The Hives

The Hives were formed in Fagersta — a steel mill town of 12,000 people — in 1993, by brothers Pelle and Niklas Almqvist along with three friends who all adopted stage names: Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction and Chris Dangerous. The name “Hives” was chosen because the drummer had found the word for the skin condition in a dictionary, and the band thought it fit: they irritate people, they get under your skin. Debut album Barely Legal arrived in 1997, but it was Veni Vidi Vicious in 2000 and the single “Hate to Say I Told You So” that set the world on fire. In the middle of the garage rock wave alongside The White Stripes and The Strokes, The Hives became one of the biggest names in the movement. Seven studio albums have followed, most recently The Hives Forever Forever The Hives in 2025, recorded in Benny Andersson’s studio with Mike D of the Beastie Boys as co-producer. Every song is officially credited to the mysterious Randy Fitzsimmons — a figure no one has ever seen, but whom the band insists is entirely real.

The music is garage rock distilled to its purest form: raw, fast, loud and insanely catchy. The Hives have never tried to be anything other than what they are, and Pelle Almqvist has compared the band to sharks — they have been the same for millions of years because nothing can beat them. The riffs are brutal and sophisticated at the same time, the melodies burrow in after a single listen, and songs like “Hate to Say I Told You So”, “Tick Tick Boom”, “Walk Idiot Walk” and “Come On” have become the canonised anthems of garage rock.

Live, The Hives are in a league of their own. Dressed in matching black-and-white suits — never the same outfit two tours running — they deliver shows routinely described as among the best in modern rock. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist is a frontman who treats the stage as if it belongs to him personally, with an energy and confidence that balances between charm and madness. It is rock’n’roll stripped to the essentials: five men, an untamed drive, and an unshakeable conviction that they are the greatest band in the world. The most annoying part is that it’s hard to argue with them.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​