The Hives Singer Pelle Almqvist Cuts Face During Concert, Keeps Performing

The Hives frontman Pelle Almqvist didn’t let an injury get in the way of the group’s performance. During the Arctic Monkeys’ concert at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday, June 2, the singer was left with a bloody head after he accidentally hit himself with his microphone — but Almqvist opted to continue the show rather than seek medical treatment.

The incident occurred as The Hives were opening for Arctic Monkeys at the first of two shows at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, England. Almqvist was swinging his microphone when his brother and The Hives guitarist Niicholaus Arson stepped on the cable, causing the microphone to hit Almqvist directly on the head above his right eyebrow. A loud thud could be heard, causing a collective “ooof” from the crowd, per the Manchester Evening Standard. As blood began to flow down Almqvist’s face, the Swedish rocker continued the song, with video of the moment shared to social media showing the musician grabbing a towel to wipe the blood away.

View on X

The incident sparked plenty of comments from fans. On Twitter, one person wrote, “Lead singer of the Hives just cut his head open at the Arctic Monkeys gig and carried on. That’s rock and roll, take notes Royal Blood.” Somebody else tweeted, “when i say i’m now obsessed with the hives yes that’s real blood he smashed his head into a microphone :3.”

“I’m ok! Was swinging the mic at the show and Nicholas accidentally stepped on the cable sending the mic into my face,” Almqvist later assured fans on Instagram. “The blood looked really cool but it wasn’t too bad. I’m taped up and its just a bump now. Let’s do it again tonight! Wohoo!!!”

The band’s performance came shortly after The Hives announced their upcoming album, The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, which will release on Aug. 11. Of the album, Almqvist said, “There’s no maturity or anything like that bulls—, because who the f— wants mature rock’n’roll? That’s always where people go wrong, I feel. ‘It’s like rock’n’roll but adult,’ nobody wants that! That’s literally taking the good s- out of it. Rock’n’roll can’t grow up, it is a perpetual teenager and this album feels exactly like that, which it’s all down to our excitement – and you can’t fake that s-.”

The band announced the album alongside the music video for their new single “Bogus Operandi,” which marked their first new music in over a decade. The group is set to continue touring with Arctic Monkeys through June.