British India are currently on tour with Hunters and Collectors and Something For Kate and things are “groovy” in the world of Declan Melia, lead singer and guitarist for the band as he talks from their rehearsal room in Preston whilst in the writing stages for the follow-up to their highly successful fourth album Controller, which is most likely to see the light of day towards the end of 2014/2015.
Since the release of the new album midway through last year, the band has supported Fall Out Boy on their national tour and done a lap of the country themselves in support. At the time of talking with Melia, he feels positive about the next stage of the band’s career after taking it to the next level on the DOTG tour.
“In the past we have been these scungy dudes hanging out on the sidelines but now with this tour we feel like we have been accepted into adulthood. There are no outlandish tour stories though, because Paul Dempsey and Mark Seymour are both pretty refrained on the road. On a tour like BDO, there are hundreds of young bands looking to get up to mischief, but because we are the young band on the tour, we can drink other bands’ riders and get away with it!” Melia laughs.
“Supporting Fall Out Boy was great and a little different to other shows, as British India has never really supported any band before. With a lack of drunken patrons, it was a little hard to get into the mould, but having the appreciative audience was a positive of those shows.”
From Guillotine to Thieves and Controller, the process that the band takes to writing and recording hasn’t changed all that much over the years. “Sometimes you need to get into your element, and of course we approach every song differently. It’s got to be basic and achievable though so you can pull it off live. If you can’t cut the mustard when it comes to playing live, then you have to do something to drastically change it so you can,” Melia said.
The songs at the moment are coming quite quickly for the band and we are likely to hear new music in the latter part of 2014. That said, there is a small fear within the band that if the material isn’t good enough and the success doesn’t come, they might call it a day. “When we were touring Guillotine we saw a lot of bands break up and quit because they released a bad single or a bad album. If you f*ck it up in the early stages, there is no second chance and there is no going back. We are aware that it can slip away at a moment’s notice, and so we are writing for our career as we speak,” Melia said about the new album.
Converging on the Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex on the 21st of March, you can expect to hear a plethora of material from the band. With four albums under their belt, they ain’t gonna play their b-sides. “We’ll be sure to play some new jams for the kids that come out and all the old favourites. Our shows are still really punk and there are no fancy walkways or costume changes and we’re on a good thing at the moment. See you there, and expect to hear some new tunes soon!”
When&Where: Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex, Geelong – March 21
Written by Tex Miller