“Culturally omnivorous instrumentals of considerable elegance and ingenuity” ★★★★ — MOJO
“The songs inhabit their own unique sound world, of contemporary minimalist, classical and chamber music with the surrealist otherness of a dream world, taking the listener to somewhere else entirely” —The Quietus
Penguin Cafe was founded by Arthur Jeffes in 2009, after bringing together a talented and disparate group of musicians to perform his father Simon Jeffes’ legacy of world-renowned Penguin Cafe Orchestra music, ten years after his untimely death in 1997. As of 2023, Penguin Cafe have released five critically acclaimed albums of original music, currently touring their latest album Rain Before Seven… (Erased Tapes) which has received brilliant acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, A Closer Listen, MusicOMH and many more. In 2024 and 2025 Penguin Cafe is bringing the music of the legendary Penguin Cafe Orchestra back to life, with a show featuring a collection of PCO classics, celebrating the unique sound that has captivated audiences worldwide.
“Sincerity and high craft of composition”—Mixmag
“Joyous and life affirming”— Electronic Sound
“Bouncy minimalist quavers, global folk influences and genteel surrealism. He shares his father’s talent for painting delightful scenes with limited palettes”—The Wire
“Jeffes has safeguarded the Orchestra’s broad, eccentric range of instruments, and shifts effortlessly from drones to good-natured, pastoral pleasures”(8/10) —Uncut
