British India (band)
British India are an Australian rock band from Melbourne. The band is made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Declan Melia, guitarist Nic Wilson, bassist Will Drummond and drummer Matt O'Gorman. In 2019, Jack Tosi replaced Nic Wilson as a touring member of the band. They have released six studio albums. History Formation and Early Shows 2003 - 2006 The members of British India met in 2003 in high school at St. Bede's College, in Melbourne, Victoria. The band began rehearsing and writing songs in the pool room at drummer Matt O'Gorman's parents' house. Early influences included The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Datsuns, and Interpol. Upon finishing high school, the band began gigging extensively at pub and club shows throughout Melbourne. In 2005 the band recorded a vinyl seven inch single called "Outside 109" with producer Lindsay Gravina at his Birdland studios. The single was given airplay on Triple J, and generated some interest in the Australian music industry. Counter Culture EP and Guillotine 2006 - 2007 In 2005 the band met producer and future manager Glenn Goldsmith who provided early demos to Australian producer Harry Vanda, Vanda agreed to finance and produce the band. In late 2005 the band recorded the four track Counter Culture EP at Vanda's Flashpoint Studios in Sydney with Vanda and Goldsmith as producers. Promoted with the single "The Time" the EP made little impact, producing no label interest or radio airplay. In 2006 the band returned to Flashpoint to record their debut album Guillotine, again produced by Vanda and Goldsmith. After being shelved for several months due to lack of label interest, the album was eventually released independently through Flashpoint Music and Shock Records distribution. Guillotine was released in July 2007 and included the singles "Black & White Radio", "Tie Up My Hands", "Run The Red Light" and "Russian Roulette". This was followed by a successful Australian tour and festival appearances at Homebake festival and The Big Day Out. Triple J played the album extensively and "Tie Up My Hands" and "Run The Red Light" charted in the Triple J Hottest 100 of that year. Guillotine was nominated for the J Award in 2007, and won the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best New Artist. Thieves 2008 Throughout 2007, British India continued to play shows and festivals while writing material for their second album. In April 2008 they began recording their second album Thieves, again with Harry Vanda and Glenn Goldsmith at Flashpoint Studios Sydney. Thieves entered the ARIA Album Chart at #5. The first single, "I Said I'm Sorry" reached number 23 in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2008. Thieves was nominated for Best Independent Album in the 2008 ARIA awards. Avalanche 2010 In 2009 British India parted with Flashpoint Music and recorded their third album Avalanche independently throughout 2009. The album was recorded at Sing Sing studios Melbourne and produced by Glenn Goldsmith. Avalanche was released in March 2010 and promoted by the single "Vanilla". The album debuted in the