Raygun

This article was written for www.newbeats4u.com by Ezekiel Ojo

Wow. If this show is anything to go by, call the Chinese because this may just be Year of the RayGun. If you haven’t heard of them yet, surely it won’t be long until you do. The four boys from London have energy, passion and it seems the right amount of charisma (and tight fitting trousers) to take them right to the top. Ray Gun are not just your usual electro/pop band, these guys have substance, and I don’t mean in the Ms Winehouse sense of the word. Their magic lies in an innate ability to construct catchy melodic lines and instrumental hooks, and an energetic performance, keeping the audience captivated from start to finish.

Listening to their synthesised infused set, you can hear influences from some of the great Pop, Rock and Electro bands. Head shaker ‘In the City’ wouldn’t be out of place on a Blondie album. Anthem ‘See You Later’ is a fantastic rock song, reminiscent of The Rolling Stones and for pure entertainment and showmanship, look no further than The Scissor Sisters for a comparative act.

Front man, the aptly named Ray Gun, is a breath of fresh air. Authentic, charismatic and good looking (makes you wanna puke, doesn’t it?) This guy is what he is and the vocal ability to boot. There are obvious comparisons in vocal style to David Bowie, no more evident than in their song ‘Waiting in Line’ but if you think this is just a modern day copy of a rock legend, then STOP. Think again. This guy has been cut from the very same mould. He is a talented singer with bags of ability and from the reaction of the women in the crowd, and a few men it must be said, he is destined to be a popular front man. He humped his way through this gig. The mic stand, the floor, the bass drum, even Adj, RayGun songwriter and lead guitarist was taken in his hump fest. The crowd loved every minute of it.

RayGun have every tool they need to make an impact. This was no average show, they were tight, and their set was constructed to get people moving. There were the crazy chicks at the front of stage manically waving their arms. Even the ‘too cool for school’ crew, who didn’t really want to show that they were having a good time found themselves under the RayGun influence, their feet tapping like uncontrollable metronome’s. Everyone felt the energy. There was something magical happening on stage and as I sipped on my beer, watching RayGun do their thing, I couldn’t help thinking: ‘Heineken don’t do electro/pop bands but if they did..?’

Written by Ezekiel Ojo