The Hives

The Hive and The Southern River Band live at Metropolis, Fremantle | 17 July 2025

Metropolis Fremantle was packed to the brim. As the venue attempted to make room for punters eager to catch The Hives’ start to their world tour and first time since 2015 playing to Western Australian fans.

Splitting Punters into two lines, it was easy to forget you were entering a concert. Rather entering an escape room, ready to solve the next murder mystery.

Waiting 10 years for the next Hives concert was ample for enough time for even the most die-hard Hives fan to behaviourally condition themselves to wait just another 30 minutes more.

From doors opening to first song from support act The Southern River Band. With one punter resorting to reading a small book. It’s important to stay well-read folks, even when waiting for your favourite band!

An eponymous and mysterious QR code hovered above, as the stage was set up by a resident ninja. Encouraging punters to be ‘blessed by Hive’. Either this was a creative way to join a mailing list, or a secret ploy to join a Swedish religious movement about beekeeping. Punters were not privy to know for sure.

Southern River band were supports for the night. Playing a set packed with loud and proud rock n’ roll. Highlights included comedic standup from lead vocalist Cal Kramer. Who exchanged wisecracks with his bandmates, the crowd and the City of Fremantle itself. With the crowd lapping up the band’s charisma. Being only matched with the girth of the band’s power chords, and length of their guitar solos.

Singing songs about alcoholics progressing to sell meth, and other songs which audibly depicted the rough and feral side of Australiana. The Southern River Band got the punters moving and amped up for the Hives.

After a short, anticipatory wait, and the crowd now feeling packed out like a tin of sardines. The Hives erupted onto the stage to a fervent fanfare from punters. Wearing matching white-and-black suits, and ripping straight into their set. The Hives got the crowd moving along to fast-paced garage rock. Rapidly streaming lights and in-your-face vocals.

Antics included lead singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist twirling the mic around the stage and crowd like a lasso. It was actually a miracle not see the mic accidentally put someone in a coma. But Rock n’ Roll is where miracles are made, baby.

Playing old as well as new tracks from their discography. Memorable moments included the band ‘freezing’ midway through Paint a Picture. Joshing the crowd.

Despite running on only two hours sleep, and feeling ‘upside down’. The band played like a living dynamo. Where there were moments, you felt surely things were dragging along, but then the band would re-energize. Take things up several gears and let fervour of the crowd refuel themselves further. So much so that The Hives could probably be defined as a source of renewable energy.

This sentiment was reflected in the triple encore of Legalize Living, Smoke & Mirrors and Tick Tick Boom. Which saw Almqvist stop the music and encourage an already packed-out crowd to sit down and do breathing exercises. Seeing thirty-so punters flat pack into each other towards the floor, epitomized the hilarity and antics of The Hives who are an absolute maddening joy to watch.

Photography by Chris Symes

The Hives