The Hives Bio
Ahh... The Hives... where do I begin...
In 1993, 5 adolescents in the small industrial town of Fagersta, Sweden each receive a letter with a time and place. A year later they, led by the genius of a Mr. Randy Fitzsimmons, begin to appear in various public places in and around Fagersta. The response is one of confusion, excitement and contempt. In the year 1995 word had spread throughout the middle part of Sweden. These kids with strange haircuts play really fast and short sets that sometimes just fall apart in arguments and sometimes are pure magic to witness. Record company exec. Peter Ahlqvist hears of this. He is intrigued but a bit uncertain, as he doesn't really know what to make of them. He decides however that he can release them on a side label to minimize damage to his own label Burning Heart, if these young men would enter the studio on one of their infamous bad days.
Said and done, in 1996 a mini-CD aptly
titled "Oh Lord! When?How?" Is released and the smell of talent happening is in the air. People all over the world are overwhelmed and startled by how fresh and exciting this sounds. Meanwhile, the Hives and Mr. Fitzsimmons are already looking for a new sound and find it. They begin to plan a debut album. Peter Ahlqvist, impressed with the Hives and everything around them decide to move them up a notch to Burning Heart.
In 1997 "Barely Legal" is recorded and is a record blistering with an untouchable energy and teenage cockiness. People all over the world are speechless. The ones who are not talk of a new cool, the best thing in 20 years and so on. This record sees the Hives touring all over the continent and also a trip to the states. Witnesses say it is amazing. In 1998 the EP a.k.a. I-D-I-O-T is released containing 4 new brilliant songs. Later on that year something happens the Hives lose contact with Mr. Fitzsimmons and nothing new happens for a while. A sense of despair is spreading and for a while the band seems to have lost some of the magic they once had. All is not well...
In the end of 1999 contact is regained as the Hives begin to receive letters from different parts of the world with fragments of songs. They quickly begin piecing these together into songs and a new album is planned...
"Veni, Vidi, Vicious!" Their sophomore effort for BHR; The Hives are out of their teens and out of their minds apparently as this record is already covered in praise by just about anyone who listens to it.
The sound of the hives is, like a velvet glove with brass knuckles, both brutal and sophisticated at the same time. Based on youth, energy, taste and a bag of tricks borrowed from 50´s rock and roll, 60´s garage rock, 70´s punk rock and new wave and everything after. All this is then molded into a sound that is approximately 100% the Hives. PUNKROCK MUSIC AVEC KABOOM
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Ahh... The Hives, dressed in black and white cardinals of cool and modern day purveyors of small town, big time punk rock.
