The Hives

Whenever The Hives play a festival one thing is for sure – more people turn up hating the band and wanting to bottle them than cheer for them. If that’s the case then why are they booked year after year by different festivals?

Managing to get a feeble portion of the crowd to chant “The Hives”, the request for it to be followed by “We Love” is ignored and booed by large portions of the crowd. This, however, is where The Hives come in to their own. After winning the crowd over slightly through their performance, The Hives’ front-man Pelle Almqvist starts to gradually work the whole crowd round to The Hives’ way of thinking.

Where as other bands requiring cheers before continuing to play may seem arrogant and big-headed – that, for some reason, isn’t the case with The Hives who somehow manage to get the whole crowd on side and laughing along with their jokes. Pelle may joke that they are gods, but the crowd control that they possess is nothing short of godly in terms of rock.

Music seems to come second to The Hives and is shadowed by their performance – but it shouldn’t be. Whilst some of it may reek slightly of mature cheddar, it’s no more cheesy than their sense of dress or the performance itself – it all works together; and it works well.

Another Hives’ set two years on from their last Leeds Festival appearance and, once again, all the non-believers have been concerted.

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