The Hives see world in 'Black & White'
Swedish garage-rockers The Hives are continuing their quest for worldwide domination, with a new slate of concert dates going into spring.
The band--which recently completed extensive tours of North America and Europe-will start up again Feb. 14 with three shows in Mexico before making their way across the US and Canada into March. Details are listed below.
The five-man outfit is supporting its fourth studio set, "The Black & White Album," which hit US shores last October and climbed to No. 65 on The Billboard 200. So far, the record has spawned modern-rock hit "Tick Tick Boom," which was featured in a Nike commercial. The follow-up single will be "We Rule the World," according to The Hives ' website.
The new album, co-produced by hip-hop mogul Pharell Williams, expands the band's horizons.
"The big difference is, the record actually has bass," frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist said in a statement. "It has a bass register, which we really never wanted on our records before. But you should do it at least once, and now is the time!"
The set also includes longer songs than The Hives are used to recording.
"The first two Hives records were designed to be played at a 200-capacity club, tops, whereas now we play to thousands of people," Almqvist added. "The bigger the crowd, the slower they react, so there's a natural progression in making the songs longer. When the last row of the audience hears the first chord, it's already over for the first half of the audience so, basically, we're doing it for the people at the back."
Sample songs from the set are streaming at The Hives' MySpace page.
"The Black & White Album" follows 2004's "Tyrannosaurus Hives," which spawned mainstream- and modern-rock hit "Walk Idiot Walk."
The Hives broke through to US audiences in 2001, due in large part to their raucous live shows. The rockers' 2002 album, "Veni Vidi Vicious," produced their biggest hit to date, "Hate To Say I Told You So."
February 2008
14 - Monterrey, Mexico - UMA Night Club
16 - Guadalajara, Mexico - MX Beat
17 - Mexico City, Mexico - Salon Vive Cuervo
19 - Los Angeles, CA -The Wiltern
20 - San Francisco, CA -The Fillmore
21 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
22 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
23 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
26 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
28 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
29 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater
March 2008
1 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
2 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
3 - Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus
4 - Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
7 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
8 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
- Artist Links:
The Hives hook up with Eagles of Death Metal [July 2008]
The Hives buzz back to America [March 2008]
R.E.M., The Cure lead Sasquatch! roster [February 2008]
Album Review: The Hives, "The Black and White Album" (A&M/Octone) [November 2007]
Live Review: Maroon 5 in Auburn Hills, MI [October 2007]
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