There’s a certain brashness and confi dence that comes with
youth. Unbridled by the pains of experience and wounds of
excess, youth is the fountain of energy and enthusiasm that
underpinned the emergence of the rock n’roll genre. And it’s
that energy, combined with attitude, poise and posture that
characterises Melbourne indie-pop band, British India.
British India comprises Declan Melia (vocals, guitar), Will
Drummond (bass), Matt O’Gorman (drums) and Nic Wilson
(guitar). Friends since high school, the band members forged a
musical bond that blended a love of the defi ning 60s rock’n’roll
and pop of the Beatles and Pink Floyd, and the contemporary
melodic charm of Radiohead and Blur.
From British India’s fi rst appearance on the Melbourne live
scene, critical interest has swept up over the band. The initial
recording forays demonstrated the substance that lay behind the
hyperbole surrounding the band’s initial public splash, with its
debut EP fi nding its way onto triple j’s playlist within moments of
it arriving in the station’s national headquarters.
In 2006 the band headed into Harry Vanda’s Flashpoint Studio to
record its eagerly awaited debut album. The result is Guillotine
produced by Harry Vanda and Glenn Goldsmith. The success of
British India’s studio endeavours was immediate. The fi rst single
from the album, the incendiary Black and White Radio, released
in January 2007, was promptly afforded high rotation on triple j,
with the video to the single quickly becoming a regular highlight
on Rage.
Guillotine is an album that celebrates the straight-up guitar pop
that’s characterised British India’s initial success. While the
refi ned sound and astute lyrics on the album suggests aplomb
beyond the band members’ years, scratch the surface and
there’s still the same youthful ferocity that propelled British India
into the consciousness of the Australian music scene. From the
freewheeling Britpop melodies of Tie Up My Hands, to the acute
social commentary of Teenage Mother and Council Flat to the
rollicking garage pop of Russian Roulette, this is music to which
everyone can relate. British India is here to stay.
Guillotine is released June 30 2007 through FP/Shock Records

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