.::The Hives::. IMAGES Gigs: June 12, 2002 -- Bowery Ballroom in New York City, New York (USA)

June 12, 2002 -- Bowery Ballroom in New York City, New York (USA) by the Jungle 05

The last time your new favorite band toured the States, they were either the first or second band on, with only a handful of people there to witness the spectacle that is The Hives. This time around, thanks to a boom in popularity, the Swedes quickly sold out a two-night stand at the Bowery. Up first was Lookout! Records The Pattern, from California. Though they had some good energy, singer Chris seemed to be trying way too hard to put on his best Iggy Pop impersonation, and the music just wasn’t that memorable. Sweden’s Division of Laura Lee hit the stage after an introduction by Randy Fitzimmons, the man who put together The Hives. The quartet was simply dazzling in the set, despite some equipment problems. Vocalist Per, bassist Jonas and guitarist David produced a maniacal energy onstage that was awesome to watch. They played mostly tracks from the upcoming Black City album as well as some older ones before setting the stage for fellow countrymen The Hives. Lead guitarist Nicholaus Arson, rhythm guitarist Vigilante Carlstroem, bassist Dr. Matt Destruction and drummer Chris Dangerous filed onto the stage followed by vocalist Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist. The band immediately dove into "The Hives Declare Guerre Nucleaire" and "Outsmarted," from Veni, Vidi, Vicious, before playing the older "Hail, Hail Spit N’ Drool." Most of the under-an-hour set consisted of cuts from Veni, such as "Main Offender," "Die, All Right!" "A Get Together To Tear it Apart," and the single "Hate To Say I Told You So." During most Hives shows, Howlin’ Pelle is known to make outrageously hilarious sayings and statements, but those were kept to a minimum tonight. He was right on with saying that the crowd "either got tickets right away or paid hundreds of dollars for them on eBay." The band finished with "Supply and Demand," encored with the older "Here We Go Again," and left after "A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T." Despite the surprisingly violent crowd, this was indeed one of the greatest rock n’ roll shows of the year. In NYC

by Clark Collis from Blender (cheers to robnashville for typing this up) 4 out of 5 stars

Break out the bee puns: Identically dressed Swedes have come to rock your ass!

A bit of advice for anyone planning to see the Hives: Don't be late. For one thing, like many of their punk heroes, they don't play for long. This evening, those foolish enough to squeeze into New Yourk's crammed Bowery Ballroom even 10 minutes after the show starts miss a full quarter of the Hives' set. For another....well, here's what frontman Pelle Almqvist has to say:

"For those of you who just turned up: Kick out the jams, motherfucker!" the whip-thin, bug-eyed singer shouts after the Hives' first two tunes. "Wrong Decade, but still a great song!"

He's right of course. "Kick out the Jams," The MC5's frenzied call to anarchy, is a great song - though it's not one the Swedish quintet plays tonight. But then, Almqvistdoesn't worry too much about the relevance (or the coherence) of his gnomic stage pronouncements, such as "We are the Hives, from the United States of the Hives!" and "Thank you - and kiss my ass!"

This deliberate mangling of the English tongue does little to clear up the ongoing mystery over whether this sel-appointed "boy-band" - they claim a mysterious sixth Hive writes all their material - is as earnest about rock as, say the Strokes, who sound similar.

Either way, they're very good at it. From the blink-and-you-miss-it opener, they offer a master class in showmanship, with the always-in-motion Almqvist holding the spotlight. "We keep the sets short because we want to be 100 percent all the way," he tells Blender after the show. "Also, if you watch a band too long, that's not good for your hearing."

Almqvist comes off as part Mick Jagger, part Iggy Pop, part overly excitable, shouty foreign guy, and his gravity-defying micophone stand-juggling is worth the price of admission. Guitarist Nicholaus Arson, Almqvist's brother, acts as a foil up front with his swaggering-robot schtick, and seconf guitarist Vigilante Carlstroem and bassist Matt Destruction, looking like out-of-shape wrestlers, sweatily bludgeon their instruments. Even drummer Chris Dangerous gets in on the action at the end of the gig, holding his bass drum aloft and threatening to crush various fans with it.

It's a suitably barnstorming climax to a show that seems weirdest not because of the band's identical shirt-and-tie outfits, but because of their unabashed commitment to entertainment. Sure, "Here We Go Again," "Hate to Say I Told You So" and "Main Offender" are cut from the same bolt of chainsaw guitar-pop cloth. Indeed, only a snatch of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" hints that the Hives have heard any music from outside the Stooges/Ramones/Sex Pistols punk axis. But by the time their 40-minute set is finished, they've ensured that Almqvist speaks the undeniable - and uncomprehensible - truth when he announces, "You love this band! Yes, you do!"