Says here that we are undis-puu-ted icons of rock and roll.” Niklas Almqvist, lead guitarist of Sweden’s punky export The Hives, is reading aloud from a promo sticker on the vinyl cover of the band’s latest record, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. “Returning with a colossal album…” he continues. His younger brother, frontman and vocalist Pelle, turns to me and, in a similarly round Swedish accent, jokes: “You should print that.”
It’s not a stretch by any means. Together with The White Stripes and The Strokes, The Hives were torchbearers of rock’s turn-of-the-century revival. Across five albums and 15 years, their hits have been plenty: propulsive, petulant numbers delivered with a cocked hip and a hand clap. Their churning garage-rock anthem “Hate to Say I Told You So” spent eight weeks in the charts when their second album Veni Vidi Vicious was reissued in the UK in 2002. Reminiscent of the Ramones’ powder-keg energy and shiny polish, the song instantly set them apart from their moodier peers of the era. Their high-octane, high-kicking performances helped too. The Hives were there to have fun.
