On night two of The Hives two-night run at Toronto’s HISTORY, the Swedish rockers delivered an energetic performance from start to finish. A performance that fans will remember for a very long time. Singer, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist proclaiming that it’s Saturday night and not a Tuesday night, and the audience should be going nuts as if it were the weekend – and the fans sure did listen. Almqvist’s stage presence is something to be written musical history books, impressionable and charismatic; conducting the crowd before the first song even began. He effortlessly navigated across the stage, standing and jumping off speakers, engaging in the most fan interaction I’ve ever witnessed, while pulling his microphone around as if the chord wasn’t long enough. Have you tried dodging a constantly moving microphone chord while trying to take pictures? It was certainly an unexpected work out, but all part of the fun.
It looked like everyone in the room was dancing and just having the time of their lives, you can feel the happiness buzzing through the venue. The smiles on all the fans faces glowing like the band’s signature light up suits. Some fans even arrived to the show wearing near replicas of the bands previous matching suits – it never ceases to amaze me how creative fans can be for the shows they attend.
Hailing from Queensland, Australia, opening band The Chats took the stage by storm with a badass 45-minute opening set with their captivating bass lines and catchy rhythms. The punk rockers gained some new lifelong fans, these are one of the rare instances that you can witness a crowd fall in love with a new artist instantly. Even beginning a chant to their hit song “Smoko”, long before their lead singer, Eamon Sandwith, could ask them to.
Notable songs to check out: “The Price of Smokes”, “Stinker”, “Do What I Want” and “Identity Theft”. Before their sat even began, a member of their team walked out on stage with a balloon banner dawning the band’s name on it. A fun little nod to the gigantic inflated letters for The Hives’ set up.
When artists choose their set list, they tend to play a mix of their entire discography, right? Not The Hives. The show highlighted their two most recent records The Hives Forever Forever The Hives (2025) and The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (2023). Did they play their greatest hits (“Tick Tick Boom”, “Hate To Say I Told You So”, “Walk Idiot Walk“)? Of course! It wouldn’t be a concert without an artist playing them. But shamelessly, the band proclaimed their most recent albums are the best as they have gotten better with every passing year of their career. I strive to have that amount of confidence someday.
It may be a little while until The Hives return to North America but until then, enjoy a little taste of what their live shows are like with our exclusive gallery from the second night, and to see where The Hives and The Chats are playing next drop them a follow @thehives & @thechatslovebeer
Photos and Article by San Veliz (@spacemanmediaproductions)
