It has been a long time coming for Melbourne’s indie rockers British India and it appears that fans did not desert them during two years of Covid restrictions, with the band having recently been awarded both ARIA Platinum and Gold Record status for their songs I Can Make You Love Me and Suddenly, due to increased streaming during the pandemic.
Formed in high school, British India’s critically acclaimed debut ‘Guillotine’ won the band an AIRA Award in 2007 along with a triple j album of the year nomination. Over the course of their impressive career, British India have released six albums, five ARIA Top 10 debuts and earned eight entries into the Hottest 100. They gained a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the country, notching up over 1,000 headline shows in metro and regional Australia, along with performances at all the major festivals across the country. To celebrate this milestone in their career the band will embark on a 23-date national tour.
“For a band that has always felt like outsiders – too nerdy, too abrasive, too badly dressed – hitting milestones like gold and platinum feels so satisfying,” says vocalist/guitarist, Declan Melia.
“I know as indie musicians we’re supposed to act like we don’t care about accolades and industry recognition – but that would be disingenuous. I’m thrilled that so many people enjoy British India. It suggests to me that even when we couldn’t tour through Covid, people still sought out our music. Also, I feel like both of these songs were high water marks of creativity and expression in our songwriting. After we recorded them, we all really felt like we had tapped into something special. But you still never know if anyone other than the band will connect with the music – these plaques show that people did.”
Proudly sponsored by Triple M, British India’s Rolled Gold 2023 tour will kick off on February 10 in Perth and end on May in Brisbane, with all major cities and favourite regional stops set to go off in between.
“It makes us super excited to get on stages again to celebrate these two tracks and all the others in our body of work,” Melia says. “I can’t wait”.
Tickets via www.britishindia.oztix.com.au
British India is Declan Melia (vocals/guitar), Jack Tosi (lead guitar), Will Drummond (bass) and Matt O’Gorman (drums)
