By the time you read this, I hope to have had a lovely catch-up with my old pal Curly, maybe having some food and a pint or two. Given that originally, by the time you are reading this, I was meant to have already seen The Hives live in concert for the first time, and reminiscing on my experience, I have learnt the true meaning of “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”. At the time of writing, everything is set to go ahead as planned. While mentally and physically preparing for the gig and having a lovely catch-up with a friend, let me talk about The Hives for a bit. Welcome to Monday, by the way.

I have been a fan of The Hives for a while. They are one of those bands that aren’t my favourite, but every time I have listened to them over the years, I couldn’t help but feel they would be amazing to see live. I have watched enough videos on YouTube to give me a fair idea. Unfortunately, I have been burnt before by bands who are great on record but don’t live up to the hype. I’m not naming any names. I hope that The Hives will live up to expectations.

So, who are The Hives? You are probably lost now if you don’t know who they are. The Hives are a Swedish rock band. Their song Come On! is featured in the latest IKEA ad. It’s Swedes representing Swedes. You love to see it. If that doesn’t jog your memory, then the song Hate to Say I Told You So should. I reviewed their latest album, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, on the blog. It was their first album in 11 years. Getting into a band between albums is always strange because all you want is new music, and you don’t know when it will happen. I had to wait a good while. It was worth it, though.

Are you like me? Do you prepare for a gig by only listening to the artist you will see? I do that, and I think it's fun. It's like studying for an exam you don’t have to take. I can safely say there isn’t a song they haven’t released that I won’t know on Monday. Boy, what a fanboy am I?

So, that’s what I am listening to—The Hives and The Hives only, and a bit of Bad Nerves (their support band), who I am slowly becoming obsessed with, too. Listen to The Hives. Their albums are pretty short. It won’t take you long. That’s enough recommendations for one day. Thank you for reading. Come back on Friday for a review of the concert. Thank you for your time.