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British India
 'We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.' It is an oft-used therefore cliched saying of Wilde but no more could it be true for a band such as British India, who recently released their debut album, recorded and produced by Harry Vanda and Glenn Goldsmith. After a few logistical hiccups, I undertook a pleasant conversation with guitarist Nic Wilson about their journey so far.
We begin our chat with Wilson sharing the prospective outlook the band had for the recording process. "We went in every day with a lot of positivity because we knew we didn't have a huge amount of time to get everything down but they were long interesting days. Harry's [Vanda] such an enthusiastic and out there guy so it was like going to work with Dr Who every day," he explains.
Bands usually plan recording time well with certain ideas of how the songs were to sound but leave room for movement, as was the case for British India. "There was a lot of kicking the songs around; Harry's a very hot minded fella as I think we are as a band, so we tried to work together to make the songs as accessible as possible..." Wilson trails off as he apologises, "Sorry, I'm still asleep, it's so early [10am]. I'm trying to quit smoking as well... I'll try to give it my all." After a reassurance or two, we move on to the subject of their manager, Glenn Goldsmith, a music industry stalwart recently known for writing the 2004 autobiography, 'Hard Road:The life And Times Of Stevie Wright' about the Easybeats front man. I question how thick as thieves British India must be to which Wilson replies, "It's kinda weird having your manager work for your label, a vested interest isn't it but we are working to the same chords. We trust Glenn, he's genuine and great to be around because he's so funny."
Triple J has supported British India's music consistently over the past few years. I ask Wilson to paint a picture of how tangible this support has been and whether it's a piece of the puzzle or part of a pre-existing plan. "When the band was created, we started learning about who you try to impress - radio, the labels and all of that. We were seventeen or eighteen at the time and we just sent in Outside 109. I don't think there would be a British India without their support, they've been fantastic."
After listening to the fruits of their effort, 'Guillotine', the recurring question was the paradox between the lyrics of Black & White Radio and their Melbourne 'rock city' image. Was Edgy Looking Clothes also an attempt at satire? With a degree of trepidation and an air of 'I've done my research' I frame this question, Wilson skilfully replying, "I wouldn't take it too seriously, its pretty tongue in cheek - I mean, saying something horrible like, 'You make friends with ugly people/So you stand out in a crowd'. We can be a very serious band and a very jerky band, we don't feel we have to be one or the other." There must be motivation to make a statement by the way the song sounds or the method of placing it first on the record I persist. "I think, rather vainly, that it's just the vibe of the song, a sonic way of grabbing you at the start," Wilson lays down the gauntlet.
Most musicians have certain preferences when choosing a favourite song they've written. Sometimes a parallel can be drawn between the enjoyment of recording one and playing the other. Often there is no system to the choice: it's simply a cool song. "My favourite on the record is Council Flat. It marked a turning point as before we were heading down a very derivative path like the Hives - that sort of raucous, flat-out rock thing. We had nothing to say, we hadn't lived yet. This album sounds more like that song as does Tie Up My Hands and Outside 109. We're a messy band so hearing Harry's clean production on the songs was a new way of looking at things; we're pretty excited about it."
Lauren Boxhall
British India launch 'Guillotine', out now on Flashpoint/Shock, at Jive on Fri 17 Aug.
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