British India (band)

British India are an Australian indie rock band from Melbourne. The band comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Declan Melia, guitarist Jack Tosi, bassist Will Drummond and drummer Matt O'Gorman.[2] They have released six studio albums.

British India
British India performing in the Regal Ballroom at the High Vibes festival, Northcote on 23 September 2007
Background information
OriginMelbourne, Australia
GenresIndie rock, garage rock[1]
Years active2004–present
LabelsFlashpoint, Shock Liberation Records
Websitebritishindiaofficial.com
MembersDeclan Melia
Jack Tosi
Will Drummond
Matt O'Gorman
Past membersNic Wilson

History

Formation

The members of British India met at high school in 2004 whilst attending St. Bede's College, in Melbourne, Victoria.[3] Reportedly social misfits throughout high school, the band would converge during school lunchtimes and study periods to rehearse and compose in the school music room. The band later relocated to drummer Matt O'Gorman's parents shed.

First Recording

The band's first studio recording was a vinyl single called 'Outside 109'. Recorded with producer Lindsay Gravina at his Birdland studio. The song's inspiration came from a quip made by Mick Jagger in an interview in 1964, when asked if he would ever play any Lennon/McCartney numbers he told the interviewer that the Beatles had offered The Stones the song "Outside 109", Jagger should have said "One After 909". The single was sent to Australia's youth radio station Triple J,[4] where it received some spot airplay, enough to start a buzz in the music industry.

Harry Vanda

In 2006 the band met producer Glenn Goldsmith currently working with Harry Vanda. Together they had produced a hit record for 'The Wrights', a remake of Stevie Wright's classic 'Evie part 1,2&3'. This had been an all star cast assembled by Jet vocalist Nic Cester, they were now looking for a young band to work with.

An invite to see the band play live from the band's manager Neil Wedd led to a demo session with Glenn in Melbourne, who took the recordings to Harry in Sydney. Harry Vanda liked what he heard and agreed to finance and produce the band. The team's first effort, an EP missed the mark, but was quickly corrected with the recording of their debut album 'Guillotine'.On completion of the album EMI Records offered the band a record deal, however they rescinded their offer to British India several weeks later citing cutbacks, due to falling CD sales worldwide.

Guillotine 2007

'Guillotine' was shelved for several months. A choice was made to release the album independently through Flashpoint Music and Shock distribution Melbourne. In January 2007 Flashpoint released the first single from Guillotine a punk anthem "Black & White Radio" Triple J radio did not hesitate adding the song to high rotation.

At this time Glenn Goldsmith accepted the offer to manage the band. In April they released their 2nd single 'Tie Up My Hands' A video clip of the song hit the top spot on the now defunct Triple j TV and became a favourite on the station request line. The band geared up for their first headline tour in support of the album release.

Guillotine was released in July 2007, the band sold out all 11 shows, by the year's end the CD had sold 20,000 copies. British India were now the youngest and most popular indie rock band in the country. Guillotine was nominated for the J Award in 2007, and won the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best New Independent Artist.[5]

Thieves 2008

British India continued to play shows and festivals while working on their follow up album in Melbourne. In April 2008 they travelled to Sydney to begin recording their 2nd album with Harry Vanda. 'Thieves' released only 12 months after 'Guillotine' demonstrated the band's forward momentum, this time entering the ARIA Album Chart at #5. "I Said I'm Sorry" received high rotation and would reach 43 in the 'Hottest 100' that year. Thieves sold 25,000 copies. British India embarked on their biggest tour to date and popular television host 'Dicko' announced that British India were one of his favourite Aussie bands because "they did things the old school way, touring up and down the country'. At this time British India earned the reputation as the hardest working band in Australia.

Shock & UK 2010

2009 turned out to be a bittersweet year. The band parted ways with Flashpoint Music and decided to begin working on their 3rd album at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne. A new single "Vanilla" was released exclusively to triple J as a free download and proved to be one of the band's most popular songs. 'Avalanche' released in March 2010 debuted in the top 10 and sold 20,000 copies, however following the release Shock Records fell into receivership, owing the band unpaid royalties. Later that year interest from Warner Music UK saw the band head over to London for a series of gigs. A showcase at London's Borderline sold out and Warner's A&R were impressed with the band, however the international deal never eventuated, and the band returned empty handed.

Mushroom Music and Liberation 2012

In February 2011 the boys headed back to the studio to record a new single 'March into The Ocean' the song and a film clip produced by the band's guitarist Nic Wilson, received a great reaction, a national tour followed, however by mid year the band were heading into an uncertain future. Their rehearsal space had flooded and they were forced to close it down, now without a workspace and without Shock Records the band felt adrift. In an effort to pull things back together they rented a vacant shop and built a studio. It was at this time they began talking to Liberation Records and Mushroom Music.

Controller 2013

Over the next 6 months the band continued talks and exchanged demos with Liberation. In 2012 they signed with both Liberation and Mushroom Music. With new vigour and impetus from the label they returned to the studio to record their fourth album "Controller" Released in 2013 'Controller' saw the band achieve their first gold record for the single 'I Can Make You Love Me' this song became the band's most popular release to date. Other singles from the album included 'Summer Forgive Me', and 'Plastic Souvenirs'. The album received extensive airplay and the band continued writing and touring throughout 2014, they ended the year supporting The Rolling Stones on their 14 On Fire Tour.

Nothing Touches Me 2015

2015 began with an announcement that the band would be releasing their 5th album 'Nothing Touches Me' in March. The album again debuted at Number five and the singles 'Suddenly' and 'Wrong Direction' received strong support. 'Wrong Direction' was picked up by commercial rock station Triple M and helped to broaden the bands fanbase. The album tour sold out 17 shows in row and was later backed by a national regional tour. British India were picked as the last minute replacement to the Black Keys at Byron Bay Bluesfest, playing the coveted main stage. 2015 proved to be the band's most successful year and cemented their position as one of Australia's most established rock bands.

Forgetting The Future 2017

In 2017 the band relocated to Sing Sing South recording studios in Melbourne. They kicked off the year with a new single 'I Thought We Knew Each Other' which became one of their most popular songs live. They teamed up with emerging producer Oscar Dawson to work on their 6th album 'Forgetting The Future'. Released in October 2017 'Forgetting The Future' produced two singles 'Precious' & 'My Love', both tracks receiving high praise and high rotation airplay, successfully leading the band into 2018. British India continue to remain one of Australia's most successful indie rock bands.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles
  • "Outside 109 / Automatic Blitzkrieg" (2005)
  • "Black & White Radio" (2006)
  • "Tie Up My Hands" (2007)
  • "Run the Red Light" (2007) AUS#50 / AUS#22 (ARIA Physical Singles Chart)
  • "I Said I'm Sorry" (2008)
  • "God Is Dead, Meet the Kids" (2009)
  • "Vanilla" (2009)
  • "Beneath the Satellites" (2010)
  • "Avalanche" (2010)
  • "March into the Ocean" (2011)
  • "I Can Make You Love Me" (2012) - #70 AUS, ARIA Gold[8]
  • "Summer Forgive Me" (2013)
  • "Plastic Souvenirs" (2013)
  • "Blinded" (2013)
  • "Wrong Direction" (2014)
  • "Suddenly" (2015)
  • "I Thought We Knew Each Other" (2016)
  • "Precious" (2017)
  • "My Love" (2018)

Compilation appearances

Awards

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2007[9][10] themselves Most Oustsanding New Independent Artist Won
2008 Thieves Best Independent Album Nominated
2010 themselves Best Independent Artist Nominated
2015[11][10] Nothing Touches Me Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album Nominated

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Lost to
2008 Thieves Best Independent Release Nominated Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Gurrumul
Harry Vanda and Glen Goldsmith for Thieves Producer of the Year Nominated The Presets - Apocalypso

J Award

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
J Awards of 2007 Guillotine Australian Album of the Year Nominated

References
  1. "British India: Thieves". Access All Areas.net.au. 17 July 2008. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  2. "British India". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  3. Donovan, Patrick (7 May 2010). "British India: Avalanche". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. "Thieves". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
  5. "AIR 2007 Winners". Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  6. Tencic, Nat (31 July 2017). "British India announce new album and massive national tour". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  7. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  8. British India Land First Gold Record With 'I Can Make You Love Me' themusic.com.au. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  9. "2007 Jagermeister AIR Awards Nominees Revealed". inthemix. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  10. "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  11. "1 Dads, Courtney Barnett Lead This Year's Independent Music Award Nominations". MusicFeeds. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
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