A "gutted" Steve Wall talked to Hot Press today as he tried to figure out why exactly The Stunning have had to cancel their planned visit to the States.

"It's the worst case scenario," Steve said. "You don't really envisage it. We got the ball rolling quite early with our visa applications and I really never expected that we'd be in this situation where I'd be sitting here in Dublin when I should be getting ready for our first gig."

Wall learned three days ago that their performing visas had not come through in time for their planned trip to New York, which included a Saturday night benefit in Webster Hall for the Barretstown respite camp in Kildare for children with serious illnesses.
"You're in this massive system" he says of a process that has cost his band over $5000. "Basically it was flagged online, it's like tracking a parcel. You have a number you put in and it will tell you at what point you are. For ages it was 'processing'. Then it hits the next thing – 'more information required'. And unfortunately you can't find out what that information is. You ring them up and everything but they have to post it out in a letter. It could be just one little thing, the answer could be in your submission, you don't know.
"It's really complex, the whole thing. Certainly not artist friendly. This gig sold out – 1700 people at Webster Hall to see a great Irish line-up. Now that's two artists gone off the bill: Paddy Casey and The Stunning. Barretstown are gutted as well.
"I still think it'll be a great night. Tommy (Tiernan)'s fantastic, he's well capable of standing up there and captivating a big crowd of people. He'll hopefully rock the house and Tim Wheeler from Ash is going to play as well. God knows who they'll rake up in New York!"
The main message Wall wants to get out is how difficult it is to get a US visa – even if you're not getting paid for your performance.
"This is the thing that people don't understand," Steve says. "A lot of people have said to me when they hear about this, 'yeah but it's a charity gig, you're not getting paid.' It doesn't matter. If you're from another country and you want to stand in Central Park and play a few songs, you need a visa. You're seen as working and you're in breach of the rules.
"We wanted to abide by the rules. The embassy told me I could travel but I couldn't perform. There was no point in me going, it'd be ridiculous to turn up at that event. There was a flight booked for me, a hotel room booked for me and everything. At one point I thought, 'will I go?' But it would have been too much pressure being in Webster Hall on Saturday night and everyone seeing me there and saying 'why the hell aren't you onstage?!'
"I know national security is of paramount importance but the system isn't working. There's so many artists that get refused visas to perform. I hear about it regularly. They're depriving themselves of some great music."
Wall also wonders whether it is quite so difficult for American artists to grace Irish soil.
"I've been going on about this for a while. Artists, mainly from the UK and the States, come into Ireland and take huge amounts of money out of Ireland each year, whereas Irish artists are finding it so difficult to tour. It's so expensive for Irish artists to get out of Ireland, the overheads are massive.
"Bruce Springsteen did how many shows last summer? He would have taken at least a million each show. I've nothing against Bruce Springsteen, he's fantastic, but the fees these acts are on are absolutely massive. So my suggestion would be: tax them. Take a nominal tax and put it in a fund to help Irish artists like ourselves to jump some of these hurdles financially.
"People say it's favouritism, but loads of other industries get breaks to export themselves. It's important that Ireland, be it music or be it bloody butter, is exported! And music probably does more for the image of Ireland than a lot of things. You mention Ireland and people will say 'U2, or Guinness'. The big brands. Music is a huge part of that.
"In the general scheme of things, we're a small band. All we're trying to do is get to New York to do a charity gig and this process has taken weeks and weeks. And it's cost money. To then be turned down on God knows what – some detail?"

We'll try to find answers to some of his questions over the coming days, but on the bright side, Wall notes that the visas will come through eventually and they will be back in New York in the near future.

Saturday week (March 1), The Stunning play an acoustic Steve & Joe set in Moat Theatre, Naas (tickets).
We presume they've secured those visas?
"We'll be really shitting ourselves when we hit the Kildare border control," says Wall, allowing himself a laugh.