I have to say, I do love Brixton Academy – the sound, the architecture, the bar and the sloped floor all contribute to a great gig before any band have even taken to the stage… the buzz at the venue is something special and given the Hives are a band that haven’t been in the limelight much lately they’ve still managed to draw in a near sold out crowd for this evening.
The main support tonight though were New York based We Are Scientists and their indie rock, which although pretty good is at the same time fairly mediocre and as for their onstage banter, well it soon became all rather awkward with only the die-hard fans finding the punchline.
This in turn distracted from the music, what with it being a support slot rather than their own gig and as such even the likes of “the Great Escape” and “Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt” with their catchy hooks didn’t seem to gain the Scientists any new fans leaving the crowd longing ever more for the headliners.
So enter the Hives and straight from the word go this was on another level to the openers, drummer Chris Dangerous starting to pound the kit before giving himself a chance to get comfortable as he was closely followed by the rest of the band along with charismatic frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist.
The set started with “Come On” closely followed by “Take Back the Toys”, two of several tracks from the self-titled album and the Hives were ready to entertain. “Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones” and “Walk Idiot Walk” were next and already showing just how many catchy numbers they have with each tune instantly recognisable.
There’s something endearing about Howlin’ Pelle, his ability to interact with the crowd whilst going off on a complete tangent still manages to be highly amusing as he continuingly engages the audience… he may well be full of himself for comedy affect but that’s part of the appeal as “Main Offender” and “Try it Again” have the crowd eating out the palm of his hand as he insists everyone show their appreciation for the band.
Visually the Hives have great stage presence, all dressed in black and white as the roadies also join in the fun dressed as ninja’s and ready to run on stage to pick up microphone stands, whilst adding the occasional bit of percussion to the odd song here and there – although they did miss the opportunity to help guitarist Nicholas Arson to his feet after a comedy slip up.
It’s near impossible to pick a highlight from this evenings performance as there seems to be one at every corner, another sing-a-long in “Go Right Ahead” precedes the frantic “These Spectacles Reveal the Nostalgics” before an extended version of “Tick Tick Boom” has the band carry out their trademark musical statues mid song and once again the roadies step up to swap instruments as the musicians remain static.
It was an epic gig with the obligatory encore bringing another couple of tracks from “Lex Hives” before ending on the classic “Hate to Say I Told you so” which itself shows us just why Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist can be so confident – it’s because he’s right, the Hives are a fantastic band both on record and as an energetic live outfit who never disappoint.
