The charts that detail what sort of music is popular with the masses would suggest that rock and roll is moribund, gasping its final breath before it shuffles from this mortal coil. That might be true if Billboard or Spotify stream totals helps guide you into what you should be listening to so you can fit in, but that’s no way to live, and fans of rock music know that more great material is being made than ever before.
The distance between where The Hives are from and where The Chats sprang from is nearly 10,000 miles but spiritually they are neighbors despite the 27 years difference in the bands’ existence.
It was fitting that when the bands hit the stage for their respective sets, both lead men had one or both feet elevated a few feet off the stage. The last time I saw The Hives, singer Pelle Almqvist was nursing a knee injury that tempered his acrobatic feats he’s known for. Not so tonight, the charismatic front man was on and off the stage, greeting fans at the rail on a somewhere frequent basis.
“We crossed oceans and slayed dragons! We’re poor immigrants and paid the tarrifs. Actually, you guys did, sorry for jacking up the ticket price. Consider it a 25% tip, we’re trying to get with the American customs.” Decked out in bespoke suits with LED piping, the rock and roll engine came out of the gates at high RPMs and never let up. “Enough Is Enough” stands shoulder to shoulder with Hives classics like “Hate To Say I Told You So” or “Tick Tick Boom,” when Almqvist went into the crowd and towards the farthest reaches of the room.
Closing out with “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives,” they back up their cocky posturing with a hugely entertaining show. And of course the walk off music was this song, how could it not be?
The Chats are a bratty punk rock trio steeped in the best of the Aussie tradition, in your face songs about banal subjects that bring a humorous look at everyday topics like boredom, smoking cigs, and hanging out with your mates.
Whether it’s Daydreaming about racing through the streets in a high-powered sports car or “Drinking For Two,” a new song that’s not the Mudhoney cover, or the beauty of idling away a portion of the day on a smoke break, the band’s worldview is pretty apparent from the get-go. The t shirts worn by Eamon (The Replacements) and Josh (Victoria Bitter) were further hints if you weren’t quite clever enough to figure out their Aussie accents. Punk rock lives!
