Because of the usual overheated hype currently being perpetrated by the NME etc, your reviewer has tried hard to resist THE HIVES up to this point.
However, after an incendiary “LATER” TV slot (also featuring “Supply And Demand” and “Die! All Right”) and now “Main Offender” itself…well, let’s just say cracks are beginning to appear in the wall of resistance.
Sure, there’s nowt revolutionary about “Main Offender”. It’s basically a skinny, skidding riff taking in THE STOOGES (circa “Funhouse”) and to these addled ears, also reminds of a speeded up “Swamp Song” from BLUR’S “13.”
However, like the “LATER” performance made patently obvious, even the most fervently anti-drugs of you out there will have difficulty not to mainline on the energy and pure adrenaline that sweats out of Sweden’s current favourite export.
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With their uniform black shirts and white ties, THE HIVES are undoubtedly from the lineage of great Rock testifiers from the MC5, through NATION OF ULYSSES to ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, only possibly better than the last two. Besides, in their ranks they have both HOWLIN’ PELLE – an ace, charismatic livewire front man if ever there was – and at least two other geezers who are far from oil paintings. Both facts are liable to endear them to your reviewer.
“I’m on my way!” shrieks HOWLIN’ PELLE on at least several occasions here. Talk about stating the obvious.
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