American rockers Valient Thorr were forced to play the first five shows of their European tour without guitarist Eidan Thorr due to passport issues. However, crossing into the UK from France brought its own problems for the rest of the band when seven refugees were discovered stowing away in the group’s trailer at Calais.
Speaking with Indyweek, drummer Lucian Thorr said: “I heard a clink and felt the bus sort of shake. We all went outside to check to make sure no one was trying to get into our trailer to steal shit, but everything seemed fine.”
However, once the band attempted to board the ferry at the French port, officials asked to look inside the trailer.
“I went to open it,” continues Thorr, “and when I picked up the lock, it kind of fell apart in my hand. I opened it up and when the door opened, there were dudes sitting on top of our gear, sweating their asses off. They looked like young east Indian guys.”
Thorr entered the customs area to tell the rest of the band about the issue, and singer Valient Himself says: “I went outside and saw them all coming out, and it was this group of really tall dudes that looked like a basketball team piling out of the trailer like a clown car.
“The trailer’s about 8ft long and 5ft high and packed with gear – full stacks, drums, everything. It was so humid in there that water had condensed on the ceiling. The customs agent told us the guys were so dehydrated they were about to die.
“We decided that since they didn’t steal any of our stuff or knock us over the head while we were pissing at night, they were just trying to get to the UK because maybe they saw a better way of life over here.
“It’s hard for us to get over here, much less if you just stow away in the back of someone’s trailer.”
