Biography

Playing tough, garage-influenced rock & roll with abundant energy and charisma, Declan Melia (guitar, vocals), Nick Wilson (guitar), Matt O'Gorman (drums), and Will Drummond (bass) were all teenagers when they formed British India. The group's stage presence and powerful live shows made them darlings of the street press while they shuttled back and forth between gigs in Melbourne and Sydney. Eventually they came to the attention of Harry Vanda, former guitarist with '60s rock icons the Easybeats. With Vanda, British India recorded an EP called Counter Culture. Released on Shock Records, it was a dry run for the album they would record next with Vanda. Unable to close a deal with a label they were satisfied with, British India's debut album, 2007's Guillotine, appeared on Vanda's Flash Point label. Their debut single, "Tie Up My Hands," reached number one on Triple J TV, and the group took home an AIR Award for best new artist in 2007. The follow-up album, 2008's Thieves, debuted at number five on the ARIA charts. In 2010, after a heavy bout of touring, the band dropped their third long-player, Avalanche. They took a break to regroup and recharge in 2011 before signing a new record deal with the noted indie label Liberation Music. In March 2013, British India released their Liberation debut, Controller, their most stylistically eclectic effort to date, which debuted at number ten on the ARIA charts, and included the hit "I Can Make You Love Me" (their first gold record). The meticulously crafted and critically acclaimed Nothing Touches Me, the band's fifth studio long-player, followed in 2015, reaching number five on the ARIA charts. In July 2017, the band dropped the single "Precious" in anticipation of full-length Forgetting the Future, which arrived later that September. ~ Jody Macgregor, Rovi