Scands of Hope and Glory
Irony-deficient Nordic rockers Turbonegro are one of the world’s most credible hardcore acts, with a fanlist that includes Queens Of The Stone Age and Therapy?
Craig Fitzsimons, 28 Aug 2007
Rising from the deepest recesses of the ‘90s Norwegian black metal scene, Turbonegro have transcended their humble origins and become a genuine international cultural phenomenon – adored by teenagers from many corners of the globe, my 18-year-old next-door neighbour included.
Though the members of Turbonegro fiercely refute any suggestion that they’re basically a joke made flesh, it must be pointed out that they come closer to being the living embodiment of Spinal Tap than any band since Venom.
Musically, they specialise in a bizarre, high-energy punk/metal hybrid, drawing inspiration from sources both wholesome (Dead Kennedys, Stooges, Black Flag) and deeply unfortunate (Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Queen). Lyrically, their output virtually defines puerile adolescent toilet humour, as indicated by their song titles (‘I Got Erection’, ‘Stroke The Shaft’, ‘Rendezvous With Anus’, ‘Wipe It Till It Bleeds’, ‘You Must Bleed All Night Long’). Visually, they resemble a Village People tribute act, all denim, moustaches and ooh-sailor homosexual innuendo.
At any rate, the band are asphyxiatingly hilarious, though probably not in the way that they’d intend. They’re genuinely admired by many of their peers: Therapy? and Queens Of The Stone Age are attested Turbonegro fans, while Jello Biafra has described their Apocalypse Dudes LP as “possibly the most important European record ever.” Their legions of European fans convene every year for the annual Welt-Turbojugend-Tage, a two-day festival in the red-light district of St. Pauli in Hamburg. While the band obviously owe much of their appeal to pure shock value, it’s impossible to refute that they clearly mean a lot to a substantial mass of people.
Lead singer Hank van Helvete has previously received institutional treatment for unspecified mental health issues, as well as managing to overcome heroin addiction by virtue of a stint working as a guide at a Norwegian whaling museum. I’d expected Hank to be thoroughly cracked and somewhat tormented: as it turns out, he’s courteous and softly-spoken.
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