Smith Street Band Gear Stolen After Melbourne Show [UPDATE: Gear Found, Negotiations Ongoing]

The Smith Street Band's Wil Wagner has this morning claimed that his amp was stolen from the stage of Melbourne's Old Bar following a show over the weekend.

The band, who recently released new EP Don't Fuck With Our Dreams, played the venue on Saturday night and allege that the amp, a Fender combo, was taken from the stage at approximately 2.30am Sunday morning.

Posting on Facebook Wagner said, “We have security footage of the bloke doing it and will hopefully have a clear-ish picture of his face on here at some point today. If you saw anything or know someone that did please let us know. I would much rather just get the amp back than get police involved but I will if I have to because we leave for tour in ten days and I'd kind of like to use an amp.”

Wagner said he'd only owned the amp for three weeks and used it live just twice.

”Let's not let this take away from what was a fucking magical weekend and I want to give massive thanks to everyone at the Old Bar,” he added. “They've been super fucking helpful and I have full faith that this will get sorted out.

“As angry as I am with the person who did it I understand that people do stupid shit all the time. I hope that they are somewhere knowing that they fucked up, but that all will be forgiven and forgotten if I can get the amp I'd played live twice and owned for like 3 weeks back. I kind of liked it.”

They encouraged anyone with information to email thesmithstreetband@gmail.com.

UPDATE: The band have now posted a photo of the alleged offender on their Facebook.

The band's next show is Thursday 22 August at Perth's Rosemount Hotel and they'll continue to tour until early September. Dates below.

UPDATE 3.30pm: The amp has been found, with the venue tweeting that the band are on their way to recover it.

So the amp has been found! Well done people of the internet! The Smith Street Band will be picking it up shortly from the dickheads.

— The Old Bar (@theoldbar) August 12, 2013

But it's not ending there…

The band have said that they've been contacted by one of the people in the photo, saying that he told them, “I've rung my friend who took the amp and told him the situation and he's happy to give me the amp to give back.”

But he's not giving the band his friend's details, “because he didn't want him getting in any trouble! They are bargaining with me internet!! This is amazing!”

UPDATE 5.45pm: Having in been in an ongoing dialogue with the man known as “#FedoraGuy” (the friend of the bloke who swiped the amp), he has now agreed to deliver the amp to a mutual location via taxi.

“I will be the first to know when it arrives, you all will be next,” writes Wagner on Facebook. “And if it doesn't, tomorrow is going to be an even better day than today. (I almost hope it doesn't just for Ampgate 2: Justice)

“I still don't know anything about the actual bloke who took it and as frustrated as I am that he's sort of got away with doing a shitty, shitty thing, all I really wanted to do was tell him that he did a shitty, shitty thing and to never fucking do it again and I reckon he's learnt his lesson.”

The rest of the post if pretty bloody good as well (“The Smith Street Band does not negotiate with terrible dressers”), so go see it yourself.

Fingers crossed.

UPDATE 6pm: BOOM!

#ampgate THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!!!!!

— The Smith St Band (@smithstband) August 12, 2013