No more bullshit, ENGERICA are coming…

…to get you, to get me, to get us, to get them, to get everybody, to take over the whole world.
Once you experience their debut ‘There Are No Happy Endings’, your life won’t probably be the same as it used to be. Big talk? Nah, Engerica have the guts to be real life-changers, getting their inspiration from true (prototype) life-changers, like The Stooges and The MC5 and the early angry, MickJagger-driven Stones. That’s right, there’s a straight line connecting sixties ‘traditional’ punk bands with Engerica, but no way are these youngsters from Essex just reproducing a glorious past. They belong to the present. Mostly, they belong to the future. Well, maybe the future belongs to them.
Engerica came together in the frosty December of 2000. They decided to form a band, far from any trend, far from any hype, far from any fashion, far-far away from pretension. Far from elitism. A band that would shake and shock listeners, a band that would get listeners high.
(How did they come up with such a name? Their singer + guitarman, Dave spotted the trainers one of his class-mates was wearing. Those were ‘Emerica’ trainers she was in. Dave thought ‘Emerica’ had something to do with England and America. A few seconds later, the name ‘Engerica’ was born inside his head. He suggested it to the other band members; they accepted it. Engerica had just started out.)

January 2005, Sanctuary Records grabs Engerica. March 2006 sees the release of ‘There Are No Happy Endings’, their first full-album. The sleeve, ha ha ha, is a parody of ‘Hopes And Fears’ by Keane, only with gallows on top. Which means that Engerica make a fine and approved impression on us (sorry, Keane) at first glance.But what about the sound? From the opening song ‘Reasons To Be Fearful’, to the very last note, Engerica rules the fucking game. Raw and aggressive, more frenzy than angry, insane and dirty, they attack our ears with their electric, eclectic blend of high-velocity punk and metal, with added touches of grunge and a little hint of goth (plus a well-hidden pop flavor in the back). David Gardner (guitar, vocals) performs noise in an activist’s sort of way. He screams and yells, like a twisted, sick preacher. He does this on stage, too, scaring the audience and making enemies on purpose. Needless to remark, his style attracts many more followers. His partners (in crime), Mike Webster (bass) and Neil-Ross Gregory (drum-kit, as he prefers to be credited) back him up gracefully. Hot become the airwaves, each time ‘diamonds’ (our let’s-get-crazy radio show) broadcasts Engerica. I can imagine many listeners saying to the person sitting beside them: “Shut the fuck up, Engerica’s on the air!”. Fact is that these destructive kids from the deepest darkest reaches of Essex, UK have refreshed our playlist, having come to stay (there for a long time). Are we willing to die for Engerica? Hell, no! We’d die to …live to enjoy them.
So, fuck power-trios! Engerica are here. That’s how (nasty) today’s rockNroll should be played.

Turn it up, feel the heat, smash it all!


John Simandiras