ShareThe Hives performing their The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons Tour at Rock City Nottingham On Friday 29th March 2024.
Images and Review Kevin Cooper
Having been around for thirty years the Swedish rock band, The Hives, showed a sold out Rock City on Friday night that they have no intentions of slowing down as they tour their latest album, The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons.
As the lights went down, and the ninja clad technicians left the stage, the ominous funeral march played over the PA, and the band graced the stage in their black and white suits before blasting off with new song Bogus Operandi, with its high energy levels that set the bar for the rest of the show.
Following up with the anthemic Main Offender, front man Pelle encouraged the crowd to jump along with him and they happily obliged. Whist drummer Chris Dangerous kept the pace going relentlessly and guitarists Nicholaus Arson and Vigilante Carlstroem, along with bassist The Johan And Only churned out the sounds that are unmistakably The Hives, with classics such as Walk Idiot Walk, I’m Alive and Bigger Hole To Fill.
Good Samaritan is straight up garage rock and includes their now infamous stage freeze halfway through the song which is really impressive. New songs went down a treat, such as the real groover Stick Up, Two Kinds Of Trouble and Rigor Mortis Radio all which showed their gothic horror theme which is prevalent throughout the new album.
But it is Pelle who continues to steal the show with his boundless energy, which saw him jumping, leaping and dancing across the stage, all whilst belting out the band’s infectious songs with a passion. The anthemic Hate To Say I Told You So had the crowd jumping about arms aloft, and there was no respite as Trapdoor Solution showcased that pummelling Hives sound that harked back to their very early days.
Closing the main set with their latest single Countdown To Shutdown, the crowd demanded an encore which came in the form of Come On with its pounding drums, Smoke & Mirrors and an almighty version of Tick Tick Boom, showing that The Hives do not just deliver a musical performance, but a spectacular one that should not be missed.