House of Music

The Hives

The Warfield

San Francisco, CA

September 20th, 2025

Photos by Angela Peyton, Review by Kienan Knight-Boehm

Snõõper opened the night with whiplashed punk radiating all the energy of a barfight that you’ve spent the whole night looking forward to. Fast-paced and aggressive, they led the room along by interleaving songs with prerecorded interludes, allowing not a moment of silence until their set finished. This band is endearingly authentic and played with their heart on display, flanked by DIY giant prop speakers on stage; the singer finished the set joining in the mosh pit wearing a homemade eight-foot-tall bug monster costume.

Just as the crowd wiped its collective brow, The Hives swung onto stage in crisply accented black-and-white suits, eagerly informing the crowd that we would all be getting our asses kicked. And so we did. They have been rocking and rolling for more than three decades because they understand precisely how to do so: they sweat, they yell, and they tease their fans face-to-face (literally, from at times inches away). “Enough Is Enough” was an unapologetic and unrestrained opener for a setlist that did not take a breather. Like a boxing coach pausing between uppercuts, frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist took every chance to check in with fans between songs and remind us that we could be louder, rowdier, more alive. Every member of The Hives oozes confidence: Chris Dangerous’ metronomic and furious drumming, The Johan and Only’s slick and refined bass work, Vigilante Carlstroem’s enveloping rhythm guitar, and Nicholaus Arson’s electrifying lead guitar.

“Tick Tick Boom” was a thunderous closer for the main set, but the encore’s finale summed up the night: “The Hives Forever Forever The Hives”. At one point in the night, Arson crossed the stage while playing and made eye contact with me. He licked his pick, stuck it to his cheek, and after a few more notes, flicked it upward into the crowd; I could have caught it if I’d tracked it, but this isn’t a band you can look away from.”

Check out the gallery from the show!

Snõõper

The Hives