We broke bread with INDIA ELECTRIC CO. ahead of THE GREAT ESTATE FESTIVAL....
Ahead of the Great Estate Festival which takes place at Scorrier House in Cornwall over the Jubilee Bank Holiday Queen’s extra long Coronation thingy weekend, we chatted to a wonderful band called India Electric Co. We covered loads of topics including musical influences, their humble beginnings into the world of music and their dream festival lineup, for all of this and more, read on….
Please tell me about the band, who is in it and what you do....
Joseph O’Keefe on violin, keys, accordion and guitar and Cole Stacey on singing and guitar and mandolin. On our 2022 tours and some festivals we’ve been working with percussionists and drummers including the brilliant Russell Field and Aron Bicskey.
When did you start your musical journey?
As kids growing up in our respective verdant Devonshire surroundings, we started making tunes together properly back in 2014 which continues to this day to take us to weird and wonderful lands.
What style of music do you play?
We reckon the best description is “a veritable musical magpie’s nest” from BBC Radio 3. There’s the blending of traditional instruments, folk melodies and subtle electronic influences and the occasional chimney whack.
Who would you say are the band's musical influences?
Currently we are listening a lot to The Smile, The Gloaming, Billie Eilish, Snow Poet and Sudan Archives which all help shape and influence writing and production.
Do you know what day/time/stage you're playing at the Great Estate Festival?
We are on The Earth & Roots stage on Saturday 4th June at 7.30pm and very much looking forward to it!
What can the audience expect from your live show?
We pride ourselves on no two shows being the same so there’s a level of improvisation but ultimately we don’t steer far off the combinations of violin, guitar, vocal, accordion, sub bass, and rhythms, mainly playing songs from our last album with traditional roots at its heart but blended with our more pop-y influences.
The bill is looking pretty good for this year, who else would you recommend the festival goers make a beeline for over the weekend?
It looks amazing and it’s a joy to be a part of, we shall be definitely checking out Baka Beyond, Krafty Kuts, The Peoples String Foundation and as many names that are new to us as possible.
There seem to be more Cornish festivals popping up all over the county these days, what is it about them that keeps people coming back year after year?
They seem to bring their unique ‘cornish-ness’ whilst being incredibly accessible and joyful. It’s a unique part of the world and we imagine a place many people want to escape to hear music and dance!
Tell me a funny story about a festival/show that you've attended in the past....
Playing one of the biggest hits of the 80s in two different keys with the artist himself at a festival in New Zealand wasn’t that funny but it was definitely a moment…..
Give me 3 bands or artists that you would like to headline at your own festival (you can choose ANY band/artist dead or alive)
Radiohead, Beyonce, Anda Union
Please tell me about any new music that you have in the pipeline and when can we expect to hear it?
We’ll be releasing our third album before too long which we are hugely excited about and should coincide with a support tour across Germany, Scandinavia and UK shows including the Roundhouse in London. We’ll then be back in the UK for a headline tour in November whereby hopefully we’ve learnt how to play all the new songs live.
Lastly, tell me your top three festival survival tips?
Take a large tank of ice with you for day 1 or day 2 gin and tonics.
If you really need a curry at midnight go and find a curry stall and pretend that you work on a neighbouring food outlet and you’re doing meal swaps so you’d like your free thali and naan bread now please.
Don’t skimp on the spices, ideally you’ll want to bring a toolbox full of the essentials. It's amazing how much cumin & kashmiri chilli powder you can get through at a festival.
We’d like to thank Cole and Joseph for taking the time to chat to us and we wish them both the very best for the festival, the new album launch and headline tour later on in the year. If you’re already going to The Great Estate Festival, you can catch them live on The Earth & Roots stage on Saturday 4th June at 7.30pm, if you’re not going, what is wrong with you? it’s the hottest ticket in town and talking of tickets, if you DO want to go, there aren’t many left, head over to the WEBSITE to buy one now….
If you’d like to keep up to date with their musical happenings (and who wouldn’t?) their socials are below;