The NME have hailed them as the future of rock 'n' roll, honoring them with the Radar award for rising talent.

And such is their record label's faith in the band, it immediately let The Twang loose with the company credit card, which they used to finance visits to expensive restaurants and seedy strip joints.

According to Uncut magazine, The Twang are five baggy-loving hooligans from Birmingham and according to PR material, they produce terrace-based indie anthems with a Streets-style vocal twist.

So it was no surprise to see the sweaty venue heaving with similar lager-lout types.

Citing Oasis as their main influence, the lads haven't quite matched the style of music they'd hoped for.

Instead, they've bettered it, reaching further back in time to reproduce the Madchester sounds of Inspiral Carpets and The Happy Mondays.

The songs trilled with chiming guitars and trippy drum beats, which even the most snobbish of music lovers couldn't help but nod their heads to, and mid-set highlight Wide Awake had band and audience alike jumping around as though their team had just lifted the FA Cup.

Storming around the tiny stage, dressed in sports casuals and being grabbed at by eager front-row fans, singer Phil Etheridge and Jon Watkins encouraged the up-for-it crowd with a barrage of expletives, beer swilling and football-style chants.

Winking at the ladies, cracking his teeth on the mic and laughing like a drunken fool, Etheridge joined Watkins in a laddish double act, which made the male members of the audience want to be them and the female members want to tame them.

You're either going to love or hate The Twang but their music and good-time attitude is undeniably infectious. And they're polite lads, too, showing their thanks to the fans with air-punches, yelling and yet more swear words.

It has to be said, though, that had this gig not taken place at the dingyyet- cool Engine Room, there wouldn't have been half as great a vibe.

There has rarely been such a spot-on example of "right band, right venue and right time".