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ON THE COUCH WITH: British India

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ARTIST INTERVIEW

Access All Areas.net.au: What has 2008 been like for British India so far?
Declan, British India: I can't speak for the rest of the lads but I've had a very very very exciting year. The trip to the UK from which we've just returned was a definite highlight, the Big Day Out and ofcourse the release of Thieves was something we're quite proud of.

Access All Areas.net.au: Your second album Thieves debuted at number 5 alongside Coldplay. What sort of response have you had to the album?
Declan, British India: It's very strange. Those kind of chart positions are traditionally reserved for teen idols and international music stars, but we managed to gate crash. They didn't check our tickets and we snuck in!

Access All Areas.net.au: What sort of response have you had to the album in general?
Declan, British India: It;s all been pretty good. I think the album in some ways is not as immediately likeable as the first album and some people have picked up on that but I think people who give it more of a listen will probably prefer it. It's a quite a bit deeper and I think it has a lot more to offer than the debut but the reviews seem to be all good, people seem to be enjoying the songs. You won't hear any compaints from me I'm afraid.

Access All Areas.net.au: I'm not looking for one!
Declan, British India: You'd be surprised, some people do! I'm a reputidly horrible whinger!

Access All Areas.net.au: You've worked with Harry Vanda from the Easybeats on many occasions, How did that come about?
Declan, British India: Through a mutual friend, Glenn Goldsmith who was a fan of ours. He knew Harry was looking for something to work on and introduced us. We were lucky that we knew the right people who were available at the right times.

Access All Areas.net.au: British India have been nominated for Best Independent Release at this year's Aria Awards, congratulations! Where were you when you found out, and what were your thoughts?
Declan, British India: I think I'd just gotten home from Tasmania, I was terribly hungover and tired from the flight. I was very surprised, definitely didn't expect it! As I said before, those sorts of things are normally for big stars but I guess luck strikes again.

Access All Areas.net.au: Perhaps there's something else as well as luck involved
Declan, British India: I wouldn't for a second say we didn't deserve the nomination but it's the nature of the beast.

Access All Areas.net.au: I heard about a recent experience you guys had with Heathrow customs. Tell me about what happened?
Declan, British India: That was completely nightmare-ish. We were going to the UK to play promotional shows, we weren't getting paid, and we'd heard of other bands who had done the same thing, and we neglected to get working visas. So on arrival at Heathrow, they put us in a small holding cell for about 10 hours, and then we were put back on another 24 hour flight, just like the one we had gotten off. We worked out that we spent about 60 hours indoors without seeing the sun.

Access All Areas.net.au: What's life like on the road with British India?
Declan, British India: We drink a lot, I suppose. We get along very well, we're fast friends. We tour in quite unconventional ways, we tend to arrive at shows just before we're due on, we don't bring any of our own gear, we just use what's there, we don't write set lists and we don't have any roadies.

Access All Areas.net.au: Do you ever worry that something might stuff up?
Declan, British India: We've been very lucky. I do worry I guess, there's been moments where we've been like 'Shit, we're not going to get out of this one alive' bute have the luck of the Irish it seems, time and time again.

Access All Areas.net.au: What sort of reaction do you get at your live shows?
Declan, British India: It's really good. It surprises me, especially in rural towns people like to get disorderly and have a dance. The music takes on a different context when it's in a darkened room, it's very loud and there's flashing lights, the music takes on a life it would be impossible to maintain on record. People like to get out of the every day at a live show and it's quite a celebratory thing. We're always surprised and flattered at how well our shows go in regards to the response we get from our audiences.

Access All Areas.net.au: You're playing at the Sounds in the Ground Festival at the Manning Bar coming up soon. What's that all about?
Declan, British India: I think in years passed it's been marketed as a rock and roll/pop band vs dance music show. We're spearding pop music and headlining dance music is Midnight Juggernauts. It's an odd competition to stake out because we've also been nominated in the same ARIA category (for Best Independent Release). So our competition with Midnight Juggernauts is coming up again and again!

Access All Areas.net.au: You've played alongside many bands, do you have a favourite that you've toured with? Any gossip on them?
Declan, British India: It;s usually bands that support us that we make friends with. We're fast friends with Regular John and Reptiles, those sort of bands.

Access All Areas.net.au: What's next for British India?
Declan, British India: We just got back from the UK so our bank accounts are looking prety dismal so I think we'll do a quick whip around the country to replenish it and then we'll be going back to the UK early next year for a revised attempt. Shows, shows and more shows and we'll keep writing songs but we won't be ready to embark on that particular cruise ship for at least another year now.

Access All Areas.net.au: Well, you're still riding on the success of Thieves, so you may as well enjoy it!
Declan, British India: That's it! It's something we didn't do with the first record, so let's enjoy ourselves. I should practice what I preach!

Interview by Alexandra Hartshorn

August 2008

Access All Areas.net.au: Your performance at Splendour In The Grass and the upcoming Homebake Festival, is one of the most anticipated performances and one of your comeback performances for your new album… are you excited to be back out on the live scene?
Will Drummond: We kinda never left the live scene. Even when we were recording Thieves we played shows on the weekends. Since we released Guillotine in June of 2007 we have really only had a total of 7 weeks off. So the great things about these new shows are playing new material to bigger audiences.

Access All Areas.net.au: For fans who havn’t experienced British India live, tell us, what can fans expect to see from your live shows?
Will Drummond: British India just love playing music. Whether in the studio or on the stage we play with great enthusiasm and great energy. People will be hearing a good mix of songs from both albums.

Access All Areas.net.au: Have you had a chance to see who else is on the Homebake lineup and who are you keen to check out?
Will Drummond: Eddy Current Suppression Ring! If you haven’t seen them take a chance and have a look at them. Lead singer Brendan is a very engaging frontman.

Access All Areas.net.au: Can you tell us about your strangest or most stand out live show you’ve experienced?
Will Drummond: We were playing a pub gig in Melbourne in our early years. Halfway through the set a guy walked up stage pushed me over. I noticed from my vantage point on the floor that he was shouldering a slab. He walked out the back door and was never seen again.

Access All Areas.net.au: Your new album, when writing and recording it, what were you hoping to achieve with the album?
Will Drummond: We wanted to write pop/rock/punk (whatever the hell you call it) that was done with energy and intelligence.

Access All Areas.net.au: How have you found your second album to differ from your last album?

Will Drummond: We were all better players with a firmer grasp of where we wanted to take the album. I think with the next album we will have an even firmer grip on the ‘British India sound’. The album sounds bigger and better too and I think that comes from how comfortable we were when we recorded it.

Access All Areas.net.au: Going in to the new album, did you find any pressures to follow up on the success of your last album?
Will Drummond: Not really. We are in a band, we write and play songs. That’s our job.

Access All Areas.net.au: What surprises do you think fans will find from the new album?
Will Drummond: This album has the fastest and slowest songs that British India have ever written so I think they will see some diversity. Also I think that they will see that this is more of an album than Guillotine was. There is a definite flow to the album

August 8 2008

Access All Areas.net.au: Now British India are heading out on a National tour. Are you excited about that?
Declan – British India: Yeah it’s actually just under way now. It’s going very well. So far, the shows have been pretty fun.

Access All Areas.net.au: What can punters expect from the band in a live format?
Declan – British India: Well until recently, we have been a little bit tired due to the surplus amount of rehearsals. We were very much frustrated. At the show now, our songs come with a certain energy depending on the song. I know that energy is one of the most over-used words in music, but its true.

Access All Areas.net.au: You’ve just released your debut album, entitled Guillotine. Is there anyone that you would love to put in a guillotine?
Declan – British India: No, not really. I’m too nice a guy.

Access All Areas.net.au: The album was Triple J’s feature album of the week. Were you guys stoked at that?
Declan – British India: Yeah, very. We’re extremely thankful to them. It’s really helped in making us who we are at the moment. We didn’t expect it at all. We didn’t have any hype surrounding us. We weren’t really that big and we didn’t think that we had a chance of being the feature album. It usually goes to bigger bands, so we were happy.

Access All Areas.net.au: On the bands Myspace page, it shows that some of your influences include Sonic Youth, Blur and Wilco. Who else would you say has influenced the band?
Declan – British India: Well some of my earlier favourites, when I was younger, were all the Californian punk bands. Bands like Rancid and Offspring and all of them. Just real pointless, pissed off music. Nick, our guitarist, loves The Who and tries to do a Pete Townsend solo at any chance he can.

Declan – British India: Then there is some darker stuff. Bands like At The Drive-In, Panic! At The Disco and Blood Brothers.

Access All Areas.net.au: What are you currently listening to?
Declan – British India: Mercury Rev at the present time. That’s been catching on recently. I’ve just been filling holes in my record collection at the moment, and that was one of the ones that I had to get.

Access All Areas.net.au: What is one of the strangest things to ever happen at a British India gig?
Declan – British India: Strange things occur too much in this life of ours. Some of the small club shows can get a little mental. Some people will steal our drinks, just as we are about to quench our thirst with them. One show saw crowd surfing that actually broke a light, so the venue was dark. We couldn’t see where the microphones were, so we just broke into ‘Killing In The Name Of’ because you don’t need much vocal for that song.

Access All Areas.net.au: What is the idea behind the artwork for the album?
Declan – British India: Not sure actually. We were asked to name all the album covers that we love and the one that stood out the most was Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys. I’m not sure if that was used as a template for it. It’s just meant to show city life.

Access All Areas.net.au: Thanks for your time Declan.
Declan – British India: Thanks mate. Take care.

Interview by Simon Finck

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Exactly one year ago, in July 2007, British India emerged from the fertile underbelly of Melbourne’s independent music scene to take Australia by storm with their acclaimed debut album Guillotine. As their songs ‘Black & White Radio’, ‘Tie Up My hands’, ‘Run The Red Light’ and ‘Russian Roulette’ became arm-raising, air-punching anthems at venues and festivals across the country, British India developed a hard-earned reputation for explosive live shows. For 11 months following the release of their debut album, the band toured constantly and played repeat ‘sold out’ shows nation-wide as well as major festivals such as the Big Day Out, Homebake, Golden Plains, Pyramid Rock, and Come Together.

Now in July 2008, just 12 months from the release of Guillotine, the four high school friends are ready to take on the nation again, this time armed with their second album Thieves. Thieves is an album that celebrates the garage pop which has characterised British India’s initial success, and demonstrates the band’s growth, both as songwriters and musicians. This can be clearly heard in the band’s brooding, foot-stomping first single ‘I Said I’m Sorry.’

Again produced by Easybeats legend Harry Vanda & Glenn Goldsmith, Thieves is jam packed with brilliant pop melodies, high-octane rock & roll, and the budding lyrical genius of Declan Melia. The journey begins with ‘God Is Dead, Meet The Kids’ depicting a soulless and morally bankrupt Internet generation, quickly followed by the blistering power and angst of ‘This Dance Is Loaded’. There’s the tragedy of adolescent love in ‘Airport Tags’, humor and irony in ‘You Will Die & I Will Take Over’ before the journey ends in the faith and hope of ‘The Golden Years’. Thieves shows just how far British India have come in only a year, and their rise will continue in 2008.

Watch out Australia, British India will be stealing the hearts of pretty young things across the nation with Thieves.

www.myspace.com/britishindia

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