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The Hives
The Forum
July 20
More than a decade after The Hives crashed onto Australian shores with their electrifying 2013 headline tour, the Swedish provocateurs returned to Forum Melbourne on July 19 & 20, 2025, storming the stage with a set that cranked their antics to full throttle. The concert venue had transformed into a courtroom, where the only law was rock.
Opening with ‘Borgus Operendi,’ The Hives wasted no time establishing the night’s high-octane energy demand from the crowd. They tore through a blistering setlist of career highlight – ‘Main Offender’ and ‘Rigor Mortis Radio’ – before the crowd snapped into a frenzy for ‘Walk Idiot Walk.’ Then onto ‘Stick Up’ to ‘Paint a Picture,’ the tracks weren’t merely played, they were hurled at the audience, delivered by the charismatic Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist in what he described as “two-times speed.”
Howlin’ Pelle worked the crowd like a puppet master. Mid-set, he barked, “Anyone been to a Hives concert before? Act like it!” The audience responded with frantic loyalty. Between commanding the room with jumps, high kicks and mic swings, he declared, “That’s why they call me the Tom Cruise of rock ’n’ roll,” narrowly dodging his own gear like a rock stuntman.
At one point, he teased, “Sydney crowd was better, and we haven’t even played there yet,” a jab met with gleeful boos. Later, when the he proclaimed, “We’ve been here the whole time and realised what’s wrong. Posters!” It landed deeper, from longing a show after the absence.
Order in the Courtroom? Howlin’ Pelle surveyed the crowd like a judge and proclaimed, “This room’s too organised. Less order in the courtroom!” The band tore through new and fan favourites, ‘Legalize Living,’ ‘Countdown to Shutdown,’ and ‘Smoke & Mirrors.’ When they repeated, “Ladies, gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen – we’re The Hives from Sweden,” no further introduction was needed. The set had already etched them into Melbourne’s memory.
As the applause surged, Howlin’ Pelle reported, “The Hives have decided that’s enough applause for one more song. Only issue is that you stopped!” Using reverse psychology like only The Hives could, the crowd erupted once more. When ‘Tick Tick Boom’ bursted from the speakers to close the night, the crowd parted like the Red Sea at the Forum and dropped to their knees. Melbourne wasn’t just a tour stop, it was proof that rock ’n’ roll is alive and thrashing.
Setlist:
1. Borgus Operendi
2. Main Offender
3. Rigor Mortis Radio
4. Walk Idiot Walk
5. Stick Up
6. Enough Is Enough
7. Go Right Ahead
8. Try It Again
9. Hate To Say I Told You So
10. Trapdoor Solution
11. I’m Alive
12. Paint A Picture
13. Come On!
14. Countdown To Shutdown
15. Legalize Living
16. Smoke & Mirrors
17. Tick Tick Boom
Words and images by Joshua Braybrook
