No Doubt Keeps ‘em Boppin’ and Moshin’

No Doubt’s music is a crazy-quilt stitched together from an unlikely assortment of ‘80s remnants: quirky new wave a la Missing Persons, the wacky ska antics of Madness, plus the sort of spunky pop attitude that gave the Go-Go’s their appeal. The Orange County quintet specializes in relentlessly catchy, high-energy tunes that hinge on the fail-safe dance rhythms of ska and Blondie-style disco, while its animated live show revolves around singer Gwen Stefani’s perky persona.

In the six months since its current album, “Tragic Kingdom,” hit the streets, the group has moved from Troubadour to Palladium status, but the change in stature hasn’t changed its musical strategy one bit. Opening a two-night stand at the Palladium on Tuesday, Stefani strutted and mugged, leading her capering bandmates through a 90-minute set that kept the packed crowd boppin’ and moshin’ to the tune of such hits as “Just a Girl” and “Spiderwebs.” The music, constructed as it is from big, friendly, easy-to-read elements, even defied the Palladium’s notoriously bad acoustics.

While No Doubt manages to revive the campier, fun elements of new wave’s heyday, it also dredges up its shortcomings--primarily a frustrating lack of depth. Letting go of the colorful poses for a moment during its encore to play a surprisingly down-to-earth rendition of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker,” the group revealed itself as a capable if not particularly distinctive rock band.