The band is notable for their single "Tie Up My Hands", taking the number one spot in the jtv music television programme, with their debut album Guillotine produced by Harry Vanda. Guillotine was also nominated for Triple J's J Award in 2007 and in December of that year British India won the AIR Award for 'Best New Independent Artist'. In April and May of 2008 the band entered Flashpoint studios once again to record their new album "Theives" officially released on the 19th of July, althought copies were available at gigs a week earlier than this. The first single from the album is titled "I Said I'm Sorry" and is on their MySpace.
British India formed when Melbourne high school friends Declan Melia and Nic Wilson met Will Drummond and Matt O'Gorman through mutual friends, and asked them to join the band. Social misfits in school, the quartet began to jam together, playing work by their favourite bands; Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Beatles, Blur, and Starsailor. The band's name was originally noticed by Wilson on a b-side by Strawberry Alarm Clock.
In 2005, after playing regularly across Australia for a year, the band signed with In-Fidelity Recordings and began work on their debut EP, with producer Lindsay Gravina. In June 2005 they released a single, "Outside 109 / Automatic Blitzkrieg". The song's inspiration came from a quip made by Mick Jagger in an interview in 1964. Melia told Australian Music Online the song's lyrics referred to the band's gigging in Melbourne, and "being just outside of international recognition".
On 21 November 2005 the band released their EP, Counter Culture, on Shock Records. Following recording at Sydney's Flashpoint Studios with studio owner Harry Vanda.[6] Drummond said that in recording the EP, the band "crammed all [their] youthful exuberance" onto it.
Nic the Poet
British India Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They've seen it all and they're not impressed
And in the night time celebrities with fragile jaws
Force us all to feel underdressed, impressed?
This party is finished, give us xanax and fifteen minutes
I had my alibi tight that night
And change the station the bottled water generation
Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones
Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
She's just waiting for something better
She's only with you until she changes her mind
She's just waiting for something better
Everything all the time, everything all the time
And in the nightclub, I was there it wasn't like that
You come here just to start a fight
And change the station this bottled water generation
And four white boys getting high tonight
Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones
Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
She's just waiting for something better
She's only with you until she changes her mind
She's just waiting for something better
Everything all the time, everything all the time
What?!
You can't fuck with this real shit home boy
Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
She's just waiting for something better
She's only with you until she changes her mind
She's just waiting for something better
Everything all the time, everything all the time, fuck!
Fuck!
Whoa!
The lyrics of "Nic the Poet" by British India depict a sense of disillusionment and frustration towards modern society. The opening lines, "When we left off I was choking on asbestos, They've seen it all and they're not impressed," suggest a feeling of being ignored or overlooked, as if the singer's experiences and struggles are insignificant to others. The reference to asbestos represents something toxic and harmful, symbolizing the negativity and suffocating nature of their surroundings.
The song continues to criticize the superficiality and excesses of the party culture, with the mention of "nighttime celebrities with fragile jaws" forcing everyone to feel inferior or inadequate. The desire for escapism is expressed through the line "Give us Xanax and fifteen minutes," reflecting a need for temporary relief from the pressures and expectations of society.
The repeated phrase "Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones" highlights the pervasive influence of technology and the detachment it creates between people. It also implies a sense of disconnection and the difficulty of genuine human connection in a world obsessed with virtual communication.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of frustration, alienation, and a yearning for something more genuine and meaningful. It reflects a generation's struggle to find their place and identity in a rapidly changing and superficial world.
Line by Line Meaning
When we left off I was choking on asbestos
At the last point of reference, I was struggling and suffocating
They've seen it all and they're not impressed
They have experienced everything and are unimpressed
And in the night time celebrities with fragile jaws
During the nighttime, famous people with weak wills
Force us all to feel underdressed, impressed?
Make all of us feel inadequate, are you impressed?
This party is finished, give us xanax and fifteen minutes
This party is over, provide us with medication and a short break
I had my alibi tight that night
I had a convincing excuse prepared for that night
And change the station the bottled water generation
Switch the radio channel, the generation that only consumes bottled water
And four white boys getting high tonight
And four Caucasian boys getting intoxicated tonight
Twenty thousand kids all on their mobile phones
Twenty thousand young individuals all engrossed in their mobile devices
You want advice but you don't wanna take it
You seek guidance but refuse to follow it
She's just waiting for something better
She is merely anticipating a superior option
She's only with you until she changes her mind
She is only with you until she decides differently
Everything all the time, everything all the time
Everything constantly, everything constantly
And in the nightclub, I was there it wasn't like that
And in the nightclub, I was present, it wasn't like that
You come here just to start a fight
You come here solely to provoke conflict
What?!
Expression of surprise or disbelief
You can't fuck with this real shit home boy
You cannot mess with this authentic stuff, my friend
Fuck!
Expression of frustration or anger
Whoa!
Expression of surprise or astonishment
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: WILL DRUMMOND, DECLAN MELIA, MATTHEW O'GORMAN, NICHOLAS JAMES WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nick Schmidt
Fuck this is a good song.