Manchester Drummer Busts Out Of Hospital To Get To Gig

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.

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.