Serving up a pungent mix of punk noise and electronic sleaze, the Sheffield-based sextet Pink Grease played their first gig as the Buttf*ckers, then morphed into Pink Grease and the Evil X. By the time they made their debut 7", "Working All Day," which was released by Horseglue Records, the imprint created by Soul Jazz founder Ethan Reid and Barry 7 of Add N to (X), they were known simply as Pink Grease. Early in 2003 the group returned with the Soul Paco EP and again that spring with the All Over You EP, which the band recorded in New York City; it was co-released by Horseglue and Mute. The group promoted their fusion of 1977-style punk, disco, and analog weirdness (including home-made synths) by touring the U.K. in the spring of 2003, supporting artists as diverse as Ladytron and the Soledad Brothers. They also recorded their full-length debut, This Is for Real, that year with producer Stephen Lironi and issued a DVD of their tour exploits, The Nasty Show DVD, that fall. The year 2004 was also busy for the band, with the single "Fever" and the straight-to-video zombie movie Creep Killers arriving a few months before This Is for Real's summer release. The band completed a second full-length album, Mechanical Hearts, but while promo copies were pressed, Mute dropped the group and the album never saw official release. Pink Grease disbanded in 2007, and vocalist Rory Lewarne went on to form the group White Witches. Guitarist Steven Santa Cruz died on January 29, 2021. ~ Heather Phares