British India

As I stepped through the doors of the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel in Adelaide on Friday 1st August, I was sure I’d have some good times ahead. British India were soon due to play, and the young 4-some are known for a good set. Supporting their latest album, ‘Thieves’, good things were promised with a sold-out show. Plus, the Gov is wicked for live music, with a nice big dance floor, balanced acoustics and a decent lighting set. The best place to be if you couldn’t make it to Splendour.

The first support slot was given to a local Adelaide band by the name of Bakewell Street. Obviously a relatively new and unexperienced band, they seemed quite happy to be supporting the likes of British India. They played some great off-beat, highly innovative music, with some odd time-signatures, little solos, and a saxophone-based song thrown in for good measure. A little nervous onstage, they nonetheless gave a decent act at being laid-back and relaxed, and obviously enjoyed playing. Great stuff! Good listening, light and creative, and the band enjoying themselves – exactly what you want to be seeing as a warm up to a rock set. They set the mood well and were seen off with a hearty round of applause.

The second support slot were another Aussie band, but with a lot more exposure. Based in Melbourne and calling themselves Dead Video, they fired up a song straight away, immediately showing themselves to be a much more explosive and energetic band. They played a heavier style of rock than Bakewell Street, and indeed to me, they were highly reminiscent of Wolfmother, in terms of music, on-stage activity, and… hairstyles. They generated plenty of activity in the mosh pit, and had a nice gimmick where the bass player swapped onto the microphone for some very Hendrix-esque vocals. Their last song, “Don’t Wanna Go Outside’ (which is on their myspace) got a huge response. They left the crowd feeling gooooood, and ready to lap up more.

Finally British India themselves came onstage, to the finally-packed Gov. They looked extremely nervous as they came on, and indeed it is perhaps the first set I’ve ever seen where a support band looked more confident than the main act. However, they soon settled down, falling into the familiar act and playing a nice mix of their classics and new songs off Thieves. The crowd loved every second of it, cheering and dancing like crazy. In particular Run The Red Light and I Said I’m Sorry sent the fans wild, and they even managed to put some people up in the air crowd-surfing style – not easy at the Gov! Their trademark whining and wailing guitar notes filled the air, and their on-stage dancing, rocking, standing-on-speakers etc. more than satisfied me. The one let down was the bass player; I know bassists traditionally don’t move much, but seriously… The last song for the set was Guillotine, and it was great to see the band pull half the crowd up on the stage with them to rock out with their, er, socks out…

A damn good set all up. If you likes you some rock, and British India are heading your way soon, I suggest you pick up a ticket; it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a good show.

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