British India have followed their debut album, Guillotine, as quickly as they possibly can – their second album Thieves has appeared only a year or so after it. Their debut sat on the shelves for some time, but it was pleasing to see that the Melbourne four-piece weren’t sitting idly on their hands, instead choosing to work on new material and get things going for their future.
“Things have been moving at quite a break-neck pace, rather excitingly,” confirms frontman Declan Melia, as the band juggles their busy touring schedule with the required media spots.
While Guillotine took the band to one level, raising awareness of the group in Australia’s rock n roll circles, there’s a sense that Thieves could propel them up another level again. But, Declan counters, he doesn’t see why it should – what, after all, does this album have that the previous did not?
“I see the songs as better,” he wagers, “but I don’t think they’re going to perhaps reach another kind of audience. Although, having only had quite good support from Triple J it does reach only quite a small audience – there’s no secret that they’re only listened to by about two percent of the population. But it’s quite possible we could pick up some new fans. But we certainly didn’t record it with that intention in mind.”
The album itself was completed relatively recently, with the band only leaving the studio a mere four months before its release – since then a marketing plan has been developed, some (seriously ugly) artwork has been completed, everything has been produced ready to hit shops, and touring schedules have been booked.
“Since then it’s been a breakneck pace to get the album onto shelves,” he confirms. “It all seems quite a blur to me now – and it all became all the more excruciatingly fast when I decided to take a three-week holiday to central Australia right in the middle of that! We stumbled backwards, but all is well as we’ve caught up to ourselves.”
The break was an absolute necessity – while it, admits Declan, infuriated both his label and his bandmates, it also allowed him to get some time to himself before the band hit the road for pretty much the foreseeable future. “I really couldn’t see myself getting any time off for the rest of the year,” he confirms.
While the band’s debut long-player gave them a beginning point, Thieves is – whether they like it or not – going to be the album that defines who British India are as a band. It’s always the way with second records; they’re the point where most groups begin to fully realise their own sound, and set their course for the future. “It’s terribly nerve-wracking now that I think about it like that!” Declan exclaims. “It is quite exciting – we don’t really feel any pressure because the album is what it is, and if people aren’t going to connect to it then it was never meant to be anyway.”
That’s a fairly fatalistic point-of-view to take. “I’d be surprised if they didn’t [connect to it],” he says of fans of the group’s debut, “but I suppose my eyes are only fixed on the horizon just beyond. I really don’t like to give myself too much time to think about things that are too far down the road.”
Nevertheless, Declan does have an idea as to how Thieves will be received – they’ve had tremendous support for it from the likes of Triple J and community radio, the press has been if not glowing then certainly positive. The band seem to be in a good spot at the moment; everything is working in the band’s favour. A lot of their success can be attributed to their desire to work hard, but there must be more to it than that.
“_Guillotine_ was like a mole,” he proffers, “in that it came out of the ground with no aim. At the time we made it we had no sense of purpose and we were just recording songs sporadically. The intention was muddled.
“On this one,” he continues, referring to Thieves, “we had a very clear sense of purpose from all fronts – from publicity to the band to management – and I suppose that’s why it’s been received as such. But musically I’d like to flatter myself to think that perhaps there’s a couple of kids out there excited to hear our new stuff. We’re excited for people to hear it.”
British India’s Thieves is out now. The band plays Splendour In The Grass this weekend, before continuing their national tour. They also play the Great Escape Festival in Sydney.
Friday 1 August – The Governor Hindmarsh Adelaide
Sunday 3 August – Splendour In The Grass Byron Bay
Friday 8 August – Manly Fisho’s Manly
Saturday 9 August – Cambridge Hotel Newcastle
Thursday 14 August – Sands Tavern Maroochydore
Friday 15 August – The Tivoli Brisbane
Saturday 16 August – Coolangatta Hotel Coolangatta
Thursday 21 August – Wollongong Uni Wollongong
Friday 22 August – The Metro Sydney
Saturday 23 August – The Roxy Parramatta, Sydney
Sunday 24 August – The Factory Theatre Sydney **Under 18s
Thursday 28 August – Lonnie’s Nite Club Launceston
Friday 29 August – The Republic Bar Hobart
Saturday 4 October – The Great Escape Festival, Sydney
