India Mill

Darwen four-piece India Mill are a very different beast. Their straight-down-the-line, traditional pop songs hark back to the Britpop era, but taking in all of its more charming ingredients. Brett Anderson-esque front man Alistair Smith’s assertive on-stage persona delighted the onlookers during a nine-song set that never dipped.
Blistering opener It Don’t Please Me kicked the night into life with its aggressive pounding delivery, whilst crowd pleasers Green Lane and Caribesque provided sing-along choruses which are not as plentiful these days as you would think. With more North West gigs lined up throughout the late summer, you would be daft not to witness the momentum that is clearly gathering.
- Ark Magazine

Darwen four-piece India Mill are a very different beast. Their straight-down-the-line, traditional pop songs hark back to the Britpop era, but taking in all of its more charming ingredients. Brett Anderson-esque front man Alistair Smith’s assertive on-stage persona delighted the onlookers during a nine-song set that never dipped.
Blistering opener It Don’t Please Me kicked the night into life with its aggressive pounding delivery, whilst crowd pleasers Green Lane and Caribesque provided sing-along choruses which are not as plentiful these days as you would think. With more North West gigs lined up throughout the late summer, you would be daft not to witness the momentum that is clearly gathering.
- Ark Magazine

"The lead guitar is raw and meaty with the more funky rhythm guitar supporting. The quality of the vocals is impressive, lead singer Alistair Smith is without doubt a talented singer in his own right and the power he injects especially in the chorus really enhances their sound and characterises the band.....There is definitely a lot of potential on offer and India Mill have enough positive attributes that there is no reason why they cant move forward from here. " - Loud Horizon

"The lead guitar is raw and meaty with the more funky rhythm guitar supporting. The quality of the vocals is impressive, lead singer Alistair Smith is without doubt a talented singer in his own right and the power he injects especially in the chorus really enhances their sound and characterises the band.....There is definitely a lot of potential on offer and India Mill have enough positive attributes that there is no reason why they cant move forward from here. " - Loud Horizon

With a focussed intro that's awash with splendid tones, India Mill shine from the very start with 'Morning Song'.

The lead vocal is alive with melody and character, giving this band that instant recognisable sound that is so rare. The drums lay down a solid pounding Delays-style beat while the bass dances over the top with the guitars adding splendid flourishes along the way.

This band have a hard sound to pin down, sort of Kooks meets Bon Jovi meets Delays meets One Night Only - if you get what I mean! What is for sure is that it is very good.

The overall effect of this song is very powerful indeed, it actually does sound rather special. - The Mag

With a focussed intro that's awash with splendid tones, India Mill shine from the very start with 'Morning Song'.

The lead vocal is alive with melody and character, giving this band that instant recognisable sound that is so rare. The drums lay down a solid pounding Delays-style beat while the bass dances over the top with the guitars adding splendid flourishes along the way.

This band have a hard sound to pin down, sort of Kooks meets Bon Jovi meets Delays meets One Night Only - if you get what I mean! What is for sure is that it is very good.

The overall effect of this song is very powerful indeed, it actually does sound rather special. - The Mag

Given the various mediums available to musicians nowadays; engaging with the masses has never been easier. Some though believe it is necessary to upload everything from simply everyday incidents to pet pictures. For the budding connoisseur however, this information overload does little more than clog personal newsfeeds and email accounts. It is refreshing therefore to find a band like ‘India Mill’ who divulge little. Their social network sites are limited solely to gig updates and release news; their website bios, although humorous, are nonsensical; and the PR blurb offers little in the way of additional substance. One is forced to judge the band on musical merit alone. This band rock – what else is there to know? Debut single ‘Morning Song’, the poppier of the three tracks, features some impressive guitar work, tight drumming and a decent vocal. A minor gripe would be that the uplifting and catchy chorus is in danger of encroaching into Eurovision ‘Rock’ territory. The inclusion of the two secondary tracks though, and particularly ‘Green Lane’, was a stroke of genius. The lead vocals shine here, as Alistair let’s go with full throaty effect. Collectively, this is an exciting release and one that bodes well for the future. - Shout4Music

Given the various mediums available to musicians nowadays; engaging with the masses has never been easier. Some though believe it is necessary to upload everything from simply everyday incidents to pet pictures. For the budding connoisseur however, this information overload does little more than clog personal newsfeeds and email accounts. It is refreshing therefore to find a band like ‘India Mill’ who divulge little. Their social network sites are limited solely to gig updates and release news; their website bios, although humorous, are nonsensical; and the PR blurb offers little in the way of additional substance. One is forced to judge the band on musical merit alone. This band rock – what else is there to know? Debut single ‘Morning Song’, the poppier of the three tracks, features some impressive guitar work, tight drumming and a decent vocal. A minor gripe would be that the uplifting and catchy chorus is in danger of encroaching into Eurovision ‘Rock’ territory. The inclusion of the two secondary tracks though, and particularly ‘Green Lane’, was a stroke of genius. The lead vocals shine here, as Alistair let’s go with full throaty effect. Collectively, this is an exciting release and one that bodes well for the future. - Shout4Music

"A band surely destined for some rather large stuff, and a legion of fanatic disciples to follow..." - Martin Kendrick, noizemakesenemies

"A band surely destined for some rather large stuff, and a legion of fanatic disciples to follow..." - Martin Kendrick, noizemakesenemies

India Mill took their name from the staple landmark in their hometown of Darwen, East Lancashire; a town that still holds the remnants of Britain’s once dominant industrial revolution in its infrastructure. Although no longer functioning as it once did, India Mill and its distinctive chimney still stands in the town, more so as a memory of its once bustling textile industry than for practical purposes.

As a nod to the town’s rich history, a history including Gandhi’s famous visit in September 1931, four lads from Darwen named their band India Mill, a band heavily influenced by guitar-led classic rock of the past whilst channelling the melodic energy of artists such as The National, Elbow and The War on Drugs.

The band’s debut album, Under Every Sky, opens with the defining lead single of the record, Caribesque. More melody-based than the proceeding tracks, Caribesque is an obvious choice for a single, already receiving radio play from Tom Robinson on BBC 6Music and rightly so. It’s a strong pop track that complements the meticulous, tight musicianship of the group.

Alistair Smith (vocals, bass) is an undeniably talented vocalist, a feat that fails to falter throughout the record, with the flexibility to perform ballads not dissimilar to Roy Orbison (on the track, In Motion in particular) to a much heavier, powerful tone, channelling the icons they proclaim to have been influenced by, namely Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney.

In tempo, Dean Ingham (drums) and Smith provide a rolling rhythm section, creatively controlling and maintaining the pace of the band, providing a guiding point for Chris Coates (guitar, vocals) and Simon Nicholson (lead guitar) to bring their showmanship as musicians to the forefront of the record.

Ultimately Under Every Sky is a guitar-led record, with the lead being an extremely prominent aspect of the record. The band dip in and out of aggressive tempos and bring it back towards more folk and country structures, and admittedly borrow a lot from Bob Dylan on the track When She Walk. Like Dylan, they’re not afraid of covering their own agendas; Big Society and Green Lane are the tracks that stand out as having political importance to the lyrics, seemingly being openly critical about certain systems. - Louder Than War

"I've been breathing, disbelieving, all the sins and signs," sings Al Smith of Darwen, UK band India Mill. "I never knew just what it took to make your heart unwind." With music that echoes U2, R.E.M. and the National, it's a potent opening to a potent declaration of independence. - KDHX

News has reached us that the band India Mill, are due to release their latest single, Caribesque on the 15th September 2014. The single is taken from their latest album, Under Every Sky which is due to be released on the 24th November 2014 and with such a long wait till its release, this single is unquestionably the definition of a teaser.

The track opens with a humbling, high-pitched guitar melody that is joined by easy-going vocals and a laid back drum beat, and bass line, creating a song that will be repeatedly seeing that replay button on our iPods. Straight away this song is clearly something for fans of The Pixies for their psychedelic touch, REM for the classic rock element and The Black Keys for a modernized twist. The track takes an altered turn to an even more softened sound. During the chorus, the vocals become higher with longer notes and the instruments are dimmed into the background. It’s soothing and almost hypnotic. Are you intrigued yet?! I know 2014 isn’t exactly the peak of the classic indie-rock genre, but the work of India Mill is a brick in the wall to keep the genre strong.

The song continues, gaining volume and intensity, revealing more and more of the bands talented core. This makes me want to delve deeper and hear their album in-depth. This grows and grows building to the breakdown. The drum beat is simple, the guitar is stimulating and just what the song needs.

As the track comes to a close, it ends on that lasting high-pitched note in the chorus with a screeching guitar to accompany it. This slowly dissolves until silence closes the song. I’m expecting success; radio airplay, gigs and festivals for India Mill. - Holdupnow

There is something unpolished about this release that makes it work, and it has nothing to do with the production values. This is music that has been put together without cynicism, without an overarching business plan to ‘push the product’. They haven’t hitched themselves up to a scene, or adhered to a songwriting formula: each track on the album can exist as a stand alone song, independently of the others.

The band – Al Smith (Vocals & Bass), Si Nicholson (Guitar), Chris Coates (Guitar & Backing Vocals), Dean Ingham (Drums & Percussion) – have avoided holding firm to a genre, and used their first release as a springboard for experimentation, releasing singles ‘Caribesque’ and ‘Morning Song’, two songs that have such distinct sounds, they could belong to different artists.

Here’s hoping that in the wake of their chaotic, though eminently listenable debut, their emerges a voice and sound strong enough to carry the weight of their message. - FAME Magazine