Turbonegro wins prestigious Kerrang! award
One of Scandinavian rock’s flagships, Turbonegro, wins the coveted "Spirit of Independence" award at the annual Kerrang! awards in London.
Alongside such international heavyweights as Metallica, Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Darkness and Feeder, Turbonegro took home the coveted “Spirit of Independence” at the annual Kerrang! awards in London. The award was presented to a stunned Turbonegro by a visibly satisfied Jack Osbourne.
Says Turbonegro guitarist Rune Rebellion to Ballade.no: “ The “Spirit of Independence” awards ranks alongside Metallica’s “Hall of Fame” appointment as one of rock’s most prestigious awards. When rock’s biggest printed publication elects to acknowledge our work in this way, it’s very satisfying. We’re now hanging out with acts such as Metallica and Linkin Park – they’ve all got our records and are giving us massive feedback.
Says Turbonegro ideologist and bass player Thomas Selzer aka Happy Tom to Norwegian daily Dagbladet: “Winning the award felt very good. Metallica’s James Hetfield is one of our most devoted fans and Good Charlotte, who won two prizes at the Kerrang! awards, dedicated one of them to us. “The spirit of Independence” can be viewed as a merger of “special olympics” and a hero’s award – it’s an award that’s given independently of any record company influence. Many perceive it as the ultimate award – the rock equivalent to the Oscars.”
The Kerrang! jury’s reasoning for awarding Turbonegro the “Spirit of Independence” prize reads as follows: “2003 is the year of the Ox. But more than that, it is the year of the Turbonegro. The Imperial Underdogs of Scandinavian Rock’ claims the bnad’s biography and how true this is becoming. This Norwegian quintet say their tunes are Deatchpunk, but others describe them as “Dangerous Gay Rock performed by dangerous dudes”.
Turbonegro played the Leeds-festival this weekend and is poised for further touring in Germany, US and Australia.
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