In December 1993 four 'long-haired ruffians' from Bradford ambled on to a 747 bound for New York City.

At the other end, they took their first ever stretch limo ride to the infamous Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan for a 17day stay.

During this time they were to report to Sorcerer Sound studio in Soho, establish contact with uber-alternative producer Gil Norton, who has worked with the likes of Pixies and Foo Fighters, and record the 13 new songs that would make up their new album, How To Make Friends And Influence People.

The rest is Brit rock history.

The band - who were, of course, Terrorvision - returned to the UK in January, 1994 to their first Top 30 hit, My House, and a string of sold-out shows.

Later that spring, in the depths of the grunge scene's self-loathing and introspection, and coinciding with the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, Terrorvision splashed themselves all over their first front cover of Kerrang rock magazine, sporting wide grins and dressed in home-made silver suits. It was quite an antidote to what was a pretty depressing period in rock.

Five Top 30 hits, accompanied by memorable Top Of The Pops appearances, and showstealing performances at Donington Monsters of Rock and Reading festivals, suggested that, in 1994, Terrorvision were just what the doctor ordered.

The shiny, silver pop doo-wops of Oblivion, the menacing roar of Alice, What's The Matter? , the sing-along chorus of Middleman, the brooding, string-laden ballad Some People Say and the "totally insane" metal/lounge jazz/rap crossover that was Pretend Best Friend meant that by the end of the year, Terrorvision had made (thousands of) friends and influenced people.

Fast forward to 2009.

Economic gloom, rising unemployment, war, conflict - and Coldplay!

Was there ever a better time for Terrorvision to get back out there and raise a smile?

Fifteen years after the release oftheir breakthrough album, the boys are back for an encore, with their stressrelieving combination of daft grins, joyful dancing and earsplitting rock.

They'll be performing the whole of How To Make Friends And Influence People back-to-back, and there'll be some surprises too.

Last summer, the band played at Bingley Music Live, followed by a handful of autumn gigs.

"The gigs have gone down well, we just pick up where we left off, " says guitarist Mark Yates. "We get along famously - we always did.

We're like a married foursome!"

.Terrorvision are at Manchester Academy on April 9; Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall on April 11; and Shepherds Bush Empire, London, on April 12. For more about the band, and to book tickets, visit myspace.com/officialterrorvision.