The Hives life and biography

The Hives are a garage rock band from Fagersta, Sweden that emerged in the US and the UK in the early 2000s, but existed for nearly a decade before that, playing punk rock.

The Hives are:
“Howlin” Pelle Almqvist (vocals)
Nicholaus “Arson” Almqvist (guitar)
Mikael “Vigilante Carlstroem” Karlsson (guitar)
Mattias “Dr. Matt Destruction” Bernvall (bass)
Christian “Chris Dangerous” Grahn (drums)

The band claims that their songs are written by an honorary “sixth Hive”, Randy Fitzsimmons. Since Nicholaus Almqvist can be found listed under the pseudonym Randy Fitzsimmons in the archives of STIM (the Swedish equivalent of the Performing Right Society) many believe Fitzsimmons is ‘fictional’. (Nicholaus Almqvist vehemently denies this.) The band are also known for their energetic live performances, with Howlin’ Pelle running around stage and saying outrageous things, and with everyone strictly dressed in black and white.

Born almost two decades ago in 1993 in Fagersta, Sweden, The Hives have long been a rock 'n' roll force to be reckoned with. Their debut, 1997's "Barely Legal", shot thru the punk community like a runaway locomotive, with faster-than-fast blistering punk that had the punks cheering and raising bottles and cans, but left most of the mainstream going, "Oh... well... uhm what?" With 2000's more studio-wise "Veni Vidi Vicious", and the UK smash "Your New Favourite Band" (a compilation of songs from "Barely Legal", "VVV" and the "a.k.a I-D-I-O-T" EP), however, The Hives wrote the book on the decade's garage-rock success together with the likes of Detroit's The White Stripes to name but one of many.

"Your New Favourite Band" even went not silver, gold or even multi-platinum, but diamond, thanks to the hits 'Hate To Say I Told You So', 'Main Offender', 'Supply And Demand' and 'Die, Alright!' These songs blew people's brains out and the boys in black and white got their first taste of radio and music television airplay. The world had crumbled and now greeted The Hives with open arms, endearing letters and red carpets, while hymns and children were produced in their honour. This black-and-white phenomenon toured constantly for three years and no-one wanted it to end, but the boys had decided to record again as they could not let go of the idea of reinventing not only rock 'n' roll but also themselves.

Their third and – as the band had decided in their early teens with the black-and-white logic (no pun intended) of zealous youths – last record – as no band to their knowledge had ever made more than three good records in a row – 2004's "Tyrannosaurus Hives", successfully patted down the earth around the flag they'd placed atop this measly globe. With further hits like the unstoppable 'Walk Idiot Walk', 'Two-Timing Touch & Broken Bones' and 'A Little More For Little You', they once again repeated the cycle – release new Hives record, conquer world by touring, repeat. And, God knows, like marauding Vikings with much better dress sense, they conquered!

With 2007's mindblower "The Black and White Album", on which they messed with the 'Hives voice' by for the first time entertaining the notion of outside influence, in the shape of music producers such as Pharrell Williams, Jacknife Lee and Dennis Herring, The Hives landed a fish so big not even Mother Earth could swallow it. The second big bang was a fact, and that, folks, was exactly what the first single/hit song from the album stated - 'Tick Tick Boom!' Once again the success cycle was repeated, and after the 400 gigs and 25 nights in hospitals that followed that record, The Hives again felt that three years on the road was sufficient. Even if they did manage to extend their live universe with visits to previously uncharted South American lands like Chile, Argentina and Brazil, they decided it was time to hit the studio again. It was time for the Big Kahuna, the Colossus of Rhodes, the greatest wonder the world had ever seen! It was time to present the laws of The Hives. It was time to write – "Lex Hives."

Perhaps having acquired a taste for working with big-shot producers on "The B&W Album", they this time decided to track down the five biggest names in popular music for the job. The names that came up? Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Vigilante Carlstroem. The five members of The Hives knew that in order to make the boat rock, one needed the ones who'll rock the boat (simple Hives logic). Said and done, The Hives curled up in their patented fetal studio position and in the next two years hunkered in the rock & roll laboratory – various laboratories, in fact, including Atlantis, RMV and Decibel in Stockholm, and legendary Hansa in Berlin – and meticulously built what now is named "Lex Hives."

Blistering proof of the band's quest can be found with the lead single, 'Go Right Ahead', gives us The Hives moving into glam-punk territory, and is the first Hives recording, together with its "Lex Hives" album mate 'Midnight Shifter,' ever to feature brass. Emerging from the glam sax-laden overdub jungle like the winners they are, The Hives come out swinging their machete guitars with a track that leaves no-one clueless as to what the message is – "PARTY like there is no tomorrow, you crazy fucks!"

As "Lex Hives" sails hot off the press along the Disques Hives conveyer belt, The Hives themselves are once more ecstatic to be alive and set free again and are readier than ready to return to the world stages – which began with an explosive appearance at this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and a return to the Jimmy Kimmel Live outdoor stage on April 23.

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