Three decades after the Stooges and Sex Pistols claimed they were having "No Fun," the Hives are here to remind fans that punk rock is, in fact, quite a blast. Playing to a capacity crowd Thursday night at First Avenue, the Swedish quintet offered 80 minutes of its predictable but irresistible high jinx. Its singer, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, strutted around the stage like Mick Jagger on speed and praised himself incessantly between songs. The entire band made animated, rock-star gestures and wore gimmicky matching suits -- the Angus-Young-meets-the-Knack fashionwear featured on the cover of their latest release, "The Black and White Album."
This was all stuff the Hives have done before, just as the band's choppy, fast-and-furious brand of punk songs have all been played before (namely by the Pistols, Stooges and New York Dolls). But like masterful used-car salesmen, Almqvist and Co. had the 1,400 fans signing the dotted line minutes after they walked onto the lot, er, stage.
"We play rock 'n' roll music, and we always look good doing it," Almqvist said, egging on the crowd to "fulfill your part of the bargain" after tearing through the openers "Hey Little World" and "Try It Again."
The audience -- a charming mix of teenage to AARP age -- head-banged and pogoed from the get-go, but the fourth song, "A Little More for Little You," turned the energy level up another notch. It then climbed to 11 with "Hate to Say I Told You So" halfway through the set.
Almqvist did his own bit of climbing during "Square One Here I Come," making his way from the stage to the second-floor balcony and stopping on the staircase to soak up the limelight. The wiry singer was in rare form -- or in his case, his usual self.
"I want you to clap for me as if I'm Prince," he said during "Walk Idiot Walk." When the fans didn't give him quite enough adulation after "Square One," he slammed them: "Is the weather here that depressing?"
As he counted down to the current hit "Tick Tick Boom" before the band's three-song encore, Almqvist promised, "We are the only five people who will live forever." Even if the Hives only survive another 15 minutes, let it be said that they were fun while they lasted.
As if the Hives didn't offer enough silly antics and musical regurgitation for one night, many fans flowed next door to the 7th Street Entry to catch the Black Lips and Quintron & Miss Pussycat.
