Friday, March 07, 2008

Rock n Roll's Past in Williamsburg: The Hives; The Donnas @ Music Hall

The Hives; The Donnas
@ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY - March 6, 2008


For pure shits and giggles, I went to see those scrappy Hives make their Brooklyn debut, some five years too late. It's always been a mystery why a band that makes such simple music has only put out 4 records in over a decade's worth of existence. It's not exactly the kind of stuff that needs Axl Rose-like deliberation. And their laconic recording style makes their music all the more of a joke. Plus, with all the rapid changes in Indie music, the idea of a new Hives record and tour has lost its grandeur (if it ever really had it - this kind of music should not be considered momentous). But give credit where credit is due: Having not seen them since July 2004 at Irving Plaza, I wondered if they still put on a spectacular live show and they do. Though it has lost some of its luster. The suit gimmick is old. But Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's energy is not. He's still got the magnetism. And one cannot take away from the Hives the simple fact that they are one of the three or four bands from the early years of this decade that brought rock n roll back from the dead. This was a nice trip down memory lane.

Not so nice a trip were the Donnas. They too had their moment in the early years of the decade, really on the strength of one excellent song, "Take It Off". But they had nothing else to them. Not even looks (the exceptionally gorgeous lead singer, Donna A B C or D whatever, is the only dolly in the bunch and by a mile at that). They tried to make a comeback last year with a decent song, "Don't Wait Up For Me", but it was a needless rip off of a couple of Joan Jett hits and it sunk like a stone. They are tired, they are forced. Even the lead beauty's use of "fuck" for every other word felt insincere. They are not punk. They are not anything. They are not even a good tribute to the hair bands they seem to love almost exclusively now. They almost - ALMOST - made me want to listen to Europe's "The Final Countdown" as some sort of refuge.

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1 Comments:

At March 8, 2008 at 9:58:00 AM EST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Hives are essentially punk rock, but their music is anything but simple often enough. To say it is is kind of... I guess not ill informed or naive, but just plain wrong. Stupid is the word I'm looking for.

:D <-- Smiley

 

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