Editing The Hives (section)

===Beginnings of the Hives (1993–1999)===
The Hives was formed in 1993 by brothers [[Pelle Almqvist|Per "Pelle" Almqvist]] (Howlin' Pelle Almqvist) and [[Niklas Almqvist]] (Nicholaus Arson) in [[Fagersta]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=23 September 2014 |title=The Hives: The Boys Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest |url=https://magnetmagazine.com/2014/09/23/the-hives-the-boys-who-kicked-the-hornets-nest/ |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=Magnet Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Friends of the brothers, [[Vigilante Carlstroem|Mikael Karlsson]] (Vigilante Carlstroem), [[Dr. Matt Destruction|Mattias Bernvall]] (Dr. Matt Destruction) and [[Christian Grahn]] (Chris Dangerous), soon joined the band and took punk rock-inspired stage names like the brothers.<ref name=":0" /> Drummer Dangerous suggested the name "Hives" for the band as he had read the word for the [[Hives|skin disease]] in a dictionary.<ref name=":0" /> The other members misunderstood the condition based on his description of it, as Howlin' Pelle later explained, "we thought it was a way more lethal disease, for one, and we thought it was way more contagious. So, we figured that we’d spread like a deadly disease across the land". The band went by the name Hives for some time before they realized that "all good band names are plurals", and added a 'the' to their name.<ref name=":0" />

The band's first recording was a 1994 demo titled ''Sounds Like Sushi''. In 1995, the band signed with [[Burning Heart Records]], a Swedish [[independent record label]]. The following year they released their debut [[Extended play|EP]] ''[[Oh Lord! When? How?]]'' In 1997, the band released their debut studio album, ''[[Barely Legal (album)|Barely Legal]],'' and embarked on a tour in support of it. The ''Barely Legal'' track "The Stomp" was later featured on the soundtrack of the film ''[[RocknRolla]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032755/soundtrack|title=RocknRolla (2008)|access-date=31 March 2018|publisher=IMDb}}</ref> The band's early releases would be marked by the influence of such bands as [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]], [[New Bomb Turks]], [[Turbonegro]], and [[Dead Kennedys]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2024 |title=The Hives |url=https://scabzine.tripod.com/hives.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915154404/https://scabzine.tripod.com/hives.htm |archive-date=15 September 2024 |access-date=15 September 2024 |website=S.C.A.B. zine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Ilana |date=6 June 2012 |title=The Hives are Abuzz Again |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/the-hives-lex-hives |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530003225/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/the-hives-lex-hives |archive-date=30 May 2024 |access-date=15 September 2024 |website=Interview |quote=You start listening to music at a very young age. You build up a library of influences. It’s not like the influences of the first album aren’t here now, like [[Dead Kennedys|the Dead Kennedys]]. It's just that the library of influences gets bigger and bigger.}}</ref>

In 1998, the band released their second EP, ''[[A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T]]''. Burning Heart signed a deal with [[Epitaph Records]] to distribute the band's material in the United States during that same year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hochman |first=Steve |date=4 August 2002 |title=Hives' Signing Creates a Hornet's Nest |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-aug-04-ca-popeye4-story.html |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>