There are few things certain in metal, but we know some things happen regularly: Tool continue to not have an album out, Max Cavalera will release something every six months or so, and if you’re in a touring band that plays in St. Louis, your van will probably be broken into. The latest victim of theft was California metalcore band Kingdom of Giants, whose kingdom was relieved of laptops, cameras their passports and more. It’s not certain as to whether the band left their stuff out in plain view while presumably eating at Steak and Shake. From their Facebook page:
Well Fam, St Louis got the best of us, no matter how hard we tried. 2 laptops, 2 cameras, passports, the whole 9 yards. Thanks to the people at Steak and Shake for doing what they can to help us out in this unfortunate situation.
The band have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the cost of their losses. St. Louis is notorious for thefts for bands, but usually at the venues. Touring bands, especially in a situation like this, should probably always have someone in or watching their vehicle. It’s a bummer for this to happen to a band while they’re on the road, though, and it’s understandable why they started an account to help.
Meanwhile, The Browning is calling for an awareness campaign about how shitty St. Louis is for touring bands in the wake of the burglary, stating that there are some bands refusing to play there:
Our friends in Kingdom Of Giants are yet another band in a long line, including ourselves, to fall victim to personal property theft in St Louis, MO. This is just disgusting and it’s beyond out of control. While ignorant citizens of Ferguson are stopping traffic to ‘raise awareness’ of a year old tragedy that every person in America already knows about, let us come together to raise awareness of the ongoing wave of crime that continues to plague bands and fans alike. More and more bands are refusing to play in St. Louis because it’s simply not safe and this affects the fans who would love nothing more than to see their favorite bands just one more time, but no longer can.”
