MANILA, Philippines?Boys Like Girls sounds too cutesy for a band name, but it?s said to have been chosen to reflect a personal view against ?unnatural? sexuality.

In any case, the band is admired by anyone who likes the lighter side of punk. Boys Like Girls plays pop music with a fast beat ? its songs (such as ?The Great Escape?) mirroring the youth?s restlessness.

Formed in 2005 in Boston, Massachusetts, BLG was discovered on the Internet and reportedly created a buzz loud enough for it to be signed by Columbia Records within a year.

Its 2006 self-titled debut album has sold decently, and the band has been touring in a bid to gain worldwide notice.

Ayala Malls presents the group in a series of free shows that continues at 7 p.m. at Trinoma and 5 p.m. tomorrow at Glorietta.

What made you want to form a band?

Martin Johnson, vocals/guitar: As a boy I was surrounded by music that my parents loved. They were always playing live concerts on VHS and bringing me to music festivals. In third grade, I forced my friends to play instruments. I told them we should start a band. Then I met John in junior high. We were in separate bands and he had known Bryan from another band. We all became good friends and thought we could start something great.

What have you learned from touring?

John Keefe, drums: Traveling and... meeting different people gives you a different outlook on life.

Martin: To [learn about] places like the Philippines and find that people know us, it?s surreal.

Paul DiGiovanni, lead guitar: When we started touring, we had zero responsibilities; we were just having fun. We have since matured and struck a balance between having fun and doing our work.

Bryan Donahue, bass: We had to quickly learn the rules... on the first tour we ran into a bit of trouble. There?s such a thing as etiquette between bands ? you have to respect and give one another space. We grew up pretty fast. That first tour changed our lives.