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The Hives

The Hives

The Hives are a Swedish rock band formed in Fagersta in 1993. After gaining traction in Sweden through the 1990s, they rose to worldwide prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. The band's line-up—consisting of Howlin' Pelle Almqvist (vocals), Nicholaus Arson (lead guitar, backing vocals), Vigilante Carlstroem (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dr. Matt Destruction (bass), and Chris Dangerous (drums)—remained unchanged from 1993 until 2013, when Matt Destruction retired for health reasons and was replaced by The Johan and Only.

The Hives have released six studio albums: Barely Legal (1997), Veni Vidi Vicious (2000), Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004), The Black and White Album (2007), Lex Hives (2012), and The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (2023). They have also released the compilation album Your New Favourite Band (2001), the live DVD Tussles in Brussels (2005), and the live album Live at Third Man Records (2020). Their mainstream success came with the release of Veni Vidi Vicious and its single "Hate to Say I Told You So", considered their signature song. They are known for always dressing in matching black-and-white tuxedos and for their energetic and eccentric live shows, with critics hailing them as one of the best live rock bands of the last two decades.

Albums

1997 Barely Legal
2000 Veni Vidi Vicious
2004 Tyrannosaurus Hives
2007 The Black and White Album
2012 Lex Hives
2023 The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
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Latest Articles

Reviews / Live
Live Review: The Hives
We applaud madly as our heroes (plus one substitute) take their final bows and once again vow to never miss an opportunity to catch this ridiculously entertaining band live.
News / Music
The Hives Confirm Melbourne Big Day Out Sideshow
Just the one headline date for the garage rock showmen
Features / Music
Here Comes The Buzz
"We’re ecstatic. I think we thought about it for maybe half a second before we decided to do it. They had a good day at the Big Day Out office that day."
News / Music
How The Hives Got Cyndi Lauper To Go ‘Down On Your Mother’
A Christmas tale with a musical twist
News / Music
The Hives
The Hives Lose $2.8 Million To The Cardigans
The two Swedish parties have come to the end of their court battle.
Reviews / Live
Live Review: The Hives & Dune Rats
As Almqvist parts the crowd and sits us all down during closer Tick Tick Boom, he takes the time once again to review his own show, humbly giving it 1000 out of five. No arguments here.
Reviews / Live
Live Review: The Hives & Dune Rats
The enormous and inevitable Tick Tick Boom got stretched, community sing-a-longed and halted for band introductions, before coming back louder than God.
Reviews / Live
Live Review: The Hives & Dune Rats
The Hives don’t get due recognition for being one of the most entertaining live experiences in rock’n’roll.
Features / Music
He's On Fire
When you work with new producers you get tons and tons of new ideas. You get to steal all their best ideas. It felt like we had a pretty firm idea of how we wanted to make the (Lex Hives) record.
Features / Music
The Hives
The Bees Knees
"For The Hives, the bar has to be set very high when we go out jumping. We only aim for the world record. We don’t really go out jumping for fun.”
News / Music
WIN: Massive The Hives Prize Pack
Vinyl, t-shirt, tickets... the works, really. Full spread.
News / Music
The Hives
The Hives Tapped Into Josh Homme’s ‘Cosmic Flow’
When Swedish kings meet an American God