Black Lips chased out of India

Spacelab reports:

The Black Lips were forced to flee India on their tour to avoid getting arrested for indecent exposure.



In a letter posted on the Vice Records web site, the band said "Unfortunately, we have had to flee the country of India due to having our whole tour canceled and having to escape being held by police for indecent exposure during our most rawkus set in Chennai at the Campus Rock Idol showcase.



After the fiasco, which the kids seemed to like, the financial backers of the event were furious and threw us off the tour. They tried to get security to restrain us until the Tamil police arrived. We locked the door while they were kicking and banging on it. Meanwhile, we slipped out the other emergency exit."



They don't mention anything about the indecent exposure incident, but it follows on the heels of the band getting showered by bottles thrown by the crowd at a gig earlier in Pune, India on January 17th.



The Indian music blog Indiecision reported that "In the middle of the band’s set, one that reportedly saw much appreciation from the packed Chennai audience, guitarist Cole Alexander took off his clothes and jumped into the crowd. The crowd was stunned. Alexander then proceeded to get back on stage and make out with the other band members."



Are the Black Lips too controversial for India? What does that say about the definition of controversy in India? It's like the Sex Pistols tour of the U.S. all over again.



For now, the band has escaped to Berlin, Germany to work with King Khan on a new E.P.