The Hives Forever Forever The Hives At Here At Outernet

by | Sep 8, 2025

Tonight was one of five UK album launch shows for The Hives’ seventh LP: The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, staged at one of London’s newest venues, Here at Outernet. Built deep below Charing Cross Road, the room feels more like a bunker than a gig space — all the hospitality of a bomb shelter without the grit or charm of the old Astoria that once stood across the street. Comparable in size but lacking in atmosphere, it was nevertheless packed wall-to-wall with 2,000 eager Hives fans.

The Hives @ Here at Outernet, London, 2025.09.02 - © Pauline Di Silvestro

The Hives @ Here at Outernet, London, 2025.09.02 - © Pauline Di Silvestro
The Hives @ Here at Outernet, London, 2025.09.02 - © Pauline Di Silvestro

The red carpet photo ops were over long before the Swedes finally took the stage at 8:20pm, striding out in their trademark matching suits. The five-piece garage-rockers opened with Enough Is Enough, frontman Pelle Almqvist instantly whipping the crowd into a frenzy with chants and call-and-response. He needn’t have worried — the audience was already fully on board, while brother Nicholaus Arson’s jagged riffs confirmed exactly who we were here for. After a rousing round of the band’s title-chant — The Hives Forever Forever The Hives — they tore into Main Offender, one of their most beloved hits, and the floor went wild.

New album cut Paint A Picture followed, sounding like a classic Hives anthem complete with a huge singalong chorus and Chris Dangerous’s rock-solid drumming. Mid-song, the band froze in tableau for 30 seconds, quite literally “painting a picture,” before slamming back into the track. Bogus Operandi, from The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, came next, with Pelle spitting lines across a thunderous bassline from The Johan And Only. Oddly, Pelle suggested they were already nearing the end of their set — a surprise given how early it still was.

That claim was brushed aside by the juggernaut that is Hate To Say I Told You So. Still as potent as it was in the ’90s, it drew the biggest mosh pit of the night, every voice in the venue bellowing the chorus. They stayed with the new album for O.C.D.O.D., its scrappy defiance perfectly in line with a band who have stuck firmly to their blueprint. The track came alive in a snarling guitar duel between Nicholaus Arson and Vigilante Carlstroem.

Pelle, ever the showman, teased time running short before unleashing a roaring Tick Tick Tick. He quipped about the venue feeling “a little German” and reminisced about The Astoria before launching into Legalize Living, a barbed critique of senseless laws that restrict freedom worldwide.

Another long chant of The Hives Forever Forever The Hives introduced the title track itself, complete with playful breakdowns and reprises. But after just 45 minutes, the band left the stage, and while the audience dutifully chanted for more, the response felt muted until Chris Dangerous re-emerged to coax the crowd into full volume.

The encore began with Come On before the band lit into Born A Rebel, ramping energy back up. Pelle continued to blame the venue for an early finish, before Countdown To Shutdown wrapped things up — a perfect closer delivered far too soon. After only about 55 minutes on stage (including a five-minute break before the encore), the band bid farewell, leaving many fans bewildered at the short running time.

There’s no doubt that The Hives remain one of the greatest live acts around: sharp, stylish, and relentlessly entertaining. But on this occasion, their decision to deliver a sub-hour headline set felt like a disservice to the 2,000 loyal fans who had packed out the venue. If anything was made clear tonight, it’s that The Hives should be treating audiences to the 90-minute barnstormers they’re more than capable of.

Live review of The Hives @ Here at Outernet, London by Simon Phillips on 2nd September 2025. Photography by Pauline Di Silvestro.

Fourmarks And Koyo light Up A Water Rats Showcase

Ash @ Scala (Kalpesh Patel)

Ash Share Video for ‘Ad Astra’ Featuring Graham Coxon

Northern Irish alt-rock stalwarts Ash have shared the video for their latest single Ad Astra, featuring Blur’s Graham Coxon, taken from their brand-new album of the same name — out now on Fierce Panda Records.

Karin Ann (Press)

Karin Ann Teams Up With Suki Waterhouse For Heart-Stirring New Single ‘i was never yours’

Slovak singer-songwriter Karin Ann has unveiled her stunning new single, i was never yours, marking an evolution in sound and storytelling for the rapidly rising artist. The track — co-written with Suki Waterhouse and Harrison Whitford (Phoebe Bridgers) and produced by Benjamin Lazar Davis (Maya Hawke) — finds Karin blending folk, country, and indie rock into a sound that feels both intimate and cinematic.

Amy Macdonald (Olivia Rose)

Amy Macdonald Shares Empowering New Single ‘I’m Done (Games That You Play)’

Amy Macdonald continues her remarkable run as one of the UK’s most enduring singer-songwriters with the release of her...
Blair Davie (Press)

Blair Davie Unveil Deeply Personal New EP ‘First And Last’

Scottish singer-songwriter Blair Davie has released their highly anticipated new EP, First And Last, via Giant Music —...
Joyce Manor (Dan Monick)

Joyce Manor Announce New Album ‘I Used To Go To This Bar’ Alongside Lead Single ‘Well, Whatever It Was’

California punk favourites Joyce Manor have announced details of their upcoming album I Used To Go To This Bar, due for release on 30th January 2026 via Epitaph Records. The band have also shared the lead single Well, Whatever It Was, accompanied by a chaotic and comedic Lance Bangs–directed music video that riffs on The Great British Bake Off, featuring cameos from comedians and musicians playing UK rock icons.

Third Eye Blind @ Islington Assembly Hall (Kalpesh Patel)

Third Eye Blind Bring Chaos, Charm And Catharsis To London’s Islington Assembly Hall

An ominous, synth-driven hum filled the room at Islington Assembly Hall, a restless Thursday night crowd buzzing beneath it. Then — silence. A heartbeat later, the guitars of Thanks A Lot burst to life as Stephen Jenkins strode onto the stage in crisp white trousers and a beanie, his guitar hung low, his every movement theatrical. The room erupted. Without a word, Third Eye Blind were off and running — all muscle, melody and memory.

Darius Rucker @ Utilita Arena Birmingham (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Country Spirit Soars As Darius Rucker Brings Nashville Energy To Birmingham

It was a night of country music highs at the Utilita Arena Birmingham as Darius Rucker brought his unmistakable voice and charisma to the city. The South Carolina-born star has long been a bridge between country traditions and mainstream appeal, and his stop in Birmingham underlined why he remains one of the genre’s most enduring figures. Before the headline act took the stage, the crowd was treated to a journey through some of country’s brightest stars, each setting the mood in their own way.

Fickle Friends (Daniel Alexander Harris)

Fickle Friends Bottle The Chaos Of New Love On Single ‘Joe’ Ahead Of Self-Titled Album

Brighton indie-pop favourites Fickle Friends have unveiled their latest single Joe, a bold and chaotic anthem that...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing