US dates for The Hives:

03/19 - Stubb's, Austin, TX (SXSW - Private party for SPIN)
03/20 - Emos, Austin, TX (SXSW)

The Hives, Raised Fist and Sahara Hotnights have been confirmed for Roskilde.

Seems that The Hives got a new look, according to this article from Aftonbladet. But will their new record have the sound to match?

The Hives and Junior Senior are the first Scandinavian acts to be officially confirmed for SXSW, as listed on their site: http://www.sxsw.com/

Drama alert! Polydor/Universal has reportedly rejected The Hives' new record and is sending the band back into the studio to record more of what they say are "singles"! Could this be the beginning of the end for the band? Will they survive this setback and live up to expectations?

Next year:
So far, I'm looking forward to new releases from Kristofer Åström, Cobolt, C.Armeé, Sahara Hotnights, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Tiger Lou, Weeping Willows and of course, KVLR to name a few. There's also an album in the pipeline from The Hives that's sure to be hyped beyond belief. And then there's the international promotion of José González and The Concretes to look out for, as well as who knows what other flavor-of-the-month they might try to sell you. As always, you know where to come if you want to hear about it first.

Top ten: 2003

The Hives will premiere their brand new single at the P3 Gold Awards on January 23 at Storan in Göteborg. Other acts set to play include Nicolai Dunger, Lisa Miskovsky, Patrik Isaksson, Elin Sigvardsson, Timbuktu, Broder Daniel and Soundtrack Of Our Lives. As for the awards themselves, here's the nominees:

Guldmicken (best live act):
José González
Moneybrother
Randy
Robyn
Timbuktu

Best song:
The Cardigans - "For What It's Worth"
Per Gessle - "Här Kommer Alla Känslorna (På En Och Samma Gång)"
Lisa Miskovsky - "Lady Stardust"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"
Broder Daniel - "When We Were Winning"

Best group:
Alcazar - "Alcazarised"
Bad Cash Quartet - "Midnight Prayer"
Broder Daniel - "Cruel Town"
The Cardigans - "Long Gone Before Daylight"
The Knife - "Deep Cuts"

Best male artist:
Per Gessle - "Mazarin"
José González - "Veneer"
Moneybrother - "Blood Panic"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"
Lars Winnerbäck - "Söndermarken"

Best female artist:
Lisa Miskovsky - "Fallingwater"
Miss Universum - "Selfelected"
Pauline - "Candy Rain"
Sophie Rimheden - "Hi-Fi"
Elin Sigvardsson - "Saturday Light Naïve"

Best newcomer:
José González
Miss Universum
Moneybrother
Pauline
Radio Dept.

Best rock:
Arch Enemy - "Anthems of Rebellion"
Cult Of Luna - "The Beyond"
Mörk Gryning - "Pieces of Primal Expressionism"
Nasum - "Helvete"
Satirnine - "Void of Value"

Best dance:
Jesper Dahlbäck - total production 2003
Eric Prydz - total production 2003
Forss - "Soulhack"
Hundarna från Söder - "Hundarna Från Söder"
Plej - "Electronic Music From The Swedish Leftcoast"

Best pop:
Franke - "Optimismens Hån"
The Knife - "Deep Cuts"
Radio Dept. - "Lesser Matters"
Sophie Rimheden - "Hi-Fi"
Tape - "Milieu"

Best hip-hop/soul:
Advance Patrol - "Utskrivna"
Fattaru - "Jordnära"
Ken - "Det Bortglömda"
Latin Kings - "Omerta"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"

For more info, go to P3 Gold's website.

It's been awhile since we heard anything from them, but it seems that Kasual Records is on the comeback trail for 2004. Firstly, they'll be putting out the album "On Tahoe" from Norway's Beezewax in January. The record is said to be "a must-have for fans of Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, Buffalo Tom" and was recorded by Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Fireside, The Hives, Sahara Hotnights). There's also quite a bit coming up for label mainstay Ariel Kill Him. As mentioned here before, the first record "In the Pyramid" is being licensed for a US release by NYC's Eyeball Records for March. The band will also be putting out a six-track all-exclusive EP called "Labyrinths" in February or March on Kasual. And that's not all - they've even got plans for a split EP with Greece's Relevant Box on Librarian Records in early 2004. Both bands will contribute three songs and one video each. Here's AKH's half:

01. The Money Shot (previously featured on the limited Kasual sampler)
02. So? (prev. unreleased)
03. Under the Influence (prev. unreleased)

There's nothing definitive set for the rest of the roster yet, but they say to watch out for new releases from Buck, Ides of Space, Jettie and The New Mess at some point next year.

From memepool comes this fabulous page of Swedish and Finnish band promo photos from the 60s and 70s. As you can see, The Hives were far from the first Swedes to wear matching outfits.

"Most of the fashionable bands don't sell records and I don't necessarily care for them. I listened to some of the latest darlings and they blow. Who's the one who thinks he's Mick Jagger and James Brown? Pelle from The Hives? He can suck my dick! Fuck that fucking bullshit fake, become your own person and get the fuck out until you do."

Holy shit is Jon Bon Jovi pissed off in an interview he did with Q Magazine! Out of hand, for sure. And even funnier, as Rocket.fm points out, is that earlier this year Mr. Bon Jovi was lauding the band in the press. Read more.

Here's a couple songtitles for the brand new songs that Starmarket has laid down for their new album: "Ship of Sorrow", "Antichrist" and "The Vanishing Gates". As mentioned before, guitarist Fredrik is filling for Pelle of Fireside on their upcoming BRMC support gigs, as he's busy in the studio with The Hives. Starmarket plans to finish recording when Fredrik returns and hopefully have it all wrapped up sometime before Christmas. Still no word yet on what label will release the finished product.

Sondre Lerche made #21 on Elle Magazine's hottest rockers list. Pretty silly. The only other Norde on the list is Pelle Almqvist from The Hives at #24. Sondre's also got a new webdiary entry from New York where is currently mixing his new album and preparing for a few solo dates.

"Why settle for refried Swedish garage punk when a cauldron of startling, non-derivative talent is furiously boiling over just a little further east? While the Hives, the Hellacopters and the (International) Noise Conspiracy have been swiping moves from ’60s icons, experiencing mainstream success in Scandinavia and enjoying next-big-thing promo budgets in the States, a bold, modern Finnish psychedelia has been pushing the musical envelope, garnering a small core of devoted fans in Europe and remaining relatively unrecognized in America. Sure, it’s a little unfair to compare these two contrasting scenes, but it makes for a loud wakeup call and a tidy intro, doesn’t it?"

Dusted has posted a special feature on Finland's burgeoning psychedelic scene featuring discussion of eight albums from the groups Paine, Ektroverde, Pharaoh Overlord, Eturivi, Vuk, Markku Peltola, Alien Heat, and Deep Turtle.

It has been confirmed that Fireside will be opening for BRMC around Europe. The dates:

11/17 - Rockefeller, Oslo (NOR)
11/18 - Cirkus, Stockholm (SWE)
11/19 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
11/20 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
11/22 - E-Werk, Cologne (GER)
11/23 - E.Montmarte, Paris (FRA)
11/25 - Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg (GER)
11/26 - Universal, Berlin (GER)
11/28 - Elserhalle, (D) Munich (GER)
11/29 - Abart, Zurich (CH)
11/30 - Alcatraz, Milan (ITA)

Guitarist Pelle Gunnerfeldt is currently too busy recording The Hives, so Starmarket's Fredrik Brändström will be filling in.

They have also posted the video for "Follow Follow", the third single from the group's most recent album "Get Shot". Check it.