A Kiwi metal band on tour in Europe woke up earlier this week to discover the van they were sleeping in had been robbed, with several essential items, including passports, stolen.
Christchurch death metal outfit Organectomy had been in Europe since late April in support of US band Aborted.
After playing a show in Lyon, France, the band hit the road, parking at a gas station near the border with Switzerland around 1.30am to sleep for the night. They had been living in a Mercedes Sprinter with beds in the back.
Organectomy’s drummer, Levi Sheehan, told 1News that when he woke up, two bags carrying some of the group's gear and cash were missing. He said the bags were sitting in the front of the vehicle, “just a few feet away from where we were sleeping”.
“When we pulled up, I just went straight to bed, so I assumed it was the boys when they were setting up the beds,” he said.
“I went to the gas station, got a coffee and sent some messages for a good 40 minutes and then got back to the van, woke the guys up to go and then realised that our s*** was gone.”
Inside the bags were two passports, around €1000 (NZ$1200) from merch sales, a sample pad, a laptop, in-ear monitors, a camera, lenses, and personal items, including clothes belonging to the band. All up, the cost of the items stolen was around $10,000.
Sheehan said he was shocked the van was robbed since the band was sleeping inside it.
"Being from New Zealand, you don't expect this kind of thing to happen.
“I don’t know what the lesson is, but I guess we’ll lock doors when we’re sleeping in our own van,” he said.
The band reported the robbery to French police but were told there wasn’t much that could be done.
Without the passports, the band was forced to skip the Switzerland leg of their tour and head straight to Germany.
“We weren't brave enough. They're (Switzerland) quite intense and we didn't want to get deported,” Sheehan said.
“Out of desperation”, the group set up a fundraiser to try and recoup the cost of the stolen items and pay for an emergency passport request.
In 15 hours, their story had been shared far and wide, and they successfully raised the amount needed.
Sheehan said the level of support the band received from the metal community was “overwhelming”.
“I didn't really know what to say.”
When the fundraiser was closed, the band had raised more than $12,000.
“It's all been so quick. We're extremely grateful because it means we can finish this tour and keep representing New Zealand,” Sheehan said.
The band had since replaced all the stolen items and had new passports waiting in Germany.
When 1News spoke to Sheehan this morning, they had just wrapped up a show in Munich.
He said he had not received word on the progress of the police investigation.
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