New Blood: Engerica

Enough snotty attitude to fill a Kleenex factory, is just one of the things Essex outfit Engerica will be bringing to The Garage when they support Seether this month. Formed in 2000, bandmates David Gardner; Vocals and Guitar, Michael Stuart Webster; bass and Neil-Ross Gregory on drums have been gigging solidly at almost anywhere that would have them, along the way building up a reputation for their live shows that has won them support sets with some major names. The hard work has reaped rewards as they have snuck into a space on the all-star line up of this year's Download Festival.

Described variously as punk and metal, the fact that no-one quite knows how to pin them down is probably part of the appeal for their young fans. Comparisons to Therapy?, Blink 182, Alkaline Trio, Muse and Placebo are never quite accurate, but all follow a similar theme; music beloved of boys in black t-shirts and girls in black eyeliner. The band themselves are of the right age to have worshipped the grunge anti-heroes of yesteryear, banging on in interviews about their love of The Smashing Pumpkins and Faith No More.

With a name halfway between England and America, their sound can be summed up in the same sense: the vocals are distinctly British, but from a mere three piece, the spit, sweat and assault of their live set is something more often associated with Stateside exports. The band are well versed in both scenes, having toured with homegrown outfit Million Dead and the darlings of daft US punk, Sum 41. They expose their demonic side with tracks such as The Funeral Song and It Was A Goddamn Suicide which showcase their "twisted but humorous lyrics", but thankfully they have enough smirk and gusto to balance what could otherwise stray into angst laden emo.

The live shows are what have really set tongues wagging, as they build a reputation for an "antagonistic onstage personality." In other words, people throw beer at them and the band snarls back, which from any noise proponent with the inclination to call themselves punk, is exactly what you wanted. Not for the faint of heart, hard of hearing or overly-analytical music fan, Engerica unashamedly make music for the kids to get dirty to, with a review from one gig forewarning, "their messy and dangerous brand of rock'n'roll batters you around the head like an ASBO kid gone AWOL."

Their debut album 'There Are No Happy Endings' has just been released on Sanctuary and if the feedback so far is anything to go by, they could have a busy year ahead; dodging more mud and damaging more eardrums.