Nicholaus Arson - The Hives (17/01/2014)
Touring with the Big Day Out 2014, and performing one very special sideshow in Melbourne, The 59th Sound chats with Nicholaus Arson of The Hives!
Hello Nicholaus, how are you?
I’m very good thank you, how are you?
I’m good. I know you’re busy so let’s keep this quick, how has your day been?
Yeah, very so far, I mean it’s only 10.00am here. I usually wake up pretty early in the mornings these days, because of jet lag and holiday season, we went all around the USA just before Christmas and then we came home and I didn’t really bother to adjust my hours so I stay awake at night and sleep during the day, stuffing myself with food all over the holiday season. I’ve been up since early, then I took my kids to school, then I came home for interviews that’s pretty much it.
It’s not very rock’n’roll.
Well it all depends you know? I don’t wear my guitar to school.
It feels only yesterday we welcomed 2013 with The Hives here in Australia at Falls Festival and now we get you back again, how was 2013 for The Hives?
I think we had a great 2013, amazing shows all over the year, we’ve been playing with some great bands and supports bands. We’ve been to South America, some great European tour, great USA tour, it’s been pretty superb as far as music goes.
As you said you have played with a lot of great bands, do you as a band have much control in the line up on tours?
Well yeah this years Big Day Out we picked all the bands. I mean when we’re touring we always pick our own bands, as far as supporting Pink we don’t really decide on that. (laughs)
How do you source new music?
Some bands they live near by the venue. Sometimes it’s more geographical, you gotta find a good band in the area who can do the sort of shows that we’re doing, but for the most part we always have good records, we have friends who know about records, we have friends who are into music and tip us off on good bands and we talk amongst ourselves on what bands are great. A lot of the time it’s the chance to get to play with bands that we want to play with or bands that we want to see, it’s a pretty sweet deal. Some of the bands that we’ve been fans of for ever we’ve got to tour with and see live every day for a month, we’ve toured with The Hellacopters and all these great bands that we were fans of, it’s a pretty sweet deal.
My ideal line up for a show is The Bronx, Eagles Of Death Metal and The Hives, what’s your thoughts on that line up ?
It sounds great. We were playing with The Bronx a lot this year, they were on the whole European tour and they’re great guys and a great band, seeing them every night you know, they’re some of my favourite shows we ever did and I liked playing shows with Eagles Of Death Metal so I’m in, sounds like a plan.
Now before you play my dream tour you will be here for Big Day Out festival which is the festival I first saw The Hives at way back when, I don’t even want to admit how long ago that was.
It was 2001, no wait 2004 or 2005, it was a long time.
The festival landscape has changed a lot since then, have you noticed the change?
Not really. I don’t even know what’s going on with Big Day Out, I saw the geographical location and it looks pretty similar and in regards to bands it seems like the type of festival that would book the same sort of bands that they have before I’m hoping the change is all for the better.
The Hives were only recently announced on the line up, was it a last minute notification for you?
No, no, we were added to the bill because Blur cancelled, well they were looking for bands because they had to fill up the line up. Having the line reputation that we have as a great live band, we’re always stepping in for promoters for when bands cancel, we’ve replaced everyone from David Bowie to Blur, we’re one of those bands that people are excited to see.
I’m happy, I think Blur are boring, I much prefer this line up.
Good on you.
You did release ‘Lex Hives’ in 2012, there is a strong sense of diverisity in the production of tracks, almost sounds like Hives radio, given the whole band worked on the production of the record did each member leave their own mark on individual tracks?
It’s time consuming but a great result, I think it’s our most consistant records we’ve made. It’s one of the records, I mean I’m very proud of all the record, they were as good as we were at the time, if we were robbers they were all the things we could rob at the time, I think it’s the most consistant record. Every song is exactly how it should be, it makes a great record that I’m really proud of.
And after having that experience do you feel The Hives don’t need producers anymore?
As far as producing a record I think it depends on what you see a producer as being. We were very much involved in producing the earlier records as well but this was the record that we completely shut everyone out. On other records we had producers have a say and ideas we worked together on that, but this time around we wanted to shut everything else out and the core of The Hives be the mastermind of producing this record.
You are so proclaimed and stated by many fans and bands as the greatest rock band in the world, but what band did you take the title from when you started almost 20 years ago?
That’s the weird part, around that time when we were becoming popular Oasis was that band, so maybe Oasis? ACDC was playing and saying they were the best rock’n’roll band in the world and fair enough. Sometimes we get very diplomatic we say we are top three (with those bands) but it’s not very rock’n’roll to come out and say you’re top three, we do what Little Richard does and say you’re the best of them all.
Is there any bands coming up that you see as a threat of taking the title?
No, I mean we’ve been playing with some great bands, we have so many great support bands I’m super stoked to see new bands coming up and playing exactly the sort of music that I love and I don’t really feel threatened, I only get excited when there’s new bands coming up that have the sound that makes you want to play music, bands that come out that are great, they inspire you so if we have to share the crown with someone else I don’t care, it’s all for the good of music and it’s all for the good of my own retirement, it would be so much better with cool bands to listen to.
Awesome. Well thanks so much for the chat and we look forward to seeing you here at Big Day Out 2014.
No thank you very much, it’s my pleasure.
Cassie Walker
THE HIVES
Big Day Out 2014 Sideshow + special guests
TUESDAY JANAURY 21 – MELBOURNE, 170 RUSSELL (18+)
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au
and the Corner Hotel Box Office 1300 724 867
BIG DAY OUT 2014 DATES
Sunday 19 January - Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Friday 24 January - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 26 January - Sydney Showgrounds
Friday 31 January - Bonython Park, Adelaide
Sunday 2 February - Claremont Showgrounds, Perth
Ticket on sale now at bigdayout.com
Hello Nicholaus, how are you?
I’m very good thank you, how are you?
I’m good. I know you’re busy so let’s keep this quick, how has your day been?
Yeah, very so far, I mean it’s only 10.00am here. I usually wake up pretty early in the mornings these days, because of jet lag and holiday season, we went all around the USA just before Christmas and then we came home and I didn’t really bother to adjust my hours so I stay awake at night and sleep during the day, stuffing myself with food all over the holiday season. I’ve been up since early, then I took my kids to school, then I came home for interviews that’s pretty much it.
It’s not very rock’n’roll.
Well it all depends you know? I don’t wear my guitar to school.
It feels only yesterday we welcomed 2013 with The Hives here in Australia at Falls Festival and now we get you back again, how was 2013 for The Hives?
I think we had a great 2013, amazing shows all over the year, we’ve been playing with some great bands and supports bands. We’ve been to South America, some great European tour, great USA tour, it’s been pretty superb as far as music goes.
As you said you have played with a lot of great bands, do you as a band have much control in the line up on tours?
Well yeah this years Big Day Out we picked all the bands. I mean when we’re touring we always pick our own bands, as far as supporting Pink we don’t really decide on that. (laughs)
How do you source new music?
Some bands they live near by the venue. Sometimes it’s more geographical, you gotta find a good band in the area who can do the sort of shows that we’re doing, but for the most part we always have good records, we have friends who know about records, we have friends who are into music and tip us off on good bands and we talk amongst ourselves on what bands are great. A lot of the time it’s the chance to get to play with bands that we want to play with or bands that we want to see, it’s a pretty sweet deal. Some of the bands that we’ve been fans of for ever we’ve got to tour with and see live every day for a month, we’ve toured with The Hellacopters and all these great bands that we were fans of, it’s a pretty sweet deal.
My ideal line up for a show is The Bronx, Eagles Of Death Metal and The Hives, what’s your thoughts on that line up ?
It sounds great. We were playing with The Bronx a lot this year, they were on the whole European tour and they’re great guys and a great band, seeing them every night you know, they’re some of my favourite shows we ever did and I liked playing shows with Eagles Of Death Metal so I’m in, sounds like a plan.
Now before you play my dream tour you will be here for Big Day Out festival which is the festival I first saw The Hives at way back when, I don’t even want to admit how long ago that was.
It was 2001, no wait 2004 or 2005, it was a long time.
The festival landscape has changed a lot since then, have you noticed the change?
Not really. I don’t even know what’s going on with Big Day Out, I saw the geographical location and it looks pretty similar and in regards to bands it seems like the type of festival that would book the same sort of bands that they have before I’m hoping the change is all for the better.
The Hives were only recently announced on the line up, was it a last minute notification for you?
No, no, we were added to the bill because Blur cancelled, well they were looking for bands because they had to fill up the line up. Having the line reputation that we have as a great live band, we’re always stepping in for promoters for when bands cancel, we’ve replaced everyone from David Bowie to Blur, we’re one of those bands that people are excited to see.
I’m happy, I think Blur are boring, I much prefer this line up.
Good on you.
You did release ‘Lex Hives’ in 2012, there is a strong sense of diverisity in the production of tracks, almost sounds like Hives radio, given the whole band worked on the production of the record did each member leave their own mark on individual tracks?
It’s time consuming but a great result, I think it’s our most consistant records we’ve made. It’s one of the records, I mean I’m very proud of all the record, they were as good as we were at the time, if we were robbers they were all the things we could rob at the time, I think it’s the most consistant record. Every song is exactly how it should be, it makes a great record that I’m really proud of.
And after having that experience do you feel The Hives don’t need producers anymore?
As far as producing a record I think it depends on what you see a producer as being. We were very much involved in producing the earlier records as well but this was the record that we completely shut everyone out. On other records we had producers have a say and ideas we worked together on that, but this time around we wanted to shut everything else out and the core of The Hives be the mastermind of producing this record.
You are so proclaimed and stated by many fans and bands as the greatest rock band in the world, but what band did you take the title from when you started almost 20 years ago?
That’s the weird part, around that time when we were becoming popular Oasis was that band, so maybe Oasis? ACDC was playing and saying they were the best rock’n’roll band in the world and fair enough. Sometimes we get very diplomatic we say we are top three (with those bands) but it’s not very rock’n’roll to come out and say you’re top three, we do what Little Richard does and say you’re the best of them all.
Is there any bands coming up that you see as a threat of taking the title?
No, I mean we’ve been playing with some great bands, we have so many great support bands I’m super stoked to see new bands coming up and playing exactly the sort of music that I love and I don’t really feel threatened, I only get excited when there’s new bands coming up that have the sound that makes you want to play music, bands that come out that are great, they inspire you so if we have to share the crown with someone else I don’t care, it’s all for the good of music and it’s all for the good of my own retirement, it would be so much better with cool bands to listen to.
Awesome. Well thanks so much for the chat and we look forward to seeing you here at Big Day Out 2014.
No thank you very much, it’s my pleasure.
Cassie Walker
THE HIVES
Big Day Out 2014 Sideshow + special guests
TUESDAY JANAURY 21 – MELBOURNE, 170 RUSSELL (18+)
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au
and the Corner Hotel Box Office 1300 724 867
BIG DAY OUT 2014 DATES
Sunday 19 January - Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Friday 24 January - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 26 January - Sydney Showgrounds
Friday 31 January - Bonython Park, Adelaide
Sunday 2 February - Claremont Showgrounds, Perth
Ticket on sale now at bigdayout.com