The Black Lips escape from India (just)

The Black Lips have been hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as "one of the best live bands in America". But on a recent tour of India, the four-piece garage rock act discovered that what fans appreciate doesn't necessarily sit well with cops.

According to drummer Joe Bradley in an interview with Vice Magazine, the band were playing a set in Chennai when the potent mix of a drunk frontman, a rabid crowd and stuffy conditions soon led to some mooning, swearing and bodysurfing. Unfortunately, all that chaos pissed off the production management company, and the band later discovered that their passports had been confiscated by the tour manager and locked in a car.

Weird indeed. Thankfully, a travel companion confronted the tour manager and threatened legal action, reportedly saying, "I'm not saying this to be a dickhead American but if you want to get into a legal battle over this, we will crush you. Their lawyer is Britney Spears's lawyer. You can't match that!"

Eventually, they got their passports back, but at 2.30am, amidst rumours the police were coming to arrest them for indecent exposure, taxis came to rush them to the airport and out of India (meaning that a later date in Bangalore had to be scrapped).

Yes, that's plenty of action for any band. In the true spirit of traumatised bands, they're giving away a new song 'Short Fuse' from their upcoming album 200 Million Thousand (available for download here). As if such generosity weren't enough, they're also looking for fan-made videos for their first single 'Staring Over', with the winning director set to win a Black Lips prize pack including a signed copy of 200 Million Thousand, a special 7" of 'Short Fuse' and assorted Black Lips merchandise. Contest details can be viewed at www.vimeo.com/blacklipscontest.

Read the full interview with Bradley here, and visit the band's blog at black-lips.com.