Pelle Almqvist

Per "Pelle" Almqvist (born 29 May 1978), also known as Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer of garage rock band The Hives.

Pelle Almqvist
Almqvist performing in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Per Almqvist
Also known as	Howlin' Pelle Almqvist
Born	(1978-05-29) 29 May 1978 (age 47) Fagersta, Västmanland, Sweden
Genres	Garage rock garage punk
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar bass
Years active	1993–present
Member of	The Hives

Biography

Almqvist on stage at Eurockéennes 2007

Almqvist was born to a doctor father and a teacher mother. Almqvist and his brother Nicholaus Arson formed the band in 1993, and, according to a fictional biography about the band, attracted the attention of promoter/manager/songwriter Randy Fitzsimmons.^[1] Prior to success with the Hives he worked as a postman and a sixth-grade teacher.^[2]

Almqvist is known for being particularly animated during live shows, and his onstage antics have earned the band the title of "The best live band in the world" from Spin Magazine, who also put Almqvist in their list of the "50 Greatest Frontmen of All Time". Some of his onstage antics include regularly mixing with the crowd, climbing on amps and other equipment, and banter between songs that is often nonsensical and seemingly arrogant.

Almqvist was previously in a relationship with Maria Andersson, lead vocalist of the Swedish rock band Sahara Hotnights, until a 2006 breakup. Since May 2010 he has been in a relationship with Catrin Nilsson.

In January 2007, Almqvist led the awards show for the radio station P3 Guld.

In 2016, he presented Musikhjälpen which was broadcast from Örebro.

Almqvist is an atheist.^[3]

His stage name is a homage to blues singer Howlin' Wolf.^[4]

In 2021, he took part in the sixth season of the Swedish game show Alla mot alla med Filip och Fredrik [sv] with teammate Little Jinder.^[5]

Collaborations

Almqvist collaborated with Swedish rock artist Moneybrother on a cover of the Operation Ivy song "Freeze Up". They used Swedish lyrics and called it "Jag skriver inte på nåt", which translates as "I Won't Sign Anything". He was also featured on the single "Dance to our Disco" by the DJ duo Punks Jump Up.

Discography

Main article: The Hives discography

• Barely Legal (1997)
• Veni Vidi Vicious (2000)
• Tyrannosaurus Hives (2004)
• The Black and White Album (2007)
• Lex Hives (2012)
• The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (2023)
• The Hives Forever Forever The Hives (2025)