British India - Colonial Rule

Melbourne band British India’s latest track, 'Black & White Radio', is described on their website as “2 minutes and 36 seconds of blistering rock, delivering the aural equivalent of a high-speed car chase”. Having spent the majority of this year working alongside The Easybeats’ Harry Vanda to produce their debut self-titled album, they are preparing for its release in the New Year. The Dwarf had a chat with lead singer, Declan Melia.

The Dwarf: How old is everyone in the band?

DM: We're all twenty years old.

The Dwarf: So, how did you settle on the name British India?

DM: Nic first suggested we use it and we all instantly agreed. We like the name because we think it has good imagery and it isn't necessarily associated with any one style of music.

The Dwarf: When and how did you first get into playing and writing?

DM: Nic turned me onto the idea of writing music in early 2003. I was at the time a big fan of Brit-pop and wanted first to learn how to play some of those songs on guitar and piano and that lead to Nic showing me some of his own compositions and us writing together. I still very rarely write on my own and think that there's a lot to be said for collaboration.

The Dwarf: The band has been compared with The Easybeats. Why do you think that is and how do you feel about it?

DM: I'm sure people compared us to The Easybeats because we were young and Australian. Nic listened to The Easybeats well before our reputation was thus that we were earning Easybeats comparisons, but Will, Matt and I hadn't heard The Easybeats until after we had worked with Harry. I suppose we're both guitar pop bands and the nature of the music industry has left very little room for variation or development in pop music so the format has changed very little since the 1960's. I think most people would say that the similarities end there. There are, quite literally, fifty years of difference in our influences and sounds. We consider the comparison to mean that we're escaping deriving simply from the bands that we do listen to. We try to remain integral enough that the music we produce is more than a carbon copy of the music we do listen to.

The Dwarf: Your debut album has been produced by The Easybeats' Harry Vanda. What did he think of The Easybeats’ comparisons?

DM: We recorded the album with Harry Vanda and Glen Goldsmith and both of them agreed that, had we sounded remotely like either The Easybeats or AC/DC, they would not have agreed to work with us. Their first reaction to our music was that they really liked the drumming.

The Dwarf: What was it like to work with Vanda and Glen Goldsmith?

DM: Working with Harry and Glen is great because they themselves are both musicians. They, like us, are interested in translating live energy onto record and are great at coaxing that enthusiasm and power out of us.

The Dwarf: Did Harry offer any advice about how not to burn out and how to have a lengthy career in the music industry?

DM: Harry isn't really a very serious person, but he has warned us repeatedly to take our music and live performance very seriously. He also impressed on us that we should avoid the mentality of 'fashion-music' and never make music confirming to the flighting whims of the music-snobs and fashionistas.

The Dwarf: What have been your favourite gigs and venues?

DM: My favourite gig was Big Day Out this year simply because the crowd were watching for no reason other than they wanted to dance to our music. But I recall great times onstage at the Hi Fi Bar, Spectrum, The Annandale, Ding Dong Lounge, The Rev, The Forum and other festivals. My favourite venue however is onesixone in Melbourne. Gigs there are always so intimate.

The Dwarf: Which bands do as a punter enjoy going to watch?

DM: Local bands? A few nights ago I saw an awesome band in Melbourne called Oh Mercy. They had a great sound – slow, but with a lot of angst pent up just below the surface. I also really like Children Collide, Wolf and Cub, the Vines and Faker as far as local bands go. Internationally my favourite bands I've seen have been Franz Ferdinand, The Mars Volta and Coldplay.

The Dwarf: What do you hope people will get out of your upcoming album?

DM: At the time of writing, I just hope that the album comes out! IF we get that far, I hope that it’s well reviewed and enjoyed by those who buy it. I feel that there's a real vacuum of lyrical content within Australian music at the moment and I hope that when the album comes out it will be remembered at least in part by the lyrics.

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