Amongst the nominees at this year’s AIR Awards is local act British India, the band give us the goss on what first awakened their rock n roll dreams and how they feel about being nominated for an AIR Award…

Answers by Declan Melia, singer in British India

Growing up, how important was music to you?
It wasn’t at all important until I started listening to ‘90s skater punk, it seemed to glorify stealing from our parents’ liquor cabinets and sitting in car parks sharing cigarettes, it made life a little less ugly by celebrating life’s ugliness.

Did you come from a musical family?
My father’s brother was an Irish folk musician but other than that and occasionally hearing my parents playing Zappa or late ‘70s Stones, no.

What’s your earliest musical memory?
Seeing Song 2 by Blur on Video Hits, it blew my fucking mind! Learning that geeks could wield guitar was an invaluable pearl of wisdom.

What’s the first album you bought; the first concert you went to?
My first album was Smash by the Offspring and my first concert was Livid the year Oasis and Trail Of Dead played.

Was a career in music always on the cards?
No! It’s not even necessarily on the cards now, this industry has to learn that even a greatly successful debut album (which ours hasn’t been) very rarely equates to a career.

What inspires your music?
Other music mostly, and less occasionally film or advertisements, hearing other things in songs that are missing or need to be elaborated is my bread and butter, very rarely do I find real life to be influential to what I write, real life is fucking shit!

What bands would you love to share a stage with given the chance?
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Morrissey, King Brothers, Steve Malkmus, Smog!

How did you guys meet, how did the band form? Who’s the boss? What’s your creative process like?
We all met in high school but didn’t form the group till a year after it ended, there’s no boss, honestly there’s not, we take it in turns to be the Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, and we always have a revolving George and Ringo role to be filled. Our roles might cement a bit more as we get older though. Songwriting almost always starts with one of Nic [Wilson]’s riffs which will set the rest of us off on our own tangents and the original riff doesn’t always end up in the song. The lyrics come last usually compiled from everyone’s ideas in the studio.

What do you think of the Australian music scene at the moment?
It’s simultaneously the best and worse it’s ever been, the indie mainstream is a really sickening environment to gaze upon, while some of the music is great, what the UK is calling ‘The Australian Sound’ i.e. Juggernauts, Cut Copy and Presets is doing great though so that’s reassuring even if it’s not something we aspire to be apart of, as long as Australian music is being taken fucking seriously over seas I’m happy.

How does being nominated for an AIR Award effect you/your band?
It affects our egos! It’s an honour it really is, it shows that at least one half of this industry is listening which is reassuring because six months ago they could have given a fuck less! It also bodes well for other stunning bands whose early careers haven’t been propped up by hype.

What opportunities do you think being part of the AIR Awards will bring for you?
An opportunity to play a seated venue! Is it seated? That’ll be a first; I’m going to go fucking insane!