i know a good product for spiking your hair--it's a "glue" called ice and they carry it at most salons. it comes in all the colors of the rainbow, but it also comes in clear. i used it for 2 years and it was the strongest-holding product i found. i rarely had to use hairspray. i don't know if they carry it in the uk, but since it's all over the place in the us, it should be very easy to order online.
i also had short spiky hair with bangs. (i'm female btw.) i had the same problem with my bangs, they always curled to one side...what i did was use mousse on my bangs (without blow-drying it), comb it through until the mousse dried, and then sprayed my bangs with hairspray to keep them straight.
good luck!

t.o.b.