The Bacardi Express train is about to hit the rails, making its way up the Australian east coast loaded with the likes of Groove Armada, British India, bluejuice, Van She and Lost Valentinos, with four stops along the way. British India's frontman Declan Melia took some time out from the band's current 'God is Dead' tour to chat about the impending train trek and just what life on the road is like.
yourGigs (yG): What are you most looking forward to about the Bacardi Express tour?
Declan Melia (DM): Most certainly the shows, it's no secret that within the group playing live is the only place we feel within our element. We just hope the crowds enjoy us wedged between two dance acts.
yG: What kind of train-related antics do you think you'll be able to get up to with Groove Armada and the rest of the artists on the tour?
DM: We'll endeavour to be as social as we can but I'd be surprised if too many antics came from our side of the table. We'll be sort of living vicariously through the other groups to an extent because we're all quite shy around people we've just met, especially around cameras.
yG: If you could curate your own Bacardi Express train ride with any five bands or musicians, living or dead, who they would be and why?
DM: Well to open I'd choose something gentle and musical that the still sober early arrivals could appreciate perhaps (smog) or Andrew Bird which is good pre-party music. The only problem is I don't think either act would fit in on the train. After that we'd need something that could start gently and melodically but then kick-start some pulses; I think I'd choose Wilco to play second on the bill because they're both musical but could get very exciting around the end, they'd have to choose their set-list carefully though to create nice musical bridge to link to the next act, And You Will Know us by the Trail Of Dead; I'd hope to see some crowd surfing mid way through their set.
For main support the crowd would want to dance no doubt so we'd need something like Ill Communication-era Beastie Boys who would not only satisfy the party-goers who need to dance but would be a worthy addition to the train trip in the womanising stakes. I'd choose The Who to headline the tour, with Keith Moon of course; they'd supply the tour with plenty of antics, drama and destruction and would be the obvious choice for headliners.
yG: You're smack bang in the middle of the 'God is Dead' tour. How's the road been treating you?
DM: Fabulously; the shows have been fantastic, thank you for asking. We'd been away for a while so it's taken us a long time to release our second single. It seems no one's forgotten about us though.
yG: Have there been any divine interventions that have forced you to re-think the title?
DM: Unless you'd consider dubious looks from commercial radio programmer's divine intervention, which you really shouldn't, then no. I shudder to think that this band would change anything - music, image, lyrics, behaviour - for anything including the lord above; we're very stoic in our approach.
yG: You're headed back to the UK soon, any plans to top last UK trip's effort when you broke into a castle and Nic subsequently impaled his feet on a fence?
DM: Well that incident was perhaps symptomatic of it being our first time in that lovely country, I don't think our maturity, or lack thereof, will improve just our breadth of influence over the local kids. Perhaps we'll revise any plans for breaking and entering ... we'll try squeezing under the fences.
yG: What are some other war stories from the touring road you can share with us?
DM: Too many to mention I'm sure, they run the gamut of touring stories both stereotyped and otherwise; fans stealing our clothes; fans stealing our instruments; bizarre love triangles between band members popping up nearly monthly; some really, really great house parties, and some really, really awful house parties.
yG: Your latest album is entitled Thieves; of all the touring artists on the Bacardi Express, whose identity would you like to steal the most and why?
DM: Groove Armada's I'm sure, DJing is something I've never understood but I can see its appeal, plus the girls who listen to dance music are far prettier than girls who listen to guitar music - there I said it.
British India will be touring with Bacardi Express, which will travel from Melbourne to Sydney via Wagga Wagga and Wollongong between March 26 to March 28, 2009. For more info see our gig guide.
Mike Jeffery
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