The Walkmen in mad dash for gig

The US band in wacky races to make UK show

The Walkmen have revealed they came within minutes of abandoning their London gig last week.

The band, who played KOKO on September 27, were close to pulling the show after singer Hamilton Leithauser nearly didn’t make it into the country due to a passport mix-up.

“My friend picked up my passport and took it with her to the other

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(Paris airport) Orly while I was flying out of Charles De Gaulle,” the singer told NME.COM of the mix-up.

He added: “They wouldn’t let me board with a driver’s license, actually they took me into an interrogation room where none of the people spoke English. I think this was the only place in France where no one spoke English, so I had to take another 50 Euro cab to the American embassy to get a new one made.”

However Leithauser‘s friend realised her mistake paid a stranger 100 Euros to take the passport to the Embassy, which he remarkably did.

“Less than an hour later he showed up at the embassy and handed over the passport and the 100 Euros. I never met the man, but he is a damned saint,” declared Leithauser.

However following a cancelled flight and a delay on the next plane, The Walkmen’s frontman arrived in London just minutes before he was due on stage.

“I sprinted out of the airport, did a swan dive into the back of the van where (tour manager) Ben James, with all of his British driving might, sped me down to the club and dragged me onto the stage in a mere 20 minutes,” explained the singer. “I don’t know the city all that well, but I do know that it’s a longer drive than 20 minutes. I was pushed onto the stage and the rest is rock and roll history!”

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The band have now returned home to the US, this time without too much incident.

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