As injuries go, whacking yourself in the head while swinging a microphone is about as rock 'n' roll as it gets. And that was the scene at the huge Arctic Monkeys gig at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday night for The Hives frontman Pelle Almqvist.
During The Hives' bouncing support slot at the stadium singer Pelle had been flipping his mic up around his head when it thudded down and smacked him above his right eyebrow. A collective "ooof" went up from the crowd as fans heard the thud.
But the flamboyant Swedish frontman soldiered on - even as blood started to stream out from the injury all down his face he continued to sing.
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Music fans at the Emirates concert have been left with nothing but admiration for the singing star for soldiering on despite the dramatic on-stage injury.
Fans took to Twitter to describe the moment it happened. Ryan Stewart tweeted: "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".
Mike Gray tweeted: "The Hives embodying the spirit of Rock 'n' Roll as ever at Old Trafford."
Michael England described the moment saying: "Didn’t half make a thud over the speakers too. I think everyone at @EmiratesOT felt it. There was a collective “oof!” that rang out across the crowd!"
The rock band headed out on stage wearing matching black and white lightning flash suits on Friday night.
Pelle continued to perform after the injury, although he did momentarily stop to wipe his bloody brow with a towel before continuing on - as more blood streamed down his face.
The Swedish rockers were also praised for their barnstorming set with many even saying they were "better than Arctic Monkeys". The band has just released new single Bogus Operandi which has been winning rave reviews, ahead of new album The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons out in August.
Fan Gavin Marshall tweeted: "The Hives were absolutely awesome! 20 years since I last saw and they’ve got even better with age. Follow that Arctics."
On Saturday afternoon, Pelle took to Instagram to reassure fans that he was OK after the incident. He explained what happened and that he would most definitely be back on stage again tonight in support of Arctic Monkeys on their ongoing tour.
He wrote: "I’m ok! Was swinging the mic at the show and Nicholas accidentally stepped on the cable sending the mic into my face. 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!!!"
Also on the bill are Liverpudlian band The Mysterines, who open the show.
The opening night was given a big thumbs up from the MEN's reviewer who wrote: "Arctic Monkeys ultimately shunned the more obvious paths you would expect from a band playing in a stadium and it just felt right for them.
"In working through plenty of classics and crowd-pleasers along with the more thoughtful new material, essentially playing a greatest hits set, they made sure that this was a treat for everyone.
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