Because the band's front man, Kyle Falconer, can't get a US touring visa thanks to a drug possession conviction on his record, the band is starting to worry that not being able play in the US will hurt their chances of making it big outside the UK.
Due to the visa issues [and it should be noted that while Kyle was convicted of the possession charges, he simply had to pay a fine. He's not a multiple-times convicted felon, nor is he a Scottish drug kingpin], the band has already canceled/delayed two scheduled tours. The first would have had them playing at SXSW.
Peter Reilly, who plays guitar for the band, spoke to MP3.com, saying:
"When you first start a band you want to be the best band in the world, and America is the place where you become the best band in the world, so it's very important for us to have success in the US. It was just a really stupid mistake by Kyle."
He went on to say they were told they needed to wait "an unspecified period of time" before trying to apply for a touring visa again. "He needs to wait a while and go back the next time and say, "See, I've been a good boy. But I don't know how long it's going to take."
There is a chance that Peter and his bandmate Kieran, who have visas, will come to the US to try and drum up support of the band's debut album, Hats Off to the Buskers, around its May 8th release date.
This situation, giving the relative insignificance of the crime Kyle was convicted of, it's ridiculous that the band's success, and future, sits in the hands of people not thinking about how intrinsic their US tour could be to their success. The Draconian laws of this country can be maddening at times -- and this is definitely one of those times.
Listen to this song and tell me this band couldn't be huge:
