Exclusive interview with The Hives' Nicholas Arson on recording demos, working with Pharrell Williams and Dennis Herring, their fan Andre 3000 and keeping in control.

The Hives mean business. From the sound (a mellee of garage rock, snot-nosed punk and funk), to the stage names, to their black and white uniforms, and explosive live shows, the Swedish rock five-piece have had always had a plan. Their manifesto is unflinching: have fun, work hard, get paid but stay in complete control. Artificial? Possibly. But is it working? Yes.

The results shriek for themselves: sold-out tours, raving reviews, solid record deals, and big-name fans. Not bad for a crunchy little band from iron-and-ore town Fagersta.

Exclusive Interview with Nicholas Arson

In an exclusive interview with Suite101, The Hives’ main songwriter and guitarist Nicholas Arson chats in Vancouver in advance of what will turn out to be an absolutely storming live show at the Commodore Ballroom. The subject? The craft, the graft, and their newest disc, The Black and White Album.

“We had never allowed ourselves to make demos before because we thought the most important takes of a song are the first, second and third,” explains Arson – older brother to lead singer and blue-eyed devil “‘Howlin’” Pelle Almqvist. “Before, we would only work on 14 songs if we were going to have 14 songs. That’s very tough and can put a strain on you. This time, if you had songs in your head, you could get them out. We were allowed to do more stuff on this record, which is good.”

Allowed. It’s a word used frequently in Hives land, and one which underscores the dead seriousness of the band’s approach to business and most interviews.

The Hives State Control

For a band whose albums buzz and live shows erupt, its members are surprisingly restrained. The issue of “control” looms large in interviews – perhaps because media is the one area the Swedes can’t fully manipulate. Arson, Pelle et al are affable, certainly, and polite. But charismatic? Sorry. Black and White producer Dennis Herring even described them as “functional” and “efficient”– a compliment to be sure, but isn’t it one that befits Ikea furniture rather than rock’s reigning madmen? Arson doesn’t think so.

“We were always very functional and efficient. We only had the money to be in the studio for, like, two weeks. You have a band who are young and hungry and know exactly what they need to do in those six minutes that you have to record one song. So it’s capturing it. You have to have your sh*t together. And as long as you have that, you’ll be a good live band. If you can rehearse so that those songs sound great, you have a good live show. If you can move around a bit, you’re set for life,” he says, chuckling .

Famous Fans Andre 3000 and Pharrell Williams

Set indeed. But the Hives are not above taking risks. Last summer’s tour with mainstream snoozers Maroon 5 was seen as a challenge. Getting hip-hop media mogul Pharrell Williams to produce two tracks on Black and White? Bring it on. Maybe finishing off a track or two with longtime fan Andre 3000 from OutKast? Why not? “He’s a fan of the Hives and said he didn’t want to f*ck anything up for us!” says Arson. “I think it would be something that would sound really good, but you’ve got to respect a man who has an opinion.”

Contrary to all the evidence, doing something unexpected is actually allowed, says Arson.

“Maybe I liked stuff that Pharrell had done before,” he says, “but in order to accept what’s coming out of the speakers and that it’s your band, you have to put some previous rules aside, and just listen.”

The Hives' Laws, Rules and Living in Black and White

Ah yes, rules. As the song goes, “The Hives are Law, You Are Crime”.

“This band was formed to satisfy our own egos,” Arson shrugs unapologetically. “It was always about making ourselves happy. It’s commandments for ourselves. We had so many rules when we started out. We banned everything that we didn’t like. We were only allowed to play one type of equipment or a couple of chords.”

So, pretty black and white then?

“That title has been out there in the Hives’ universe for us to grab at any point, it just came about this time around,” he sighs happily, “but it feels pretty loose right now. We’ve had a good career for almost 10 years and it’s been fairly consistent. We’ve proven we can still do it, whether we’re in the press or not. Rock doesn’t need saving – you have lots of bands who are kind of doing high energy rock n’ roll – but as soon as you get something happening like the bands in the ‘90s in anoraks standing around doing nothing, you will get that reaction. You will get young people who are bored out of their minds. There will always be someone doing something different. Whether it’s us or someone else, it doesn’t really matter.”

But later that night, The Hives will matter to 1000 screaming fans. The show will blow the roof off of the venue. Whatever rules the Hives abide by, they aren’t meant to be broken.