Published : Feb. 24, 2014 - 19:24
The Hives. (The Hives’ Facebook page)
Popular Swedish rock band The Hives, credited for being a driving force in re-introducing garage rock to the 21st century music scene, will perform a live concert for the first time in Korea in April.
The Hives ― with band members Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction and Chris Dangerous ― first formed more than 20 years ago in the small town of Fagersta, Sweden. In 1994 the bandmates, eager to revitalize the garage band movement, released their first demo, “Sounds Like Sushi,” followed by their debut studio album “Barely Legal” three years later. The Hives made little to no impact with their first album. However, that all changed with the band’s follow-up album.
In 2000, The Hives released their second album, “Veni Vidi Vicious,” featuring the hit tracks “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender.” The album landed the band a deal with Poptones Records under which they released a compilation album, “Your New Favorite Band,” consisting of previously released singles. With this release, The Hives got their first taste of mainstream success with “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender” ranking No. 23 and No. 24 on the U.K. Singles chart, respectively.
The Hives have since released three more studio albums, including “Tyrannosaurus Hives,” “The Black and White Album” ― featuring the hit single “Tick Tick Boom” ― and the band’s latest, “Lex Hives,” which was released in 2012.
The band is known for its energetic and sometimes outrageous live performances and has honed a reputation for putting on one of the best shows in rock. The Hives will perform live at the UNIQLO AX Hall in Seoul on April 2. Tickets are listed at 66,000 won and can be purchased online at interpark.com.
By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)