Great things were expected from Sligo natives Indian after an impressive chart run (following the release of 1996's Show Me That Chihuahua Again), yet the six-piece failed to capitalise on the hype generated.

Stylistically taking a leaf out of several books, among them those of Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen, Blue Flowers is a mature, consistent work with a nicely Celtic flavour. Though certain tracks like 'Cities' and 'Yellow Sky' may border on the inoffensive, Joe Hunt's unique, gruff vocals are all this band needs to propel them to somewhere interesting.

           -by John Meagher-

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Sligo people take great pride in local heroes Westlife and Tabby Callaghan, but for the past decade, they've also been raving about a local outfit called Indian.

After enjoying moderate chart success in the mid 1990s, the band failed to move on to the next strata, although this second album has already sold 7,000 copies through word of mouth in the west. Now it's getting a nationwide push.

Blue Flowers is an accomplished album, full of radio-friendly songs that reveal the melodic gifts of frontman Joe Hunt. The defiantly middle of the road sound won't appeal to everyone, but for anybody who longs for a band that sounds like U2 fronted by Jerry Fish, this lot may just be for you.

Indian: Surely a Success Story in the Making

           -by Joanne O'Reilly-

Indian released their first album Show Me That Chihuahua Again in 1996 and even though musicians have come and gone the backbone of the band has remained the same.

Their second album Blue Flowers released on April 9, 2004, nearly eight years later, has all the lyrical, vocal and musical originality that makes their first album so distinguishable.

The dynamic trio at the centre of Indian, Joe Hunt on vocals, Martin Harte, lyricist and keyboard player, and Christy Behan on drums, have superbly executed another haunting, by every measure of the word, album.

Their dedicated following went out in droves to eagerly grab this second album, which has sold up on 7,000 copies, despite the fact that it is only available in a few select music shops and it has yet to obtain the much needed airplay it deserves - which given the calibre of this band is astounding- actually it borders on the unbelievable.

Show Me That Chihuahua Again catches something of the spirit of the band, something that's left of the mainstream. Its spangled rock never too lyrically dark that it isn't ready to acknowledge the colours of life or some dream caught mid-flight and cloud bound.

The eccentricity of both the album and song titles: Elvis 'N' Spiders, Sugarcube, Jam Tarts and Sunbeams and Bunny Suit, hint at the storytelling nature of the lyrics that make an electric union with Joe's voice, which on occasion (let that be stressed) sounds like Crowded House crossed with U2 when the song is particularly melodious, as in Sweet Angels. However, it is entirely different when he lilts or speaks through a song, or falls into the husky depths of his own voice, for which there is no comparison.

What gets me most about Indian's music is how unique every song is, in terms of the lyrics, how it's sung and the musical arrangement, which picks on so many different genres that Indian lie in the rare and precious genreless domain called musical neverland, it's where the authentic ones go.

If you can't put the notes to these words, "it's the way I walk through this boring pillow talk... if I surrendered to the outsider would you take me away from these big pink spiders?", it's because you haven't heard Elvis 'N' Spiders and you can't appreciate how radically different it is to Jam Tarts and Sunbeams or Good Boy.

As for the new album, Blue Flowers, Pat McManus and Paul McCann with the addition of Leon Donnellan, who has been around from the early days, complete the band responsible for its production.

The first track on the album Cities has already earned itself due acclaim when it was short-listed out of 11,000 songs in the International Song-writing Competition in Nashville.

Yellow Sky is beautifully soothing, but with Young, Lennon, Waites and Sinatra among their acknowledged inspiration it's little wonder.

The Stream features Aileen Masterson who has the strength to match Joe's voice in this dramatic crescendo. Butterfly, Skindive, Bang Bang Gun and Archangel have all lulling tempos that need to be listened to on repeat. Breathe in Time and Lonesome Heart Attack return to the rich-rock-lustre of their first album.

Playing live gigs in Galway and Sligo is how Indian have established their name, as with most talented bands it's in the live performances that the real wonder of their work becomes apparent.

Indian returned to the Roisin Dubh to play a free gig last night (Thursday) - you'll have unfortunately already missed it by the time you read this, but be sure to catch them next time round!