CAREBEAR LUVVA

Saw The Hives again last night, for the second time in a fortnight (fifth time overall). It was a last-minute show that sold out in less than a minute, which meant the crowd was made up of hardcore fans who knew all the songs and were all happy to be there (it was one of the most good-natured crowds I've ever been in), and being in such a small venue (the 900-capacity Leadmill in Sheffield) made everything feel so much more intense. I love how the band has been around for 30-something years but they still all seem like a bunch of lads just enjoying themselves and having a laugh - there's no pretentiousness, they all seem like they'd be perfectly affable if you bumped into them in the street, yet all together they make some of the finest and most entertaining punky rock n' roll imaginable. They really are an absolute treasure.

Just got back from seeing The Hives on the first night of their current tour after a four-month break. I was expecting pretty much the same 15-song setlist that they've been doing for the last year or so, but they've added about half a dozen extra songs from their back catalogue. We got a few songs that haven't been played for 6 or 7 years, and one from the latest album that's never been played live before. It was strange to look at the crowd and realise that I first saw The Hives in about 2001 when I was a youngster, and now 20-odd years later there's loads of kids the same age as I was back then going mental to those same songs which are still being performed with as much energy and enthusiasm as they were back then. Absolute joy, ridiculously good fun, a truly ten out of ten evening.