Barely Legal is the 1997 debut from the Hives. They wear suits. They wear ties. Their members go under aliases like Chris Dangerous. They're from Sweden. They are five. Hives play bubblegum punk with a cocky swagger that lies somewhere between the sex-bomb tease of Ian Svenonius' Make-Up and pout of The New York Dolls: and having invented their formula for a rockin' good time five years ago now, see no reason to mess with it. Late-come Brit fans, only familiar with Hives' brand of hi-octane r'n'r through the Poptones compilation Your New Favourite Band, certainly won't be disappointed with Barely Legal. The full-on thrash of "A.K.A I-D-I-O-T" and "King Of Asskissing" may owe slightly more to the cartoon hardcore of Green Day and Blink 182 than 2002's trend towards late 70s New Wave, but it's a minor differential. Life's a riot with Hives