It’s been eight long years since the one and only Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and his Swedish bandmates graced us with a new album of their hook-barbed, riff-laden power-chord punk-pop. This half-hour live 2019 recording of the band, cut in the back room of Jack White’s magical musical emporium in Nashville, finally breaks that silence with seven classics and their stompy 2019 comeback single I’m Alive. I could say it’s all you need to get by, but the truth is baby, that’s a lie. In fact, to be honest, the band sound kind of rusty and rough around the edges at points. Hate to say I told you so. On the plus side, it will remind you how much you love these unrepentantly cheesy hams — and how badly they need to make a new studio album already.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Third Man Records, as a record label that makes a specialty of 7″ pressings and live recordings from its famous Blue Room in Nashville, is excited to announce the direct-to-acetate recording The Hives: Live At Third Man Records. ”We’d been talking forever about doing a show in The Blue Room,” the band says. “Feels good when words are put into action and that action — like always with The Hives — is Rock ’n’ Roll perfection.”
In celebration of their string of sold-out dates in the U.S. last year, The Hives kicked things off in Nashville and blew up the Blue Room. The band incited full arena-pit pogo energy, busting out career-spanning hits from Tick Tick Boom to the unforgettable, fresh-as-ever Hate To Say I Told You So. The evening began with the buzz of the band’s neatly-penned neon backdrop: all cool, sleek and electrified. The Hives then breezed into the room in smartly-tailored white dinner jackets, looking like RNR double-O agents, erupting right into a 1-2 punch of Come On! and Walk Idiot Walk. And for the rest of the set, the band didn’t miss a beat. It all felt like a rare moment of full attention and participation, something that we miss so badly in a time when live shows just aren’t an option.
It’s been said before and we’ll say it again: The Hives are one of the best live bands in the rock ’n’ roll game. This album is proof.”
