It’s the first real day of spring in London, and crowds seem to flock in thousands to Hammersmith station, sharply dressed in black and white. There is only one good reason for this type of migration: we are all on our way to see famed Swedish rock outfit The Hives perform at the Hammersmith Apollo as part of the UK tour for the release of their latest (and soon award-winning) album The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons.
This time, we start early at The Distillers (the local Hammersmith Fullers pub) where we meet The Hive Fives who are part of The Hives’s official franchise contest. This franchise is a very simple concept encouraging people to form a Hives cover band and perform, celebrating our favourite band (if you say you don’t like The Hives, you are lying to yourself) all over the world. The Hive Fives are rocking out in the upstairs function room, together with dozens of other Hives fans taking turns on stage for the karaoke, while official merch is being sold downstairs. The pre-party ends with a cover of Hate To Say I Told You So sung by 10-year-old rockstar Owen. He has as much stage presence as The Hives’ own Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and loves to show it by jumping around and rolling on the floor, putting us all to shame. He’s clearly no stranger to this, as he is the leader of another official franchise band called The Main Offenders, with his dad on the bass and his little brother on the drums
The Hive Fives @ The Distillers W6, London - 2024.04.13
The party continues 200 metres up the road at the Hammersmith Apollo. Announced as sold-out, we can tell the house is going to be packed and we love the venue’s decor and stage set up. Bad Nerves open the show. If, like me, you were born too late to see the Ramones, you’re in luck as Bad Nerves sound and look a lot like the Ramones … if they came from Essex! They deliver a short but explosive power punk set, starting most songs with the classic “1-2-3-4” with barely any breaks between the songs. Singer Bobby Nerves tells the crowd “we nearly quit, but it is our destiny to be the second best band in the world”, and you best believe they are well on their way to fulfilling their destiny! Every song sounds like it could become a hit soon, particularly Don’t Stop, Baby Drummer and Can’t Be Mine. They even treat us with “fast and loud songs we’d never heard before”, and leave us begging for more. This is exactly what was needed to prepare for the chaos that was about to ensue.
Bad Nerves @ Eventim Apollo, London - 2024.04.13
The Hives returned with an explosive bang a little less than a year ago with the release of their new single Bogus Operandi, and subsequently their brand new album: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. It was the first record from the five-piece in over a decade and we welcome them on the Hammersmith stage like old friends tonight. Marching in to the tune of Chopin’s famous funeral march before breaking all hell loose with Bogus Operandi, Main Offender and Take Back The Toys. You can’t miss them, as the big lit-up letters behind them spell H-I-V-E-S in bright white (and sometimes red) light. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist owns the audience and when Howlin’ Pelle tells us to scream, you bet we scream. This show is performed with such finesse and precision, like the best oiled machine you’ll ever see. Their ferocious energy is contagious as ever!
The Hives @ Eventim Apollo, London - 2024.04.13
We love hearing their new tracks and they already sound familiar for a lot of us (hands up if The Hives were first on your Spotify Wrapped?) as the crowd noticeably sings along to new album cuts Two Kinds Of Trouble and Rigor Mortis Radio. Then it’s back to basics with Walk, Idiot, Walk from Tyrannosaurus Hives. But no one is going to feel left out tonight, and they manage to include the best songs from almost each album, coming back to Lex Hives with Go Right Ahead. Howlin’ Pelle’s stage antics take a much bigger form on a massive stage like the Apollo, and his microphone flies around the room like there’s no tomorrow while Nicholaus Arson moves with the crowd, giving us his signature death stares. Stick Up comes on, quickly followed by classic Hate To Say I Told You So. Howlin’ Pelle takes a short break to catch his breath to ask us “ladies, gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen and everybody else… Do you feel alive?”… Sir, we have never felt so alive! We shout back. “Coincidentally, this song is called I’m Alive” he continues, in his distinctive dry tone of voice.
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The Hives @ Hammersmith Apollo, London (Pauline Di Silvestro)
Howlin’ Pelle’s command of the crowd remains impeccable throughout the show. In the last year, we’ve seen him command small venues like The Fleece in Bristol, massive stadiums while touring with Arctic Monkeys and even owning Glastonbury Festival’s Other Stage. They’ve travelled the world and know exactly what to do to get us to do whatever they like. Bigger Hole To Fill is a surprise, this isn’t a track we’re used to hearing live, and it feels so good. They keep surprising us with Try It Again, aka the catchiest song in the universe (The Black & White Album might be my favourite!), and Countdown To Shutdown to see us through to the encore. It felt like decades before Chris Dangerous returns to the stage to greet the crowd before hitting the unmistakable drumbeat of Come On. Smoke & Mirrors from their latest record and Tick Tick Boom close the show and, while we all try to understand what just happened to us, you can’t help but smile as Carly Simon’s classic Bond tune Nobody Does It Better rings out across the PA. But I’ll tell you what happened… Not only did we just witness The Hives on stage, but we witnessed The Hives on stage in London playing one of their best shows ever… But then again, that’s something I say every time I see The Hives. Don’t we all?
Live review & photography of The Hives @ Hammersmith Apollo, London on 13th April 2024 by Pauline Di Silvestro
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