Was it in bad taste or all in good fun? London Mayor Joe Fontana took to the stage with local band Bobnoxious to perform their song 'EOA' on Saturday.

The mayor says "I'm a drummer, any excuse to get on the drums, and so I popped in. They were doing a sound check and they said 'How would you like to get on the drums?' And before you knew it we were playing to their new song."

Fontana played the drums as the band performed the controversial song, which has provoked mixed reviews among residents because of its portrayal of the Old East Village.

Songwriter Bob Reid has said he got the inspiration for the song by simply looking out his window in the EOA area, and that the lyrics aren't criticizing the neighbourhood, just capturing what's there.

As for Fontana's drumming skills, Reid says "I think it was amazing and he was a pretty good drummer too, which caught us off guard."

Political involvement with the band isn't limited to Fontana though, as Councillor Stephen Orser has reportedly promised to appear in the music video for 'EOA.'

Still, not everyone is amused by local politicians' involvement or the lyrics.

Jenny Diplock, president of the Old East Village Community Association, said in a email to CTV News "If London and London East are still divided by a single street 29 years after amalgamation, it shows a profound failure of civic leadership on both sides of Adelaide."

There is also a petition to ban the band from playing in the city's Santa Claus parade, something it has done for several years.

But Orser says for those concerned, "They've got to lighten up. This is a Ward 4 band that's going to go worldwide, and everybody loves EOA."

Meanwhile Bobnoxious is hoping to get Fontana back behind the drum set for a fundraising concert at city hall.

Sample of EOA lyrics

"Domestic dispute just an old hat, routine
Always cops making stops, never ending
Skill saw ripping, there’s a smell in the air
While the neighbour is quite entertaining.

"Couches on the front porch…E.O.A.
Old abandoned shopping carts…E.O.A.
Don’t worry how your yard is looking
It’s ok… E.O.A…

"Sidewalk spitters, cars are racing the streets
At the corners your crack and your hookers
Blue box sifters, beggars, drunkards and thieves
Bicycles towing homemade trailers

"...Tree trunk carvings, only 2 liquor stores
Topless Tuesdays, empties, cold beer.
Old bars, scrap yards, stop for the train
I should know cause it’s home
And I live here !!"