Raygun

British pop rock band Raygun continues to defy critics as they capture more fans across the globe, including Southeast Asia where they are currently promoting their eponymous debut CD.

Just this August, the band was on a seeming downward spiral after getting widespread derision from netizens for an interview they did for British TV show ‘4play’ in which lead singer Ray Gun likened their music to "Iggy Pop, James Brown, David Bowie, and Shirley Bassey in a lift."

He then claimed that their music was "inspired by the perils of hedonism,” and that their creative process simply entails “knocking up some beats or whatever.”

“We kind of get together and mash two types of songs, a hybrid of style really. Delia Smith…Psychedelia Smith…just mixing it up to see what happens," he told Manila Bulletin Entertainment Online and other members of the press during a pocket interview arranged by Sony Music at Crowne Plaza Galleria on Oct. 19.       

Ray Gun also intimated about the band’s interest in “sonic experimentations” and “weird noises” similar to “Berlin era (Brian) Eno.”

A parody video of the said interview, which was posted on Youtube, invited mockery for the band. The parody became so popular that the band’s parent company, Sony BMG, had it yanked out.

Nonetheless, new versions of the video dubbed, “Lack Of Self Awareness,” have appeared online.

Trying to make light of the issue, the band posted an “apology” of sorts regarding the comment on their MySpace page. They again explained themselves while they were in Manila.

“It was something that just came out of my head…I just blurted it out. I can’t believe how people took (the quote) so seriously,” the singer said. “It was supposed to be tongue-in- cheek and I really don’t want to talk about it anymore..”

Raygun earned so much praise for supporting Pink during the European leg of her 2009 Funhouse Tour that they were later invited to perform at the first MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia concert alongside Kasabian, Hoobastank, Pixie Lott, Boys Like Girls and The All-American Rejects.

“The reception we’re getting here in Asia is great. Fans are just so welcoming and very responsive to the music,” Ray Gun said. ”Ultimately, I think, music is such a great equalizer. Our tour here in Asia has made that quite obvious.”

The band leader is surprised with how much they are being accepted by Filipinos.

“Everybody likes…appreciates the music,” he gushed. “I saw this young boy dancing to the music the other day and I was like, ‘Whoah! Where did he come from?’

"Back home, you’d have the usual crowds (in that) you could almost predict who listens to what. Here, it’s different. It really amazes me how music could communicate through (different) cultures.”

Ray Gun admits it’s his, guitarist The Adj’s and drummer Sam Embery’s first time to visit the Philippines. Bass player Ben Lyonsmyth, however, counts this as his second stop in Manila after coming over a few years back as part of the rock band Rooster.

Asked to name some of the most memorable things afforded by their recent sojourn in the country, the band unanimously cited both the “Sisig” and a local beer brand among their favorites.

“Best taken together,” they chimed.