SXSW Concert Review: Hurra Torpedo

by Todd Maternowski

AUSTIN — Among all the bands attending this year's SXSW festival in Austin, no band had me as giddy as the Norwegian kitchen appliance-rock band Hurra Torpedo.

Some readers may be familiar with them from this oft-circulated web video. Office cubicle-farms throughout corporate America raved about the band's deliciously original M.O.: the matching blue tracksuits, the cheesy 80's cover songs, the rainbow-colored guitar strap, the utter destruction of kitchen appliances, and of course, the gratuitous sightings of man-crack. In fact, it may surprise those who watched that video that Hurra Torpedo is a real band at all, and not some sort of MadTV or SNL skit - a joke hilarious for about 3-4 minutes, but hardly enough to sustain much laughter after the initial shtick wears off.

As it turns out, nothing could be farther from the truth! The crowd that attended the band's SXSW was brimming with pre-show excitement. Of the half-dozen or so attendees that I talked to, everyone was of the same voice: they had seen the video, they were stoked to finally see this band in the flesh. The crowd's nervous tension only rose when the beltless Norwegian wonders started loading their 'equipment' on the stage: about 6-7 dishwashers, stoves, and dryers, a microwave, and one toaster. One after another, as each large appliance came on the already-crowded stage the crowd would release a roar of approval. When the band started hooking up amps and microphones to each of the yet-silent household instruments, the crowd's nervous chitter turned to wide-eyed gawking, which was only made worse when the band began sound-checking the deep freezer's thunderous bass.

After 25 minutes of soundchecking microwaves and dishwashers, the band started into its set-which turned out to smash any pre-conceived notions I'd had about the band from their infamous video. This band was not just a one-hit Webjunk wonder - these crazy bearded Norsemen actually rocked. Over a five-song set, they jumped on top of stoves for basslines, scraped against empty dryers with lead pipes in extremely suggestive ways, and in every way played to the crowd in between songs with their hilariously filthy mix of bad English and single-entendres. By the time they had gotten to the end of the set the three-man band - particularly their overly-virile rock-god drummer, Kristopher - had worked the crowd into a rolling, rocking frenzy, which is no easy task in a venue full of disattached, overly-intellectual websurfing music nerds.

For a finale, they naturally played the 80s cover of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” that had made them famous, and concert-goers certainly got their money's worth in appliances smashed beyond recognition. Whether it was the relentless violence against inanimate objects, the awkward-sounding sexual entreaties to the crowd between songs, or the snappy dressing, the combination of so many amazing elements made this simply one of the best shows I have ever witnessed.

For more people who agree, check out Hurra Torpedo's MySpace site or this, the Spinal Tap-esque rock documentary on the band for a close-up take on the band's hilarity.

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