Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you
Supporting Seether should have been another stepping stone on the road to success for Engerica but instead it turns out to be a last chance to play to the faithful up and down the country after the band announced they were splitting at the end of October.
Any worries that Engerica's performance is going to be that of a band just going through the motions are quickly dispelled as they launch straight into a riotous version of 'Arsehole'. The energy levels might not be quite as high as they have been in the past but bassist Mike and frontman Dave still put plenty into the performance and ensure that Engerica are always entertaining to watch. The majority of the set list is starting to sound pretty familiar to any regulars with the majority of crowd favourites getting an airing. Considering this is the last chance many in Manchester will get to see the band however it's disappointing that they leave out the excellent 'My Demise' and include what is probably their weakest song 'Hospital'.
To many it's a mystery why Engerica never took off the way we all thought they would and tonight they remind us just how good their tunes are. 'Crooked Sex', 'Roadkill', 'The Smell' and 'Detective Show' all demonstrate Engerica's ability to pluck a great riff out of the hat and turn it into a glorious monster of a song. As the set progresses though it's clear that a large section of the crowd just aren't getting into it and ultimately that's been the problem all along for Engerica and is no doubt largely responsible for their demise. Everyone seems to have their own theory as to why this is but for me it's simply down to the lyrics and their delivery. People seem to put off either by Dave's faux American accent when he sings and his inability to play a set without making stupid noises into the mic at some point, or the often immature and far too obvious lyrics. It was clear at Download this year that many of the crowd weren't taking them seriously, tonight is little different and it's a real shame as they showed on album tracks like 'Misery Guts' that they were maturing both musically and lyrically yet they never managed to convey this effectively to an audience.
Predictably they finish with 'Did You Hear What Sylvia Said?' and it's a good end to a decent performance but having seen a fair bit of Engerica over the last couple of years this wasn't one of their best shows. So another one of the UK's most promising bands bites the dust but they've left a great legacy with a string of excellent singles and their one and only album, if you haven't heard it already check it out and find out what you missed.