Review: The Hives at Metropolis Fremantle
The Hives at Metropolis Fremantle
w/ The Southern River Band
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Swedish rock royalty The Hives kicked off their Australian tour at Metros Freo on Thursday night, delivering a set that burst with all the charisma, energy and swagger that has earned them a reputation as one of the world’s best live bands.
Formed back in 1993, The Hives were little-known outside their cold corner of northern Europe until the early 2000s, when their snappy singles and even snappier attire saw them ride a wave of garage rock revival onto the front cover of music magazines across the world. With their last visits to Perth being a support slot for AC/DC in 2015 and an appearance at On the Bright Side festival in 2011, this was the first time many long-term fans had the opportunity to see them take centre stage with their own headline show.
But before the main event, it was WA’s own The Southern River Band who warmed up the crowd with a hard-rocking opening set. Known for their high-voltage guitars and larrikin charm, the four-piece have clearly levelled up in recent years. Fresh off the release of last year’s album DIY—their first on new label Cooking Vinyl—and a run of international gigs, their set showcased recent material while still leaving room for plenty of freewheeling solos and frontman Callum Kramer’s cheeky banter.
“Here’s a song that’s got swear words in it,” he grinned, before launching into recent hit Fuck You, Pay Me. It was part of a run of riff-heavy numbers that nodded to everything from 70s glam, 80s hair metal, thrash metal and sweaty pub rock. By the time they signed off with a shout-out to The Hives, and saying “It’s fucking nice to be back home,” the crowd was thoroughly warmed up and the room was packed wall-to-wall.
Then, the main event. Arriving on stage exquisitely dressed in black and white suits, The Hives launched straight into Bogus Operandi, and things were underway. Larger-than-life frontman Pelle Almqvist demanded attention from the outset, noting how far they had come from Sweden for the show. “I’ve heard Perth is the most isolated city in the world,” he added. “But not tonight. Tonight, this is the centre of the world.”
Whether he was swinging the mic, freeze-framing mid-song, or launching himself into the crowd while a stagehand (dressed like a ninja) fed him the mic cable, Howlin’ Pelle had the entire venue in the palm of his hand. The rest of the band were as solid as ever, with a well-oiled unit of Nicholaus Arson (guitar), Vigilante Carlstroem (guitar), and The Johan and Only (bass) hurtling the songs forward, while drummer Chris Dangerous never missed a beat with his frenetic fills and impeccably timed stick throws.
From there, it was a non-stop barrage of garage-rock bangers with Main Offender, Walk Idiot Walk, and Go Right Ahead barely giving the crowd, or the band, a moment’s rest. Breakout single Hate to Say I Told You So was always destined to be a highlight, while Come On! was equally as irresistible in its simplistic awesomeness.
With so many hits over a career spanning over thirty years, and most songs barely stretching more than three minutes, there was a lot of ground to cover and little time to slow down. Tracks from their recent record, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, featured prominently, with Paint a Picture seeing the entire band freeze on stage like mannequins for a minute or two before kicking back into gear. With the band silhouetted in white light, I’m Alive, a non-album single from 2019, was a surprising highlight, while Stick Up brought an awry, Stooges-like vibe to the set.
“I’m sorry, but this is as much rock and roll that your ticket price gets you,” said Pelle. “From here on, you’ll have to pay by other means,” he continued, goading the crowd to into cheers and chants before Countdown to Shutdown wrapped up the main set.
But they weren’t done yet. Returning for an encore, The Hives let their new song Legalize Living “out of its cage” for the first time. The new track is set to feature on the band’s upcoming album The Hives Forever Forever The Hives which is due out in August and judging by the strength of this song, will be well worth a look. Then came the one-two punch of Smoke & Mirrors and finally Tick Tick Boom, which had the crowd savouring every final second of the show.
With such a long time between drinks, many fans may not have known what to expect when The Hives rolled back into town, but on the first show of a big Australian tour, they showed why they remain the coolest (and best-dressed) band in the world.
BRAYDEN EDWARDS
Photos by Stu McKay
