The Hives explain why “some kind of regrowth” is vital to a band’s longevity
Swedish rock outfit, The Hives have suggested that a band’s longevity largely depends on “regrowth” and their ability to adapt to changing times.
The group discussed the matter in a new interview with NME, ahead of their first album in 11 years, The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, which arrives on August 11th. Explaining what keeps a group going for so long, they started, “It’s true for all bands like AC/DC or Iron Maiden.”
“When you’ve been around for a while, you have to pick up youngsters,” frontman Pelle Almqvist continues. “We had a lot of bands that we liked or were friends with, and they would never get new fans. It would just be the same ones with a few dropped off, and the ones who remained cared a little bit less.”
Guitarist Nicholaus Arson adds: “Your band and music dies along with your fans. A band that attracts new fans will live on forever. You gotta have some kind of regrowth. The shows and the crowds are always re-energised by younger fans. If we’re projecting energy, they’ll react to that.”
The quintet explained that they attract a lot of teenage girls to their shows, “which are great for a rock crowd because they’re the loudest thing in the world – 50,000 teenage girls is such a loud sound.”
Almqvist also discussed the importance of rock music being a “perpetual teenager”. He said: “There’s nothing more depressing than adult rock music. ‘Oh great! You took away the one thing about it that was fun! Now it’s rock without energy!’ I really like Dire Straits, that’s my image of an adult rock situation, but I don’t think that’s what we should be doing.”
“There has to be some bad choices in there. It has to be a kid trying to figure shit out, trying to have fun, or just reacting to stuff,” Arson appends. “A lot of energy but no direction – that’s rock ‘n’ roll!”
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