On August 31st, South Australian legends Indiago will be playing their first Australian show since embarking on their epic tour of China.
So ahead of their homecoming gig, we caught up with the lads to chat their history as a band and why the hell the decided to tour China in the first place.
Before they return home from their tour of China, we caught up with South Australian band Indiago to chat how the band came together and why on earth they decided to tour China.
HAPPY: Hey fellas… whereabouts in the world are you right now?
INDIAGO: We’re in the beautiful city of Beijing mate!
HAPPY: Anything special planned for the last gig of the tour?
INDIAGO: Nothing “special” as such, but it’s gonna be a big one! Our manager Brett is making it over here for the last leg of the tour, so we’ll be showing him exactly how crazy these crowds can be!
HAPPY: Tour aside, what are you each going to get back to when you fly home? What do you all do outside of the band?
INDIAGO: First thing on the agenda is our Homecoming show at Fat Controller on 31st. We arrive home the day before, so that will be huge to play to our home crowd again and catch up with everyone. Then, after a few days recovering, we’ll be back at our day jobs, alongside a lot of hard work in the studio. We’ve got a Firearms Dealer, a Barista, a Drum Teacher, and a Studio Owner/Producer…we’ll let you decide who’s who.
HAPPY: How did you all meet, and when did Indiago kick off?
INDIAGO: We actually all went to school together, which is cool. It certainly makes things a lot easier, being in a band with people you’ve been mates with for the majority of you life. Indiago was properly created in 2011, basically a year after Harry, Shane and I (Will) graduated. After a few member-changes over the years, our close friend, Matt, slotted into the line-up and completed the puzzle as our new drummer.
HAPPY: What was the ‘elevator pitch’ for the band back then? Did you have a set of influences?
INDIAGO: We all had very different influences back then, and were all in different bands. We came together at our High School Talent Show, and after playing a few covers and winning the show, we decided we should give it a crack outside of school. We gelled together really well, and all of a sudden we were playing shows all over the place and things really took off.
HAPPY: What do you think those guys, on day dot, would tell you if you said you’d tour China in 2018?
INDIAGO: I think they’d all laugh in our faces. It’s cliche’, but to think that we’d ever get the opportunity to Tour in another country, and spread the love and music that we created, is just insane. Especially in a culture so thoroughly different to our own…
HAPPY: How would you say the direction of the band has shifted since then?
INDIAGO: The outlook is much more positive now, much more driven. It was all a bit of fun for the first years, but now, the sacrifices are real, the workload is greater, and we’re all very focused on what we want. This isn’t a hobby for us any more.
HAPPY: What caused the shift? Getting older? Playing shows? Just practicing a million times?
INDIAGO: Playing and practicing together are some of the best moments of our lives. But as you grow older, it becomes ever more difficult to sacrifice the time and effort, especially with very little financial reward. People love musicians, but they often don’t understand the shit that comes with the job. The hours, the energy, the money, the never-ending pressure from everyone around you to “get a real job”, and buy a house. It just came to the point where we’re either all-in one-hundred percent, or we give up now. And now we’re in f*cking China…
HAPPY: What’s on the cards for the rest of the year? And 2019?
INDIAGO: The rest of the year will see us hitting the studio pretty hard, with another single already set for release in the coming months. We’ll be hitting the road again, only this time, it’ll be in our own country! With a whole lot of dates planned late 2018-early 2019
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat guys. Anything to add before we go?
INDIAGO: We’ve made an insane amount of new fans over here, and we’ve made people take notice in the most populated Country in the world. Including articles all over social media, even leading news outlet, The Beijinger. Head to Fat Controller on the 31st, and we’ll show you why.
Catch Indiago live at The Fat Controller, Adelaide on August 31st. More info here.
