Clydebank band The Ronains admit they have been left feeling "scared" after they received a death threat from Russia.
The quartet received the threat from a Twitter account originating in Moscow and comes after the Scots rockers featured an image of Vladimir Putin on the artwork of their new single Lunatics.
The private message they received, written in Russian, said: “Watch your drinks you Ukrainian British f***, we know what you look like and will track you. Russia forever.”
Jim Ronain of the band revealed they have taken the words seriously.
He said: “We always like to question the norm and have a bit of a laugh at other people’s expense so we put out the artwork to accompany our single for its pre-sale release ahead of August 5, but we couldn’t believe it when we got a message in Russian from someone who took our message way too seriously.
“It’s actually really scary, particularly because they said they know what we look like. With us gigging and touring they could access us at any time really and we are concerned because we do like a drink, and don’t always think about what we are gulping down.”
The single Lunatics has lyrics that question how society labels those with mental health issues and the band decided to use images of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, North Korean Kim Jong-Un and other world leaders to query what real insanity might look like.
Jim added: “We actually have filed a police report on the matter because it is considered a serious threat.”
Jim and other members Debi, Linzi and Ciaran then received a further blow when the artwork for the song, which has been mastered by U2 and Oasis producer John Davis, got banned from all outlet stores, Spotify, TikTok, Amazon, FB, Instagram and iTunes to name a few.
It’s not the first time the band have courted controversy.
Guitarist Jim was handcuffed and fined £90 after he leapt inside an empty cop car to stick his band’s CD No Courage Without Fear EP a blast while coppers were in a petrol station.
Their debut album Love, Drugs & on the Dole was also based on the true story of controversial local character Lizzy Coyne and her life of debauchery and their last single, a cover of Flower of Scotland beat Noel Gallagher to the number one spot on the UK Rock charts.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here