The Hives at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Sept 6 2012. Christine Redmond photo
Photos – The Hives at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Sept 6 2012
- by Christine Redmond
The Hives kicked off a West Coast tour Thursday night in support of their new album Lex Hives. Photog Christine Redmond was there and she got some amazing photos. She said this about the show: “The Hives were amazing last night. Possibly the best show I’ve ever been to and best gig photos I’ve been lucky enough to shoot.”
The Swedish band played several North American dates earlier this year. The shows brought immense praise to the group. The Philadelphia Inquirer proclaimed “The Hives have been single-handedly saving rock and roll,” and the Washington Times stated “The Hives played the audience like a fiddle.” Similarly, MTV praised their “Superhuman capacity for consistent excellency,” and Spin anointed Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist as “one of the greatest frontmen in rock.”
Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist with The Hives at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Sept 6 2012. Christine Redmond photo
New tracks include “Go Right Ahead,” “Wait A Minute,” “Come On,” and “1000 Answers”. The band’s earlier songs include “Hate To Say I Told You So” and “Tick Tick Boom.”
Magnet said of Lex Hives, “Situated halfway between the primordial raunch ‘n’ roll of AC/DC and the primeval roar of the Stooges, Lex Hives brings a bazooka to the proverbial knife fight. Light fuse, run away.” They go on to assert, “Message: The Hives are back in business – the business, that is, of kicking motherfucking ass.”
The band’s newest album Lex Hives received praise from NME, which said “Let it be said that Lex Hives is amazing,” and Q Magazine‘s 4-star review asserted “Lex Hives fizzes with the energy of a debut album, the quintet emphatically back to what they do best.” The Independent stated, “If Lex Hives has one fault, it’s that it makes you want to switch it off, go straight out and see the Hives live,” and Entertainment Weekly added their two cents with “The Hives have returned to remind us the Swedes do it better.”
The Hives are Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Vigilante Carlstroem.
More photos of The Hives at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Sept 6 2012:
The Hives tour dates:
September 8 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (Tickets)
September 10 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater (Tickets)
September 11 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory (Tickets)
September 13 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Tickets)
September 14 – Los Angeles @ The Wiltern (Tickets)
September 16 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks (93.3 KTCL Big Gig) (Tickets)
