The Explos-HIVES Detonate at the Observatory OC Stage

Joma Mandocdoc
Aug 18, 2024
2 min read

The year was 2007. I got my hands on the first-ever Playstation Portable, with it was a game of Madden NFL. Turned that thing up and was welcomed but this super tight riff from a band I've never heard of.. Tick tick boom. A song from The Hives. I never looked back after that. And let me tell you, when The Hives started off their recent show in OC with "Bogus Operandi"...it sounded like cannons going off. I had to hold on for dear life.

band — Howlin' Pelle working the crowd at the Observatory OC.

THE HIVES played an intimate sold-out show at the Observatory in OC. The fans got a chance to see them up-close and personal as they played with an extra-ordinary energy, almost inhuman-like.

The night started off with Spiritual Cramp hyping the crowd. They never missed a mark. I felt like my heart was at 150 bpm just watching them rock the stage. Michael Bingham's commanding voice felt like a military exercise leader. It was just jab after jab of pure punk energy, more than enough to get you to the weekend.

Lights dimmed and the ninja-clad tech of The Hives got on stage, almost setting up for a war we did not know was coming. And let me tell you, when the band started with "Bogus Operandi", It sounded like cannons going off. I had to hold on for dear life.

The microphone-slinging Pelle Almqvist marched to the stage with that raw energy he was always known for. On his left was his sergeant-at-arms, Niklas Almqvist, running the Telecaster and that very boxy distortion sound. Keeping the steady heartbeat for the band was Christian Grahn. What. A. Drummer. A drum machine in homo sapien form. Filling all the nooks and crannies was Michael Astrom. While the glue for the band's sound was Johan Gustaffson, which I should say, has a very, very tasty tone on the Precision bass. *chef's kiss

It was a super intense show, a testament to the force that is The Hives. It felt like I took shot of 1000mg of caffeine straight to my veins. Hell, I could fight a bear in hand-to-hand combat after that show.

THE HIVES PHOTOGALLERY: