Gig Watch: British India - Live @ The Evylen

By Toby Hillard

Watch Web Wombat's Exclusive British India Performance Here

British India have missed their wave

Some bands will catch a wave of popularity and ride all the way into a multi-million dollar mansion. Just look at Good Charlotte - not a particularly good band, but they turned up at the right time and capitalised on their opportunities. Sadly, Melbourne band British India have seemed to have missed the wave.

After a rather embarrassing mix up with the door list (why a nickname would be listed on the door is beyond me) we finally entered the Evelyn on a rather balmy Saturday night.

The Spanish Festival being held down the road wafted scents of spicy meats and foreign pastries towards my nostrils - and eventually led me away from the utterly dull support acts who had taken to the stage. A large chunk of lamb and several sauce related spills on my fresh white tee (how the hell can I eat a steak with plastic a plastic knife and fork, on a plastic plate - while walking - anyway?) we assembled back into the Evelyn and headed for the bar.

I'm still somewhat torn in my opinion of  the Evylen as a band venue. While it certainly has some charm (it's perfect for lounging around with mates and a few beers), there are far to many poles in the middle of the room obstructing the stage. Having said that, the sound it superb. Like I said - I'm torn!

But to the gig. The boys from British India strolled out onto the stage (with the aid of some George Harrison-esque sitar music) just past eleven and immediately got stuck into their unique brand of noise and movement. Like I said, British India have been on a wave for several years now (I've never known a band to have so much buzz surrounding them - but never actually make a dint in the charts) yet they seem to have missed their chance at the big time. By comparison - Wolfmother had a similar vein of buzz behind them - and they capitalized with some fine singles.

British India - for all the talent they possess - have let themselves in that department. Still sounding like a first year garage band, there were only a handful of tracks that really stood out. The rest just meshed together in an indistinguishable block of noise. Council Flat, Black & White Radio were the winners - while little else really made any form of impact.

In fact, in one of the rarest (and I dare say embarrassing) moments I've yet seen at a gig for a band with a decent level of cred - the sound mixer had to prompt the crowd to cheer more in order for an encore. A sad reflection of what the crowd felt of the night.

By no means the boys best ever gig (in fairness, I have seen shows where they are astoundingly good - and lead guitarist, Declan, is still one of the most entertaining guitarists in the biz to watch), and one gets the feeling that if performances like this continue - British India may well and truly lose the momentum of their already dwindling wave sooner rather than later.

Nic and Declan are full of life on stage

Overall: 50%