Mar 27

Mar 27 Review: The Hives at The Orange Peel

Over 30 years into their run, The Hives feel as youthful as ever — albeit with palpable wisdom that only comes from decades of recording and touring.

Making their Asheville debut March 14 at The Orange Peel — a show originally scheduled for Oct. 1, 2024, mere days after Tropical Storm Helene kneecapped the city’s water supply — the Swedish rockers compensated for the delay with top-notch showmanship and unrelenting energy. But in all likelihood, they would have given just as much 18 months ago, and on any random night at any random location.

The same goes for opening act The Chats, a headliner during their previous stop at the venue who were plenty happy providing support this time. The Australian punk trio exhibited impressive comedic resilience, with bassist/vocalist Eamon Zambia Sandwith noting before a single note was played that they were using borrowed instruments, after which guitarist Joshua Huon Hardy promptly broke a string, requiring an impromptu replacement instrument from the main act in time for the second tune.

With quick, punchy songs like “The Price of Smokes” and “Smoko” — who doesn't love a good cigarette jam? — the group ably warmed up the crowd, a sizable section of whom took advantage of the opportunity to mosh before a different style of rock took over.

Built for stadiums and arenas, The Hives' performance translated nicely to the thousand-cap room, more than delivering on the potential of seeing world-class artistry in an intimate setting. Donning their usual black suits with glow-light piping, the group followed the example of frontman Pelle Almqvist, whose stage strutting, corded-mic tossing, and frequent pleas for more noise by waving his arms — requests that were fulfilled every time — provided consistently captivating visuals.

Careening across the band's illustrious career, the setlist played like a greatest hits collection with new tracks from 2025’s The Hives Forever Forever the Hives sounding of a piece with the likes of “Hate to Say I Told You So” without feeling like retreads.

It was everything you could want from musicians of this caliber and instantly vaulted them to must-see status going forward.

(Photos by Jonny Leather)