UK Subs bassist and bandmates denied entry to US

[baldwinbass]

"Three members of the pioneering British band UK Subs were detained and denied entry into the United States at LAX airport, according to a social media post by the band’s bassist, Alvin Gibbs. The situation meant only the group’s singer was able to perform at the LA Punk Invasion festival in Los Angeles.

“Some of you might have seen posts on UK Subs’ websites, which provide photos and video of a random line-up playing with Charlie at a Los Angeles Punk festival at the weekend. You might therefore be wondering ‘how come?’ Well, the truth is that Stefan, Marc and I were all denied entry into the USA,” Gibbs wrote in a Facebook post just after noon on March 19.

The festival took place March 15 at The Belasco and Mayan theatres. Gibbs was referring to band vocalist Charlie Harper, who according to his post, was the only band member allowed to enter the country. Fellow band members Marc Carrey and Stefan Häublein were also deported back home, according to the post.

According to his lengthy post, Gibbs thinks it could be his public criticism of Trump that got him denied from entering the country.

“There were two issues: 1) they said I didn’t have the right visa for entry and 2) there was another issue, which they wouldn’t disclose, both of which prevented me from being allowed into America — I’m now wondering if my regular and less than flattering public pronouncements regarding their president and his administration were a factor; or maybe that’s just me succumbing to paranoia.” he wrote on Facebook.

Gibbs said his phone and passport were taken and he was forced to spend 25 hours in a holding room with his bandmates and other detainees."

[Lozz196]

Good old Alvin, ever the rebel.

[MacDaddy]

6 hours ago, baldwinbass said:

1) they said I didn’t have the right visa for entry

 

 

Do we know the truth of this?

[Doctor J]

I feel it's important to ask at this point...

 

When Charlie played the gig... did he use UK subs?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

Edited Saturday at 18:42 by Doctor J

[mike257]

7 hours ago, baldwinbass said:

"they said I didn’t have the right visa for entry"

 

All the chatter I'm seeing on socials and forums seems to be focusing on the very speculative idea that they were rejected for their political views, and conveniently ignoring this point here. 

 

Going to the US to work, in any context, requires the correct visas, and a band that have been around as long as them will be well aware of it. They're expensive and time consuming to obtain, but they're a reality of touring out there. I hold an O2 visa linked to the O1 visa held by an artist I work for - even with that I can only enter to work for that specific artist and nobody else. 

 

If you visit the US and work (and playing a show counts as work) without the correct visas you are working illegally and if caught you're liable to be deported, banned from the country for 5-10 years, and ineligible for the ESTA programme (tourist visa waiver) permanently. 

 

If they've rocked up to the border without the correct visas to work, that will absolutely be the primary reason they've been denied entry, and it's on the band and their team for not having their paperwork lined up. US immigration don't muck about, even more so under the current administration, and I'd not be taking any chances going over without watertight paperwork. 

[Lozz196]

Yeah got to do it properly, but Alvin lived in the US for a while and has toured there many times so you’d hope he would know how to do it all properly. Charlie being the singer and most well known would have to do it the right way but maybe a financial decision was made for the rest of them?

[Burns-bass]

2 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Yeah got to do it properly, but Alvin lived in the US for a while and has toured there many times so you’d hope he would know how to do it all properly. Charlie being the singer and most well known would have to do it the right way but maybe a financial decision was made for the rest of them?

Most touring acts, especially those playing festivals, will have people to do this stuff for them. Ticking boxes and moving gear is pretty tedious stuff. Probably a bureaucratic mess up rather than something more malicious.

[SteveXFR]

If this was due to their political views, that really is disgusting, especially with Trump and his goons going on about free speech all the time.

[Marky L]

1 hour ago, SteveXFR said:

If this was due to their political views, that really is disgusting, especially with Trump and his goons going on about free speech all the time.

 

Ahh, "Free speech!" The clarion call of the right wing moron.

[SteveXFR]

They only want free speech when it agrees with them.

They also don't think free speech should have consequences. I once explained this to a work mate that if I insulted his mother and he punched me in the face, then I have used my free speech and experienced consequences.  He seemed to get it then and agreed that consequences can be deserved. 

[mike257]

12 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Most touring acts, especially those playing festivals, will have people to do this stuff for them. Ticking boxes and moving gear is pretty tedious stuff. Probably a bureaucratic mess up rather than something more malicious.

 

They do (I'm one of the people that does the stuff) and there's only one right way of doing it, and if you're doing it wrong, you're almost certainly doing that knowingly. 

 

However, doing "that stuff" requires participation from all the people you're getting a visa for - the artists and crew have to personally fill out paperwork, visit the US Embassy in London for a visa interview and submit their passports for the visa to be added. A band that started touring the US in the late 70s/early 80s will know this and will absolutely know if they haven't done it. The visa is physically stuck inside your passport, and has a clear expiry date. 

 

If they've travelled without the correct visa, they've done it knowingly and it's on them and their team, really. 

 

2 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

If this was due to their political views, that really is disgusting, especially with Trump and his goons going on about free speech all the time.

 

All of this is moot if the visas were wrong 🤷

[TimR]

In the 90s it took me 2 hours to get through immigration because I had my laptop and a 'letter of sponsorship' for a Canadian company. I was just passing through the US. The first 10minutes was a customs guy with a dog asking the same 3 questions in rotation, each time with slightly different phrasing. 

 

It then took 3 hours to get through immigration to Canada. The parting comment from the Canadian border official - "We could have made this a lot harder for you."

 

One of our agents was crossing the border and was asked if he had any commercial goods. They opened his 'trunk' to find a 2ft length of scrap pipe he was throwing away. Queue a half hour back and forth.

 

These guys don't mess around. And they have guns. Don't get angry, just answer the questions, and wait until they get bored or someone else more suspicious comes along. 

 

I think I saw the entry requirements to the US have changed and you now need a visa before you fly, you can't fill in the card on the flight like you used to.

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by TimR