The Hives Detonate at The Sound
Some nights you go to a show, and some nights you experience a full-blown rock and roll possession. On September 22nd, The Hives and Snooper rolled into The Sound in Del Mar and delivered the latter—a chaotic, high-voltage spectacle that left the building ringing and the sold-out crowd completely floored.
Nashville’s art-punk outfit Snooper kicked things off with a frantic, joyful burst of energy. Their short, sharp songs like “Powerball” and “Xerox” felt like a sugar rush, a perfect, chaotic appetizer for the main event. Their frenetic energy set the stage, but nothing could have truly prepared us for the headliners.
Then, the five Swedes, impeccably dressed in their signature matching suits, took the stage, and the place simply exploded. The Hives launched into a relentless set that felt less like a collection of songs and more like one continuous, powerful sonic assault. This band’s sound is a force of nature—a tight, muscular, and deafeningly loud garage rock hurricane.
The setlist was a masterclass in tension and release, blending new anthems from The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons seamlessly with the classics that built their legend. The crowd shouted along to every word of “Bogus Operandi,” “Walk Idiot Walk,” and the explosive “Main Offender.” By the time they tore into “Hate to Say I Told You So,” the energy in the room was electric. The floor was a single moving mass of fans, reflecting a pure, ecstatic love for the band.
And at the center of this storm stood frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist.
To call him a “frontman” feels like an understatement; he is a conductor of chaos, a preacher, and a master showman all in one. He didn’t just sing; he commanded the entire venue. Almqvist stalked the stage, high-kicked, climbed into the crowd, and held everyone in the palm of his hand with his sharp-witted banter. His presence is immense, filling every inch of the room with an unmatched, kinetic energy. The show’s climax, a massive, stop-start singalong of “Tick Tick Boom,” was pure rock and roll theater.
We left the show drenched in sweat and completely blown away. The Hives proved, once again, why they are one of the best live bands on the planet. They are welcome back in San Diego anytime.
