Busting out of hospital by escaping through the window so that you can make it to your first headline gig might seem like typical rock star behaviour.
But what makes a Manchester drummer’s daring risk of his own health so unusual is that his own mum was the getaway driver.
Chris Carcamo, dedicated drummer from Manchester indie band Puppet Rebellion, climbed out of a window at Manchester Royal Infirmary to attend their first headline gig in Sheffield.
The former member of Turrentine Jones, who debuted at Glastonbury this year, stealthily escaped out of the window of an adjoining ward to avoid detection from hospital staff.
OPPORTUNITY: Chris felt he simply couldn’t miss their first headline show (picture courtesy of Trust A Fox Photography, with thanks)
Chris was determined not to let down his band mates and endeavoured to attend the gig 40 miles away. He even managed to persuade his reluctant mum to assist him with his breakout plan as she patiently waited outside the hospital with the car running.
Having noted the times when hospital staff would check on him, he plotted his escape and managed to arrive at Bar Abbey in Sheffield only minutes before the band were due to perform.
He was admitted to the hospital earlier in the week to receive treatment for colitis, a recurring medical condition, and expected to be discharged before their gig on Saturday night. However, doctors later informed him that he would have to continue his stay due to the severity of his illness.
The rest of the band were astonished by his dramatic entrance as Chris geared himself up to play the 35-minute set – despite still having the remains of a drip hanging out of his arm.
Drummer Chris from Droylsden said: “I understand some people will think it was an irresponsible thing to do, and in many ways it was, but in our industry you can’t afford to miss opportunities and you can’t afford to let people down.
“We’ve been building a lot of momentum recently so for us to pull out of our first headline show at the last minute in a top music city like Sheffield would have really harmed our reputation.”
He powered through the performance and received a round of applause from delighted fans afterwards. This was followed by a swift exit as his mum drove him back to Manchester in the torrential rain and he arrived just in time for hospital staff to administer his final injection for the night.
Fellow band mate and frontman of the indie rock group, Simon Monaghan, said: “We all felt bad about the whole thing.
“We weren’t aware of the severity of the situation until very late on and while we don’t condone his actions, we can understand why he did it.”
Rising stars Puppet Rebellion were formed earlier this year but are rapidly building a strong fan base with more than 19,000 followers on Twitter.
UNAWARE: The rest of the band didn’t realise the lengths that Chris had gone to to make the show (picture courtesy of Priti Shikotra, with thanks)
They are currently playing gigs across the country and their songs featured on the half-time set list at Manchester United’s Old Trafford and on Manchester City’s October goals of the month video.
They’ve already released their first EP, Chemical Friends, which is available on iTunes and they will be playing at Dry Live in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on Saturday November 16.
For further information about future gigs, visit: http://www.puppetrebellion.com
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Main image courtesy of Chris Carcamo, via YouTube, with thanks.
