The Hives taught Berlin how to rock again on September 21st, 2023. There are energetic impressions here!
When the so-called “The” bands flooded the indie scene in the noughties, they were Swedish The Hives right at the forefront. No shitty indie disco can do without the classics “Won’t be Long”, “Hate To Say I Told You So” and “Tick Tick Boom”, which bring down even the most meticulously styled bangs right from the intro. The gentlemen from Fagersta have never been in a hurry to release new music, but eleven years between LEX HIVES in 2012 and the current full-length THE DEATH OF RANDY FITZSIMMONS is a damn long time even for the indie rockers. Now the record is finally here, so it has to be presented live. And so the men went out in their black and white tailored suits to teach us how to rock.
Their reputation as one of the best live bands precedes The Hives and so it’s hardly surprising that the picturesque Huxleys in Berlin Neukölln is completely sold out.
After two strong performances from the opening acts Bratakus (Scottish female punk rock) and Yikes (Swedish electro punk), the audience gets ready for the full blast of rock’n’roll. And she should get it.
Let’s jump!
At twenty past nine the garage rockers start straight away with a song from the new record and open the series with Bogus Operandi. Singer Howlin’ Pelle’s energy level is at 120, he spins around, jumps up and takes up all the space on the stage. But that’s not enough for him and so he seeks direct contact with the audience right from the start. There is a small staircase available especially for this purpose, which leads from the stage to the barrier. Cheered on by his fans, he enjoys bathing in the crowd. This game is repeated a dozen times during the concert and guitarist Nicholas Arson does the same. Howlin’ Pelle is a little more careful today with his microphone, which he traditionally swings like a lasso along with the cable. However, this has already led to a bloody injury in the past, which, although dramatically impressive, must be avoided in the future.
Close to people
Over the course of the evening, no hit goes unnoticed and no T-shirt stays dry. The sweat not only flows on the stage, but also in front of the stage, as the audience can hardly escape the Swedes’ charisma and ecstatically sings hits like “Walk, Idiot, Walk” and “Good Samaritan”. In addition to the disco hits already mentioned at the beginning, the Howlin’ Pelle announcements are also a highlight. Without any shyness or modesty, he lets Berlin know who and what The Hives are: One of the biggest bands on the planet and here to stay. There is still time for the important things in life, such as reuniting a found ID card with the rightful owner. A little chat with the fans is also part of it and in the end that sets The Hives apart from the timed ego shows of some colleagues: if not close to the musical zeitgeist, then always close to the people. This is also reflected in the fact that Pelle tries to speak German as often as possible. From the obligatory “Ladies. And gentlemen. Ladies and Gentlemen” becomes “Ladies. Gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen. And everyone else,” which is well received by the audience.
Energy to take with you
The Hives are not a rumbling band either and so a good sound rounds off the concert experience. Drummer Chris Dangerous twirls his sticks around, sometimes leaving his drum kit to see for himself the mood in the audience, bassist The Johan and Only makes faces and squirms, while guitarist Vigilante Carlstroem works his instrument with his legs apart. What energy these fab five exude! In the end, it will be 70 minutes including encores that the Swedes will allow their fans. But they’re also enough to work out. The evening ends bombastically with the smash hit “Tick Tick Boom”.
Yes, The Hives still sound like they did 25 years ago, yes, the new record is not musically innovative. But The Hives are fun and do a good job – it’s not for nothing that the tour is almost sold out. For a short evening, the band takes their audience into a parallel world in which all problems can be solved through driving beats and wild fidgeting. And we all need that from time to time.