THE HIVES - BRIXTON ACADEMY

7:00am Saturday 10th May 2008

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Love him or hate him, you have to admire Howlin' Pelle Almqvist.

The Hives' vibrant frontman was at his cocksure best in the London limelight, notably when introducing drummer Chris Dangerous as "the world's greatest man, apart from myself of course".

Yet for all his showmanship, Almqvist's group possess the tunes to back up their playful arrogance on stage.

The Swedish rockers set the bar high early on with a storming rendition of their old favourite Main Offender.

As Almqvist blew kisses to the raucous crowd, they ploughed through much of last year's The Black and White Album.

Tick Tick Boom whipped up the biggest frenzy from the latest offerings, although the inclusion of Hate To Say I Told You So in the encore nearly raised the Academy's roof.