Rock ‘n’ Roll, Via Oslo, From Salsa Experience

It wouldn’t be totally off the wall, especially ‘round these parts, to think that a band called the Cato Salsa Experience was some kind of Latin-music-flavored thing. But in fact the Norwegian group is actually another bunch of Scandinavians who find the heart of rock ‘n’ roll in vintage garage and punk.

The Oslo-based quartet was reduced to a trio for its L.A. debut at Spaceland on Sunday because keyboardist Nina Bjorndalen was ill. Her presence might have added more of the gritty psychedelic aspects heard on their debut album, “A Good Tip for a Good Time,” but singer-guitarist Cato Thomassen, bassist Christian Engfelt and drummer Jon Magne Riise ripped into their 50-minute set with such abandon you didn’t notice anything lacking.

Indeed, the large crowd responded enthusiastically to the music, which blended Detroit punk swagger, funky bits and the thunderous crunch of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion capped by Thomassen’s shouted vocals.

In terms of fellow Scandinavians, the songs weren’t political like those of the (International) Noise Conspiracy, and CSX didn’t affect any airs a la the Hives’ mock arrogance. But their tunes did have classic themes, mostly involving the pursuit and capture of fun, as in the propulsive “Cool Cat,” about a new girlfriend and a new pair of shoes, and the self-explanatory “Time to Freak Out!”