LIVE REVIEW: The Hives, Metro Theatre Sydney

If you’ve ever seen THE HIVES live or even remotely know how they mingle with their audience, yet you missed out on their latest Australian visit, you must be pretty damn jelly. It’s okay though, we're here for you. Live the experience vicariously through us!

They’ve just come back from rocking the thousands at both Lorne and Marion Bay for The Falls Music And Arts Festival, as well as Busselton’s Southbound. Stepping out of festival mode, they played The Tivoli in Brisbane on Wednesday, as well as Melbourne’s The Forum on Sunday. To conclude this Australian visit, they completed their East Coast journey by stopping off at Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Monday, 7^th January. Man, it really didn’t feel like a Monday!

Although an all ages show, they floor was mainly occupied by an audience sporting orange wristbands; running to and from the bar in between sets.

Australia’s very own DUNE RATS were the lucky support slot for the East Coast tour. Pulling away from the usual performance set up with the drum kit sitting up the back, BC was positioned parallel to Danny Beus, with their mates Brad Heald (Red Riders, The Vines) on guitar and Brett Jansch (the live drummer for Bleeding Knees Club and Wax Witches) slapping da bass.

Playing tracks from their EPs Social Atoms, Sexy Beach and Fuck It, the boys were having super rad fun times up on stage, exchanging laughs and calling each other cunts out of nothing but endearment. They performed their own take of Violent Femmes’ ‘Blister In The Sun’ and left us keen for The Hives with ‘Ratbags’.

As the intermission music faded out, the lighting followed suit. The crowd were wooing, patiently waiting for the Swedish outfit to grace the stage. Although this was all quite a tease – some dark, recorded piano lines hummed out of the speakers, accompanied visually by a dim spotlight and a smokey haze flooding the stage’s space against the giant backdrop.

Before this dragged on for too long, five men in tuxedos and top hats presented themselves, immediately ripping into their track ‘Come On!’ With bodies jumping and sweating already, The Hives already had their way with their crowd just from the first song of the set!

After ‘Try It Again’, Howlin’ Pelle reminded us all of Sydney’s upcoming weather forecast. However, he shed some new light on the sun’s reason for being so feisty, “Tomorrow’s going to be the hottest day in 50 years of Sydney and The Hives are in town. Coincidence? I think not.” Judging by the sweat that me and my fellow Hivers were doused in, it’s safe to say that the sun had already shone its scorching rays through the Metro Theatre.

The gents went on to play some more killer tracks from their expansive catalogue; including ‘Walk Idiot Walk’, ‘My Time Is Coming’ and ‘Wait A Minute’.

Before heading off stage, Pelle explained that the Australian Government had supposedly threatened The Hives with, “You can’t play for more than one hour or we will stab you.”

Cheeky.

With a hit the crowd had been beckoning for all night yet to be played and the ninja roadies not so subtly tuning up the guitars, it was obvious that we were soon to be rekindled with the presence of Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction and Vigilante Carlstroem (all those names are genuine and can be found on their birth certificates).

Giving us three more songs, the five piece finished up with ‘Tick, Tick Boom’. This involved the dudes freezing in their positions mid song, which was quite a contrast to the waving arms and bodies before them. Soon after, Pelle “hypnotized” the crowd, ordering that everyone would find themselves a place to sit on the floor of the Metro.

Those who were too top shit to participate continued standing. During their arrogance, they found flying cups of beer and rubbish heading their way.

After a few minutes of leg resting, all were ordered to jump up and enjoy the remainder of the hit. I’ll have you know everyone went batshit crazy.

Having already flown back home to Sweden, make sure you catch The Hives the next time they’re in your town. They are the shit.

Words by Hannah Galvin.

CHECK OUT OUR FLASHBACK OF THE HIVES HERE