Check out D’Arcy, a Brit indie pop group with an ’80s fashion fixation (obligatory M.I.A. reference via AiM):
[The band was] founded three years ago by Ashish Dharsi, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and Tristan Evans, who plays lead guitar… “When I started as a solo singer songwriter a friend was designing a flyer and wrote my name on it as D’Arcy instead of Dharsi thinking that’s how it was spelt. I liked it and we have stuck with it and it’s attracting a lot of support, particularly from our Irish fans.” [Link]
Well, of course that’s what you get when you pronounce your pukka desi name in that posh Brit accent 
Ashish makes a much more interesting Dharsi than Martin Henderson.
Listen here (MP3).
One thing I dont understand about all these indie bands is, why do they have to to dress so scruffy?
Trade dress.
The sepiafication is tenuous at best 😉 One quarter Asian this band be. But I suppose the band are named after him. They launched their single a few months ago in Central London, to widespread critical silence. It’s hard making it as a band. Who knows what will happen to them, but hey I wish them well.
The other group mentioned in the article you reference Manish, Serese, I met recently at the Rise festival – now I doubt you’ll get this stateside, so it’s just for PB and the other Brits. I made a supermarket-girl group analogy.
En Vogue – Marks and Spencer Destiny’s Child – Tesco’s Rouge – The Co-op Serese – LIDL.
Oh dear. Don’t worry, I was polite to them – when people are trying to break the music biz, it’s always good for others to endlessly praise them making them, thus lulling them into a belief that they ARE “really really good” and SHOULD waste the money their parents put aside for uni, and SHOULD decide not to go to high school, and CAN be the next Destiny’s Child. Groan.
I typed a few extraneous words in that last bit. I’m hoping you get what I mean. I’m not trying to be overly negative, but creative criticism is hilariously absent from the music world, until you get to a record company and they say ‘clear off’. This is coming from someone involved in music – it’s a horrible, back-stabbing, two-faced, bitter and superficial world. And for the likes of Serese, it’s even worse as they’re defined as an ‘Asian group’ – I can only speak for the British South Asian music scene, but it’s disgracefully unprofessional on the whole. There are some very notable exceptions – mostly toward the drum&bass crowd. I think D’Arcy do themselves many favours by not aligning themselves too strongly with any Asian angle.
Bongo
The world just does not need another crew of Asian girl Beyonce wannabes – bring something new to the table!
Look at M.I.A she brings something new – what are these RnB girls doing except chewing old grass – please – and enough of the bad Southall Girl attitude staring into the camera as if you are so dangerous and feisty and sexy and bad – as if I havent had enough of that kind of Indian girl with attitude and head stuck up herself IN REAL LIFE to last me a lifetime already!
Make it new or just stay indoors and cook stew.
Is it just me or is “Make it new or just stay indoors and cook stew” a great opening for an Asian aunty crew of Beyoncé’s grandma wannabes? Yup the Tamil Tigers poster girl sure does bring something new to the table and that’s why she’s made so many waves. I’m 100% with you. Shall we form our own alternative Asian group? You’re clearly the bhangra element, I’m coming from the drum&bass and old skool angle. Naahh..not alternate enough. Yet. But if we widen the net to all SMers, I’m sure we have some nutty musicians on here…?
Bongo
Someone has to do something – these Asian MC’s are mostly just clowns and when I see another pouting Indian girl who thinks she is the next Destiny Child I want to yell.
My thing is this – if you are not going to bring something new to the table like MIA has done stay at home and wash your hair and shut up because you are just embarassing yourself – especially when you start rapping and singing in an America accent – you saps!
Same goes for bhangra although in the last six months some good stuff has started being produced again.