Norwegian punks amp it up

Turbonegro is designed to be the greatest band in the world. The Norwegian punk sextet is loud and delirious, tasteless and refined. Band members wear suits of fresh denim and stupid hats, and are dedicated to melodic hard rock that’s as euphoric as it is abrasive.

That is one definition of a great rock band, as the autobiographical song title “A Dazzling Display of Talent” seems to suggest. And Turbonegro delivers.

Until recently, the band was mostly unknown in the U.S., but on Thursday, Turbonegro performed two sold-out shows at the Troubadour. In the first set, top-hatted and leather-gloved singer Hank Von Helvete twirled a cane and asked, “Have you been waiting for us?” He noted sarcastically how before the band’s recent reunion, Turbonegro was often just another desperate underground act playing to near-empty rooms in America. But after pummeling the crowd for 75 minutes with jagged punk riffs somehow as melodic as ABBA, the Norwegians had earned their sudden attention.

These punks could play, making tough, churning rock that was often more direct and faster than on their fine albums, including the upcoming “Scandinavian Leather.” Even a song with the cornball rock title “Sell Your Body (to the Night)” worked in spite of itself, closing with an intense jam session, Von Helvete jogging in place. Bearded guitarist Rune Rebellion spent much of the night facing his amplifiers, pulling out long waves of feedback.

By the end, the costumes and much of the makeup had vaporized in all the sweat and fury. Ridiculous no more.