Live Review: The Hives - The Garage, London 13/06/2023
The Hives brought their brand of Swedish garage rock back after a two-decade gap to The Garage. Makes sense, right?
The Swedish five piece are in the country playing festivals and small shows. They’re supporting the Arctic Monkeys less than 15 minutes-walk away at the Emirates Stadium on the weekend. They deserve to be playing big venues, huge spaces, but also, there’s some very special about seeing them in very small places too, like this 600-capacity room. Howlin’ Pelle claimed it had been “sold out since the Tudor era”.
Just after 9PM, there was the blast of the third movement of ‘Piano Sonata No 2’ - a Funeral March from 1840. Then we went from Chopin to chopping – an easy way to visualise the intense ferocity of The Hives. Four band members walk on stage in their trademark black and white suits, before being joined by the frontman Howlin’ Pelle. Any description fails to do him justice. He frequently amps up an audience than needs no instruction. He leads with venom. He’s a bundle of fun, doing high kicks with wild energy. You can’t take your eyes off him. He’s an anti-hero you’re tuned to love, like a leading man in a hard-hitting American TV mini-series.
The first song was ‘Bogus Operandi’, the lead release from August’s ‘The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons’. After 11 years without an album, there can be trepidation from fans about new material. The audience sang the first chorus straight at the band. I think they might be alright.
Howlin’ Pelle admits the band has been around the block. This intimate gathering came under the banner ’30 Years of The Garage’. History was always part of it, tearing menacingly through ‘Main Offender’ and ‘Walk Idiot Walk’, tracks that have carried the band for years and still pack a punch.
‘Good Samaritan’, a 2019 single, is a barnstormer of a song, one of the highlights of the night, and it had an extended cheer break, which worked. They’re also suckers for repetition, with Howlin’ Pelle confirming “We repeat the title a lot” after a fun rendition of ‘Go Right Ahead’.
But they contend with the future too – five songs from their forthcoming record were played. After racing through ‘Stick Up’, Howlin’ Pelle hailed it the “song of the year”. Will it be the anthem of 2023? That’s doubtful, but it’s still decent. This kind of bravado could feel out of place, but not for The Hives.
He addresses the room loudly. “Who are your favourite band? Is it based on facts? Damn right it is.” (You can imagine how the audience responded.) It’s been 22 years since they released ‘Your New Favourite Band’, and they’re still earning positive responses.
If The Hives were purely one-hit wonders, it would be an experience to see them just for the live thrill of ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’. Maybe they’ll never shake off that one song as their legacy, but that’s okay. It’s still insane, causing a huge commotion. The band played it seamlessly into a new song, ‘Trapdoor Solution’. This quintet love to be obtuse in everything.
It’s hot, it’s sticky, but it’s good. That’s all that matters. “I want to see you sweat”, Howlin’ Pelle joked with the crowd. They would have done in winter, throwing themselves around, dancing, moshing.
The frontman loves to repeat his catchphrase - “Ladies. Gentlemen. Ladies and Gentlemen” - with each line punctuated with rapturous cheers. The repetition could be a risk, but they make it feel fresh. Twice, he said “we’ve reached the point in the show where I have no idea what I’m talking about.” The crowd loved it regardless.
Howlin’ Pelle takes nothing away from the showmanship of the rest of the band. Drummer Chris Dangerous twirled his drumsticks with glee, while keeping the show in check, along with The Johan And Only on bass. Nicholaus Arson and Vigilante Carlstreom sang backing vocals, competing with the audience throughout. It’s all theatrical - the attire (“five people in ridiculous suits”, Howlin’ Pelle joked), the ninja-esque techs, and the genuine energy radiating from the stage at every turn.
The show ended with ‘Countdown to Shutdown’, the new single unleashed on the world “just hours ago”, with a new music video. It’s as chaotic as the rest of The Hives, with Howlin’ Pelle’s shirt briefly opening up to reveal his chest. Another slice of the punk-esque rock this group do best.
They briefly disappear, returning for the one-two punch encore, ‘Come On!’ and ‘Tick Tick Boom’. In the latter, Howlin’ Pelle ventured forth to the sound desk in the middle. He heckled those by the back bar “cowards” for eschewing the carnage down the front. Then there’s more call-and-response vocals with the fans, before he ran back to the stage for the chaotic conclusion.
It’s only an hour from Chopin to the band’s final bows, but it’s relentless. It promotes their new record – if it doesn’t do well for them, nothing will. They’re promising new dates, almost certainly in places much less intimate than The Garage. They’ll bring the garage rock with them though. And the energy. And the suits. Maybe in a cooler climate, there’ll be fewer people shaking their sweat-drenched clothes after the show. Maybe not; this is The Hives, after all.
Words by Samuel Draper
Photography by Abigail Shii
