TURBONEGRO at Rockefeller (Oslo, Norway)
Special Guests: TURBONECRO
Saturday, October 19, 2019
by Jorge Patacas
If there is a band that has managed to combine punk with hard rock and glam rock with bizarre elements, that band is Turbonegro, who actually describes their style as “deathpunk”. The Norwegians have influenced countless bands around the world and albums like “Ass Cobra” (1996) and “Apocalypse Dudes” (1998) are considered classics nowadays. They have a large fan base and an international fan club called Turbojugend, which in fact, gathered two nights prior to the show in an event called Bloodbath at the bar/venue Vaterland in Oslo, which have been organized for ten years now.
The doors opened at 8 pm and one hour later, Turbonecro, a band composed of former members of Turbonegro, were responsible for opening the night. The four-piece consists of Vegard Heskestad (guitar), Bengt Calmeyer (bass), Carlos Carrasco (drums) and Harald Fossberg (vocals), who sang on the Turbonegro first album “Hot Cars and Spent Contraceptives” (1992) and is now a write. They began their repertoire focused on the old Turbonegro material such as the classic “Deathtime”, and other songs from the first period of the band. Just like on their performance at Hellbotn a couple of months ago, Harald got off the stage several times to sing while staring at those who were in first row. A very good performance that left people satisfied and ready for the headliner.
By that time, Rockefeller was full and one could see an impressive amount of people wearing sailor hats and denim jackets with Turbojugend patches, the traditional outfit that identifies the band’s visual image.
After a very successful Latin American tour, Turbonegro returned to their home country to celebrate their 30th Anniversary with this sold-out show. There were people from all over the world in the crowd and both locals and foreigners started to sing the “I Got Erection” chorus even before the band went on stage! By the way, was that Mexican flag hanging on the right side of the stage representing the aforementioned success on their Latin American tour?
Finally the lights went out and the audience exploded in euphoria when the band went on stage and the guitarist Knut Schreiner (AKA Euroboy) began playing the intro of “The Age of Pamparius”, a classic tune that features a catchy chorus which was sang by everyone, while beer glasses began flying from all sides and that lasted until the end of the show.
Even though the band’s former and legendary vocalist, Hank from Hell, left the band almost a decade ago, his successor, the British Anthony Madsen Sylvester, better known as The Duke of Nothing, does an excellent job, also when it comes to the communication with the audience, having a lot of humor, a trademark of the band.
A screen behind the drumkit showed different videos and animations (some of them were really bizarre) according to the song they were playing, and this was a successful complement to the music.
At a certain moment they surprised us with the cover of Queen’s “We Are The Champions”, which was followed by “City of Satan”, whose riffs remind to classics like “We Will Rock You” and “I Love Rock and Roll”. They also had a children’s choir, all in the traditional makeup of Turbonegro, who sang the chorus of the cover “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper and the very catchy “Get It On” with its clear punk influence.
Other highlights came with hits such as “Self-Destruction Bust”, “Denim Demon”, “Are You Ready (For Some Darkness)”, “Deathtime”, which we heard for a second time on the evening, and “Special Education” before they left the stage for the first time and the chants of “I Got Erection” chorus were heard again while the crowd waited for the encore. This started a couple of minutes later with “Prince of the Rodeo”, where the guitarist got off the stage to play among the audience, then they attempted to play “I Got Erection”, but instead they played the Beastie Boys cover “Fight For Your Right (To Party)”, and then they finally played the long-awaited hit from “Ass Cobra” album.
This was undoubtedly one of the shows where I’ve seen the most euphoric audience in Norway since I arrived, there was some moshpit, crowdsurfing and even a Wall of Death at the end. What a party! If you missed them this time, you have another chance on November 2nd since they’re playing an extra show due to sold out tickets, so don’t miss it!
