In the world of boy bands stakes are high and competition intense. Yet even as they try to outdo the others for the ultimate adoration of teenage girls, the atmosphere has been relatively tension-free. In that light, a comment like 'Boyzone are rodents', made by a rival, can be particularly scandalous. The band charged with making that comment, Code Red, are anxious to clear up the confusion.
'I was misquoted,' said Code Red member Neil Watts, clearly irked by the insult printed in Singapore's Straits Times last week. 'What I said was 'Boyzone are Ronan', meaning Boyzone are more about [lead vocalist] Ronan [Keating].' The British quartet, in town this week to promote their recently released album Missing You Already, were 'really upset' by the incident, which they put down to the interviewer's 'negative' attitude. 'She wanted to try to stir stuff up,' Watts said. 'We're doing our thing, they're doing their thing, it's not about slagging people off,' said Lee Missen.
Apart from fears that the fiasco would upset Irish crooners Boyzone, who they know and probably share a fan base with, Code Red were also concerned about harming their image. Like so many groups thrown into the 'boy-band' category, being clean-cut and fitting the description of 'boy-next-door' can be crucial to survival. 'It's not something we put on, so we take it as a compliment. And it has probably contributed to our success in Asia, the fact we have a good reputation, that we have a good relationship with everyone,' said Roger Ratajczak.
Code Red are well aware of the importance of Asia to their salaries: their 1997 debut Scarlet broke a record in this region before it did anywhere else. Thanks to the Internet, with its plethora of Code Red fan sites, the quartet, rounded out by Phil Rodell, have managed to amass fans globally. Asia is still, however, perfect fodder for their pop R & B sound. As a result, they have dedicated their second album, Missing You Already, to their fans across the region.
'On the new album, we've smoothed out a bit from the last album, we've grown up a bit, we're more mature. And there are a few more live instruments on the album. Essentially it's the same, very song-based harmonies, backing vocals, and strong hooks in the choruses for all our fans to sing along to,' said Ratajczak.
Their sound has been labelled 'blue-eyed soul', a phrase these self-described 'white guys singing soul' do not take too much offence to. But Ratajczak can see why it may bother some artists. 'Soul shouldn't be about colour or race, soul is about what's inside and how you express that.' Code Red have accepted their place in the boy-band pantheon fairly reluctantly, disavowing the label, which has come to take on rather derogatory connotations. There was little they could do to fight the classification though: they are, after all, four white guys who can harmonise to gushy tunes about love for a largely teenage audience.