All dressed up, ready to go

Numbers don’t lie, so the saying goes, and some might conclude that means famously self-aggrandizing Swedish quintet the Hives have some ‘splaining to do about just how irresistible they really are. Though feted by the garage-rock-crazed British and American music press, the goofy-cool group from a frozen faraway nation has thus far sold 157,000 copies of its 2004 Interscope debut, “Tyrannosaurus Hives” -- considerably less than the 432,000 of 2000’s “Veni Vidi Vicious.”

But numbers might not tell the whole story. And to lead singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, they apparently don’t matter at all. Even half a world away, talking through a slight cold on the telephone from his native Fagersta, Almqvist’s, er, supreme rock ‘n’ roll confidence comes through. “I think this one is actually our bestselling record,” he reckons.

It’s hardly time for the final tally, anyway. After all, Almqvist and bandmates Nicholaus Arson, Dr. Matt Destruction, Chris Dangerous and Vigilante Carlstroem are still converting fans the old-fashioned way: out on the road. They played in Mexico City on Tuesday and have a gig scheduled Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas and two sets Sunday at the House of Blues Anaheim. After that, they’re flying to Australia for the “Big Day Out” festival with groups such as the Beastie Boys, System of a Down and Le Tigre.

“We thought for a while that just doing our own shows would be more fun,” says Almqvist, 26. “But it’s kinda like you’re playing to the same people every day, even though I love those people. So I really like playing to other bands’ fans as well, in an effort to steal them.” He laughs mischievously, as he always does after making breezily arrogant remarks.

The Hives’ dynamic, over-the-top concerts are the key to their expanding popularity. Credit part of the charm to the playful visual elements, such as their matching outfits (most recently, black trousers and shirts with white jackets, ties and spats). But it’s also their exuberance, as Howlin’ Pelle capers and yelps, doing his best Mick Jagger moves and filling the space between tunes with hilariously egotistical banter.

Still, some fans preferred the simpler punky punch of “Veni Vidi” to the new-wavier elements sprinkled into the new album. But, like most creative types, the Hives get bored doing the same old thing. “I really can’t foresee what people are gonna like or not like, and I don’t think I would want to, either,” Almqvist says. “We trust our tastes to be good enough.”

The players have been relying on those tastes since forming the Hives as teenagers in the early ‘90s. (According to “legend,” they were assembled by the mysterious Randy Fitzsimmons, the “sixth Hive,” who penned most of the group’s songs, but the name may be a pseudonym representing the group ... or not.) Indeed, the band will celebrate its 11th anniversary this year. “It’s one better than the 10th anniversary,” Howlin’ Pelle says, affecting a Nigel Tufnel-esque logic.

Popularity does have its downside. “There are so many people talking about or having opinions about the band, it’s kind of hard to have that feeling that it’s ours and ours alone,” Almqvist says. “We’ll happily share it with people, but we call the shots.”

Journalists can be annoying, as well. “There’s a lot of angling and stuff going on in articles,” he notes. “I guess that’s a downside, but more people get to hear about us, and that’s good for everybody.” He laughs.

“If you make good music, you should want people to hear about it,” he adds. “And we seriously think it’s better for people if they listen to us instead of a bunch of other [stuff].” Again, the laughter.

The question of whether they’re serious is about as tiresome to Almqvist as “Who is Randy Fitzsimmons?” But you can’t blame folks for wondering, just as you can’t help thinking that the Hives are serious. And they aren’t. It’s like their songs, which mix classic rock ‘n’ roll nonsense and swagger with bits of social, political and personal commentary.

“You’re supposed to just hear that [more serious] stuff in between ‘yeah’ and ‘all right,’ ” Almqvist says. He doesn’t consider the Hives a political band, but says, “We’re too interested in the world for it not to seep in. You can get all kinds of clever intellectual stuff happening in a song, but if nobody wants to dance to it, there’s no point. It’s supposed to sound like regular rock nonsense, but it’s supposed to have something else in there. Because we always liked the way classic rock nonsense sounded, but we didn’t necessarily wanna be doing it all our lives.”

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Natalie Nichols can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.

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The Hives

Where: House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 S. Disneyland Drive

When: 8 and 11 p.m. Sunday

Price: Early show sold out; late show, $17.50

Info: (714) 778-2853 or

www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/anaheim/