues in the tradition of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, producing individualistic minimalist music using acoustic instruments. Previous album The Inconstant Sea (Erased Tapes Records ...

Penguin Cafe continues in the tradition of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, producing individualistic minimalist music using acoustic instruments. Previous album The Inconstant Sea (Erased Tapes Records ...

I was 17 when Simon Jeffes passed away and sadly I never got the chance to meet him whilst he was still walking this earth with his infamous Penguin Cafe Orchestra. There are some parallels between ...

Borrowing from the repetitive minimalism of Philip Glass and the ambient stylings of Brian Eno, Penguin Cafe’s Arthur Jeffes carries on the tradition that began with his father’s Penguin Cafe ...

When we need a civilising boost at Quietus Towers, we always turn to the music of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. John Doran talks to Arthur Jeffes about carrying on his father's legacy with a new album.

Penguin Cafe’s music has infiltrated daily life from films like Napoleon Dynamite to countless theme tunes, and they’ve played festivals and venues ranging from Bestival and The Big Chill to a sold ...