Sweden’s Hotnights rage on

Just hours after the U.S. invasion of Iraq began Wednesday night, Sahara Hotnights hit the Roxy stage and captured the moment, as singer-guitarist Maria Andersson flipped back her shaggy black bangs and wailed, “I wanna make some noise, alright, alright! I wanna drop some bombs, alright alright!”

The Swedish garage-punk quartet’s angular, ferocious “Alright, Alright (Here’s My Fist Where’s the Fight?)” offered the sort of adaptable, what’ve-you-got rebelliousness that’s a hallmark of the ongoing Scandinavian invasion. But contempt for the status quo was pretty much the evening’s theme, with second-billed British art-punk quartet Ikara Colt raging through a half-hour set that was disappointingly less finessed and varied than its debut album, “Chat and Business.”

Sahara Hotnights blazed through a 40-minute set featuring selections from its defiant second album, “Jennie Bomb,” as well as a raucous take on pioneering hard-rock chick Suzi Quatro’s 1973 British chart-topper “Can the Can.”

Andersson, drummer Josephine Forsman, guitarist Jennie Asplund and her bassist sister, Johanna, blended glam, punk and new wave into sonically and lyrically angry statements that weren’t so much overtly political as socially critical, fueled by the twin engines of boredom and resistance.

Considering the anthem-like songs, the set was surprisingly devoid of memorable hooks. Still, the music’s aggressiveness lodged quite effectively in the gut, and Andersson’s keening vocals kept every frayed nerve on edge until the last discordant note.