Raygun! Raygun! RAYGUN!
Words by Sophie Eggleton
After completing my usual pre-gig research I can’t say I was overly thrilled at the prospect of trekking to the Boiler Room in Guildford with post roast lunch bloat on a lazy Sunday a few months back to see English rock/soul melodramatic popstars, Raygun. Finding that they had just come off supporting for Pink on her Funhouse tour, and played with The Script, I made unfair presumptions that they would be another bland, middle of the road pop-rock troupe. But I was very pleased to be proven wrong and found myself sashaying and singing to the songs upon first listen. With their flamboyant, snake hipped frontman with a suprsing voice that doesn’t seem to match his Nicholas Holt/Cillian Murphy hybrid looks, ridiculously catchy songs, and stage presence to boot, I predict big things for Raygun.
You recently played the Itunes festival, how did it go?
Really well! One of the best gigs we ever played! Lights were amazing!
You played Glastonbury and are playing V next. What’s different in performing at festivals rather than normal gigs? What do you prefer?
Bigger stage to fall off! Playing during the day is also fun as well. You also have the challenge of playing to a crowd who have no idea who you are – it keeps you on your toes, which is good.
Best show you have played?
Probably the one we played on the beach in Cannes. The whole beach was lit in neon pink, it looked like a cross between Miami Vice and a Duran Duran video. We were scheduled to go on immediately after a fireworks display so we were shitting it thinking “right we’re gonna have to be bigger than the fireworks”. In the end the whole place was dancing so we had a real laugh! It was definitely a moment.
How was it making the video for ‘Just Because’?
Best video we have ever made! Possibly the longest time we have ever spent in a car park. One of the best days of my life. It’s an over the top video for an over the top song. A performance on top of cars speeding down an LA freeway.
So when and how did you guys meet?
We all met in a Bavarian Disco. Actually we all met at the Dorchester hotel, me and Adj were having a spot of afternoon tea when we spotted the others on their way to the spa. We knew right then we had to be in a band together.
What are all your musical tastes?
A mixture of rock and roll and pop music. Love a bit of Timbaland, Grace Jones, The Rolling Stones and James Brown! Somehow with those influences it ended up sounding like us!
When you started playing together did a sound and genre emerge or was it something you discussed?
It was an organic process. Obviously there’s a certain amount of thought that goes into writing a song but it was never a pre-planned process. We went into the studio with some music and came out with songs.
You toured with Pink, how did that come about?
She picked us using tarot cards.
Did she offer any advice?
Have a lot of fun! And don’t smoke.
How do you find the touring experience, any fun stories?
Finding Sam spooning one of Pink’s male backing dancers! Only kidding! Actually heres’s a Raygun fact. The first line of the Just Because radio edit was recorded on that tour, in our hotel in Cologne. Room 206.
How do you ensure you don’t get sick of each other?
Laughter is always the best way to keep everyone happy. Arguing is also vital!
You seem to have mastered how to write the perfect catchy pop song, can you describe the writing process?
Well, we disagree about that but thank you for the compliment! We don’t really have a writing process, we just try and write good songs!
Are your songs taken from personal experience or more aimed at things that happen to everyone?
We often use personal experiences as inspiration for the songs but the key is to work the lyrics so that listeners can relate to them.
Ray, you seem very confident on stage, dancing and talking to the crowd. Are there any nerves?
Of course, I’m a bag of nerves before I go on, until I take my brave tablets!
What frontmen and women inspire you?
Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Elvis and Freddie Mercury all inspire us greatly but we sound like none of them!
When I saw you live, there were hints of rather flamboyant tendencies. Is style important to you? Does that glam rock era inspire you?
Yeah style is very important, it’s something we’re very interested in. Karl Largerfeld is another great inspiration to me. He’s a cantankerous bitch like me!
Would you work with stylists or do you prefer to self style?
We are generally self styled but it is quite nice to have someone there with some nice new clothes. When we have had a stylist in the past Adj always ends up wearing his own clothes anyway!
Highlight of your career so far?
Playing at the O2 was an amazing experience for us, it was the last night of a pretty long tour and the show was just really special. Going to LA to shoot the video was pretty cool as well.
And a low point?
We don’t concentrate on low points so we don’t have one
How do you find the whole press aspect of being in a band, is it still exciting or is it laborious?
We’ve only just released our first single so there’s no way we find anything laborious or boring.
Does your impending fame scare you at all?
Fame is something you cant comprehend! We haven’t even thought about it yet.
Which one band was it that you heard that made you want to form this band?
The Clash, a proper London band! They were the complete package, amazing music and great style. A hugely versatile band. I met Mick Jones at a new years party once, he was a great character.
What’s the most awkward moment you’ve experienced in the band so far?
Playing in Chelsea Arts Club. We thought being an ‘arts club’ it was gonna be a cool place to play but as soon as we turned up and were setting up we got told off by the club chairman for looking at our mobile phones. Then we realized the clientele were a little older than we were used to – they were mostly in their 70s. We thought we were gonna get asked to leave for being too loud or something stupid like that so we started playing thinking ‘this won’t last long’. Oddly by the end the whole place was going nuts. Then it got even weirder, there was this 90 year old woman dancing with Ray while he sung the last song – it turned out she was Guy Ritchie’s grandmother!
And which band do you think we couldn’t live without?
I think it has to be the Beatles. They have touched so many people that we could never live without them.
Which one band do you think we could all live without?
The Illustrated Man – Mine and Adj’s first band. We can all live without that!
What are your hopes and dreams for the band?
We’d just love our music to evolve. We wanna be continually making records and playing it live. That’s who we are.
What is your mission statement as a band?
We have a few – Always Be Prepared. Never be late. Drink water. Ignore their pointing fingers and keep looking at the moon. Pleasure and Excitement! Take your pick!
One killer track of yours everyone should listen to?
I think it’s gotta be ‘Lord Forgive Me’. Love that song!
What are your hopes and dreams for the band?
We’d just love our music to evolve. We wanna be continually making records and playing it live. That’s who we are.
OK then, where do you see the band in five years’ time?
I’ll be dead by then, to be replaced by Paul Rogers!
Posted Wed, August 19, 2009