Brighton's best...
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The Hives...
review Until recently, going to see a band play at the Dome was something to attend only when the band in question was worth the enduring of the poor acoustics, tiny bar and surly security determined to enforce the venue’s all-seating regulation. It was a theatre more suited to pantomimes than rock & roll – I recall seeing ice cream ladies present when I saw the Cocteau Twins perform there once!But then a couple of years ago that rarest of things happened, a venue’s renovation that resulted in said venue actually improving! Out went the seats downstairs, in came a modern bar area, and the acoustics moved from the 19th Century to the 21st in one go. Great gigs by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club last year and the amazing NME tour in February (Killers, Futureheads, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs on the same bill – one to tell my grandchildren about!) meant that I found myself looking forward enormously to The Hives playing there. I had to arrive early to organize my minions in flyering the crowd for my club later that night (Entertainment! at Club New York every Saturday night - plug! plug!). But it turned out to be a sound move. Appearing onstage at the ridiculously early hour of 7.20 were The D4 – New Zealand punks who released a string of snappy 'Teenage Kicks' style two-minute pop-punk singles a couple of years ago in the garage band explosion following the arrival of The Strokes and White Stripes. I had no idea they were playing and so their arrival was a pleasant surprise. Most people were still thronging round the bar and numbers in the hall must have only been in double figures. All credit to The D4 then for an amphetamine-boosted set which got everyone dancing as they powered Ramones-style from one song to the next. They deserve a second chance at fame and I hope they get it. "like seeing an
early Elvis performing with The Sex Pistols" Next up was the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, a band whose blend of Cramps-style deep South psychobilly with the sound of Nick Cave during his nihilistic take on the blues Birthday Party era has been doing the rounds for the last ten years with barely a whiff of commercial success. I suppose anyone doing an authentic take on the Blues should expect a career filled with disappointment and setbacks; nevertheless it must be galling for Jon Spencer to be supporting a band like The Hives, who wear his influence on their sleeves, while copyists such as Brighton’s own 80’s Matchbox B-Line Disaster get a slice of the charts. If it does upset him he must channel his frustration into his music, in the manner of Blues greats of old, as The Blues Explosion’s set tonight was great – rather like seeing an early Elvis performing with The Sex Pistols – and came close to blowing The Hives offstage. Close but not quite. Faced with the challenge The Hives rose to it with relish. As usual they were all uniformly clad like a showband from the 50s or 60s, but the sound was pure 70s Punk. In between songs singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist chatted with the audience in the style of a Swedish Las Vegas era Elvis impersonator, riskily cheesy but somehow it worked, while the band ran through all the poptastic hits we know and love – 'Die! Alright!' sounding better live than the recorded version I thought. Great stuff and it fuelled me with enough adrenalin to drag my aged frame through a DJ set post-gig as well!
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The Aquarium Theatre Bar
