Live Review: The Hives & Dune Rats

The self-proclaimed 'greatest rock'n'roll band in the world' arrived in matching top hats and tails. Said hats, jackets, vests and ties were pretty much discarded, sweat-soaked, somewhere between two and four songs in. Boys and girls, a night with The Hives.

From another sartorial universe, Dune Rats sported the frayed jeans uniform that intersects surf, suburbia and play-fast punk. The Rats' core duo now extends to a four-piece at times. They gave us a gloriously sloppy and slurred run at Blister In The Sun – and really, do you know the words between the choruses? Of course you don't. They had fun, and racked off before they got annoying.

But, from the moment drummer Chris Dangerous strolled on and flailed into Come On! – the perfect simplistic call to arms – The Hives just kept coming at you. Sure, they are a cartoon, but the trick is, they can actually play, with big loud garage anthems coming one after another – Idiot Walk, Wait A Minute, My Time Is Coming.

Centring the maelstrom, the man known as Howlin' Pelle. Mr Almqvist was in charge. He ordered us to clap – we did. Clap louder – we did. Wave your hands in the air. We even fanned him “because The Hives are a magnet for the heat of the world!” Of course. And while most any band can get you to stand up, Pelle instructed the crowd to “sit down”. That we did this without much hesitation is something – have you seen a floor after a gig? The Hives' surprise song – “because you are special, Sydney!” – was the not-often-played Bigger Hole To Fill, which aptly dovetailed into a champagne-soaked farewell for one of their ninja-clad roadies. Pelle then declaimed in a Stockholm-via-Atlanta accent: 'The bad news is this is our last song. The good news: IT RULES!' Patrolling Days roared.

But they rewarded our enthusiasm with encores. If Go Right Ahead is related to Don't Bring Me Down, as Jeff Lynne's lawyers claim, it's The Hulk to ELO's Bruce Banner. The enormous and inevitable Tick Tick Boom got stretched, community sing-a-longed and halted for band introductions, before coming back louder than God. They can still be your favourite band.