They're on an East Coast tour of the United States at the moment and the burning question for American audiences is: Are they safe?

""We only used blanks,'' said Peter Coyne, the group's lead singer, with a mischievous smile. ""We're saving up for real bullets, and maybe we'll get them in America. You have the right to bear arms there."

Actually, The Godfathers, who took their name from the Francis Ford Coppola film and the Mario Puzo book, ""The Godfather,'' and an affinity for James Cagney, aren't as menacing as they appear.

""We're kindly godfathers ... godfathers in the other sense of the word. We don't want to come off as heavy or intimidating,'' Coyne said.

Currently one of London's hottest live acts, a Godfathers' concert is rarely low in either excitement or intensity.

Two guitarists, Mike Gibson and Kris Dollimore, are the foundation for the group's powerful sound. Rounding out the band is Peter Coyne's brother, Chris, on bass and George Mazur on drums.

For the past year, the Godfathers have been regulars on the British Independent chart, but they don't feel comfortable with the ""indie band'' label.

""We aren't an indie group, in that we aren't signed to an independent label. We put out records on our own Corporate Image label. The term "indie' to me implies something very superficial that lacks content,'' Coyne said.

Their success in the United States has been limited so far to a No. 4 position in Rockpool's import dance chart with the single, ""This Damn Nation,'' a song about people committing suicide out of frustration because they're unemployed. It's what the English call, "dole murders."

Explaining where the idea came from, Coyne said, "A friend of a friend had gone out Christmas shopping. He'd been out of work for two years. When his family came back, he was swinging from the bannister by his own belt. He'd hung himself because he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't give his family the sort of Christmas he wanted to."

Not all Godfathers' songs are quite so depressing.

Their recent single, ""I Want Everything,'' is self-explanatory and Coyne believes anyone can relate to it.

""We aren't some sort of local English outfit that Americans can't relate to. People everywhere feel the same. Who doesn't want everything? Everyone wants to demand the impossible."

The Godfathers were formed at the end of 1985 when the Coyne brothers' old group, The Sid Presley Experience, broke up.

The Experience turned out to be something the Coynes would rather not experience again. Arguments before, during and after gigs prompted the breakup of the group that was just on the verge of major success.

Their music has been described as a cross between the Beatles and the Sex Pistols. It's a comparison that Coyne finds quite flattering. "It's great when people compare you to the groups that you go home and listen to."

While the Beatles were the voice of the 1960s and the Sex Pistols reflected the British turbulence of the late '70s, the Godfathers would rather not be burdened with speaking for their generation.

"It's ridiculous to say that one group can speak for a generation,'' Coyne said. ""No one group can speak for that many people. Still, a lot of people can relate to the things we sing about. Life is about politics, loving people, hating people. ... I think we write more about the important things in life, like money and girls."