Today’s guest on Clairsy & Lisa’s Perth Pub Crawl was Jody Bell from The Jam Tarts. She tells the guys what it was like for women back in the 80s trying to forge a career on the pub scene plus playing with the band's brothers, The Nansing Quartet and touring with the likes of Hunters & Collectors and Ben Elton.
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Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We would be singing a minute work song said twelve
hundred people. The men at work to be down the road,
so I don't need did the people party in the Beanies,
but the bands it was a way of like Cozy
and Lisa's pub drawn.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I was at an all girls high school in the
early eighties and we all wanted to be the jam Tarts.
We thought they were the coolest thing to ever come
out of Frio, that's for sure. Jody Bell as our
guest this.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Morning on our pop Crawl. Good morning, Jodi.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Good morning over there. Wa Yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Because you're in Melbourne Mills days. Yes, well, let's talk
about the jam Tarts.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Jody Bell, Lucy Lehman and the Gear Girls, Annagair and
Sophie Gare.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
How did you all meet?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Cool? Well, that's we all met at school because our
brothers went to school together.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Okay, yeah, that's a handy way to do it.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Gosh, listening to that song, gosh, we had high voices.
By things have changed now it's all dropped up, not down.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
We're going to get you recreate that vocal effort. They're
live right now on Many from Melbourne.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I had that sound because it was you know it
was chassy, it was a bit you know, it was original.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
You know, that was the big band. You know, the
jam Tarts were just the four girls and when we
h we do a set with the girls, then the boys,
our brothers would do a set that was the Nan
sink or Yes, yes, even though they weren't quartet, were
they were the quintet joined the band. Yeah, then we
(01:38):
do the sets at the end with all of us,
which was the big band. Which is that song that
you heard, which is you know great. The musicians they're
they're pretty incredible.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Yeah, you know you see like the Ocean's he's like
a local legend joining in. You know, the quality musicianship
was well and surely up there wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Yes, he joined our band. I'll just remind you that.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
He did on many awards every years because he's a.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Start j That was eighty six, but you guys were
around earlier than that. But were you underage when you
were performing in some of the pubs you were performing in?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Yeah, oh yeah. We had to have Kate, which was
Sophie and Anna and Adam's mum. Yeah, would try us
to all the gigs because we didn't have our license.
But when we'd go busking, we'd have to catch the
bus because no one wanted to give us a list
to that and catching a bus with a double.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Bay it's a little bit interesting, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Well, it was better catching the bus time because invariably
it was mike'sar case that was full of money.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Ah are you talking?
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Well?
Speaker 5 (02:40):
You know how the straightcuttel what we were in a
fall make as much as possible, Hey, juddy, did it
start off as really serious, serious young things that were
you're just going to go, let's go and have some fun.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
No, we're still not very serious.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
No, we were.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Oh, look, you know, we all because that others played
music and we you know, we've all played music since
we were little, and we'd started singing, and harmonies were
our thing, you know, we just sing in the back
of the car. And I was the lobos. She had
the low, the good range down low. Lucy was like
the harmony mistress. She could find the great little harmonies
(03:20):
in between a third and the fifth, if you know
what I'm talking about. And yeah, and it was just
a great combination and we had such a good time.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
It was such a healthy scene for playing in pubs.
They were all over, not just in the city and
in Fremantle, but all over the suburbs. Did you have
any favorites that she used to perform at.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah. Yeah, there were were a lot of gigs, weren't there.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
There was a lie a lot, but yeah, you.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Know, and we all had other bands as well. You know.
There I had a little another band with my brother
and with Sophie called Priscilla and the Pelvic Thrusters, And
you know, there was we went on tour with our
brothers and they had a roadie band. They were the
Roadies and they were called Brops on the Shore bea
because yeah, we have to play four or five nights
a week. It was great. I don't know what it's
(04:08):
like now. I know there were four if there were
four girls, I hate to say it, but if I
imagine if there was a band that had four gorgeous
young girls in it, they'd get five gigs and not
a week in a week as well, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, quite possible instagram sensations, but they.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Have to be good, they have to be good. Yeah. Yeah,
what was it like in the eighties. It was great fun. Yeah,
it was easy and free and yeah, now it's tough.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
What was it like being an all female band booking
gigs and did it make it easier?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Did it make it harder? Did it have any effect
at all?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
No, No, I think it did. Unfortunately it was We
were a bit of a novelty because of the girls.
But I suppose because we were good.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Week you're back to you had to tell it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Yeah, yeah, that's right. And we worked hard at what
we did. We we you know, we'd have we'd rehearse
all the time and we ended up getting great gigs
with touring bands like we were whenever the Jonathan Jonathan
Richmond or Hunters and Collectors or will the Wilson Picketts.
What were they called, Yeah, the Wilson Picket.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Remember Wilson Picket.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, there was a band called the Wilson Pickers.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Maybe yeah, Hunters would.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Yeah, Jonathan Jonathan Richmond from Modern Lover as well, that's right.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
We do that, like he'd come back to person with
he requests us to do is to do the supports.
But then we got the tour with Ben and Rick
now around Tailure and that kind of changed things as well.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
You went to Edinburgh as well, the Fringe Festival.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Yeah, can you believe it. We finished get there without
the internet or.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Mobile Yeah, real phone and I reckon that was peak Edinburgh.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Just you know legendary time.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Is that where Sophie met her future hubby Ben Elton.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
No, we met Ben on tour okay, which were around
Australia with them.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
Yeah, gotcha, Hey, Jody, My managers can be ruthless, but
when it's Anna and Sophie's mum Kate being the manager.
Did she favor the girls or were you all good?
Was it all either?
Speaker 4 (06:32):
She wouldn't, she'd favor Lucy and I.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Oh, very good because the kids were driving it crazy.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Probably it was so fun she was, She was absolutely legendary.
How the hell did she do that without computer? I
mean we've got easy now, we've got internet, we've got
mobile phones to track us down when we haven't come
home from you know, the nightclub.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Yeah, she was probably using phone boxes and going to
the telics. Yeah, all that kind of stuffy hotel room.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I remember you are still well and truly doing music.
In ninety four you moved to Amsterdam, met Steve Purcell
and created boof which exists to this day and recently March.
I think it was you came back to town with
book for the first time. What was it a homecoming
of sorts?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Oh, it was so great. We had such a good
time and we had great gigs and I think we're
you know, everyone really liked us. We had a couple
of gigs in Perth in one in three, one in person.
Then we went down south and we played at Anna's
daughter's wedding, which.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yes Denmark of course. Yeah, when she lives with the
tallest man in the world.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Yeah, yeah, Yeah. We had a great time and it
was such a fahoop for the Victoria musicians. You come
over to wet to the west and they just couldn't
believe it how beautiful it was. And we had great
weather and yeah, it was a lot of fun. And
hopefully we can do it again. Yeah, when we get
that festival gig or something.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Well, yeah, i've just heard that the polices have said
out now they're not reuniting. But what about a jam
Tarts reunion?
Speaker 4 (08:10):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Is that any chance in the future?
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Oh geez, that'd be fun. We have to get paid,
we'd have to get lots and lots.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And lots of funny ellis.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Yeah, might be able to arrange that you never know.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I taste the dollar down and train to death.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Absolutely, we know the value of a buck.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, you've been working since a young age.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You get it. I think you answered my question before
with the wedding gig.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I was going to say they still catch up with
the girls all the time.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
In this it's Samblaman, who's Lucy's brother. Yeah, it's a
significant birthday next week, so there's quite a few West's
coming over for the birthday.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Okay, very good because yes, because rules the boys as well.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
And you know we're all close. It's like family. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
And what age did we start saying significant birthday instead
of saying the number?
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Well, let's face that six a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, a couple of years, and we.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Started in eighty two. Yeah, if you add that makes sense, well.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Exactly, it is life the jam Tarts.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Gosh, it has been lovely to reminisce with you this
morning as we continue our Perth pub crawl back to
the eighties. Joanie, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Oh that's so nice to have me. And you didn't
I didn't answer that question of which was the best
gig in Frio. Oh yeah, in pers we used to
play out all the time, and it would have to
be the Sunday session at the Seed.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I see, you see now Sunday sessions.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
You try to explain a Sunday session to the young
people these days, and they just they cannot grasp the enormousy,
the enormity of what was the Sunday session When things
were things just cut off at eight o'clock. You had
to get in there and you had to kill the
end of that weekend you had.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
It was like, we're got to work tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
I'm going to do something school night school.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yea, thank you, okay, bye for having me. Bye.
We would be singing a minute work song said twelve
hundred people. The men at work to be down the road,
so I don't need did the people party in the Beanies,
but the bands it was a way of like Cozy
and Lisa's pub drawn.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I was at an all girls high school in the
early eighties and we all wanted to be the jam Tarts.
We thought they were the coolest thing to ever come
out of Frio, that's for sure. Jody Bell as our
guest this.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Morning on our pop Crawl. Good morning, Jodi.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
Good morning over there. Wa Yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Because you're in Melbourne Mills days. Yes, well, let's talk
about the jam Tarts.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Jody Bell, Lucy Lehman and the Gear Girls, Annagair and
Sophie Gare.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
How did you all meet?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Cool? Well, that's we all met at school because our
brothers went to school together.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Okay, yeah, that's a handy way to do it.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Gosh, listening to that song, gosh, we had high voices.
By things have changed now it's all dropped up, not down.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
We're going to get you recreate that vocal effort. They're
live right now on Many from Melbourne.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I had that sound because it was you know it
was chassy, it was a bit you know, it was original.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
You know, that was the big band. You know, the
jam Tarts were just the four girls and when we
h we do a set with the girls, then the boys,
our brothers would do a set that was the Nan
sink or Yes, yes, even though they weren't quartet, were
they were the quintet joined the band. Yeah, then we
(01:38):
do the sets at the end with all of us,
which was the big band. Which is that song that
you heard, which is you know great. The musicians they're
they're pretty incredible.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Yeah, you know you see like the Ocean's he's like
a local legend joining in. You know, the quality musicianship
was well and surely up there wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Yes, he joined our band. I'll just remind you that.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
He did on many awards every years because he's a.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Start j That was eighty six, but you guys were
around earlier than that. But were you underage when you
were performing in some of the pubs you were performing in?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Yeah, oh yeah. We had to have Kate, which was
Sophie and Anna and Adam's mum. Yeah, would try us
to all the gigs because we didn't have our license.
But when we'd go busking, we'd have to catch the
bus because no one wanted to give us a list
to that and catching a bus with a double.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Bay it's a little bit interesting, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Well, it was better catching the bus time because invariably
it was mike'sar case that was full of money.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Ah are you talking?
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Well?
Speaker 5 (02:40):
You know how the straightcuttel what we were in a
fall make as much as possible, Hey, juddy, did it
start off as really serious, serious young things that were
you're just going to go, let's go and have some fun.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
No, we're still not very serious.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
No, we were.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Oh, look, you know, we all because that others played
music and we you know, we've all played music since
we were little, and we'd started singing, and harmonies were
our thing, you know, we just sing in the back
of the car. And I was the lobos. She had
the low, the good range down low. Lucy was like
the harmony mistress. She could find the great little harmonies
(03:20):
in between a third and the fifth, if you know
what I'm talking about. And yeah, and it was just
a great combination and we had such a good time.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
It was such a healthy scene for playing in pubs.
They were all over, not just in the city and
in Fremantle, but all over the suburbs. Did you have
any favorites that she used to perform at.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah. Yeah, there were were a lot of gigs, weren't there.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
There was a lie a lot, but yeah, you.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Know, and we all had other bands as well. You know.
There I had a little another band with my brother
and with Sophie called Priscilla and the Pelvic Thrusters, And
you know, there was we went on tour with our
brothers and they had a roadie band. They were the
Roadies and they were called Brops on the Shore bea
because yeah, we have to play four or five nights
a week. It was great. I don't know what it's
(04:08):
like now. I know there were four if there were
four girls, I hate to say it, but if I
imagine if there was a band that had four gorgeous
young girls in it, they'd get five gigs and not
a week in a week as well, you know.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, quite possible instagram sensations, but they.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Have to be good, they have to be good. Yeah. Yeah,
what was it like in the eighties. It was great fun. Yeah,
it was easy and free and yeah, now it's tough.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
What was it like being an all female band booking
gigs and did it make it easier?
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Did it make it harder? Did it have any effect
at all?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
No, No, I think it did. Unfortunately it was We
were a bit of a novelty because of the girls.
But I suppose because we were good.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Week you're back to you had to tell it.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Yeah, yeah, that's right. And we worked hard at what
we did. We we you know, we'd have we'd rehearse
all the time and we ended up getting great gigs
with touring bands like we were whenever the Jonathan Jonathan
Richmond or Hunters and Collectors or will the Wilson Picketts.
What were they called, Yeah, the Wilson Picket.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Remember Wilson Picket.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, there was a band called the Wilson Pickers.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Maybe yeah, Hunters would.
Speaker 5 (05:32):
Yeah, Jonathan Jonathan Richmond from Modern Lover as well, that's right.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
We do that, like he'd come back to person with
he requests us to do is to do the supports.
But then we got the tour with Ben and Rick
now around Tailure and that kind of changed things as well.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
You went to Edinburgh as well, the Fringe Festival.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
Yeah, can you believe it. We finished get there without
the internet or.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Mobile Yeah, real phone and I reckon that was peak Edinburgh.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Just you know legendary time.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Is that where Sophie met her future hubby Ben Elton.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
No, we met Ben on tour okay, which were around
Australia with them.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
Yeah, gotcha, Hey, Jody, My managers can be ruthless, but
when it's Anna and Sophie's mum Kate being the manager.
Did she favor the girls or were you all good?
Was it all either?
Speaker 4 (06:32):
She wouldn't, she'd favor Lucy and I.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Oh, very good because the kids were driving it crazy.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Probably it was so fun she was, She was absolutely legendary.
How the hell did she do that without computer? I
mean we've got easy now, we've got internet, we've got
mobile phones to track us down when we haven't come
home from you know, the nightclub.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Yeah, she was probably using phone boxes and going to
the telics. Yeah, all that kind of stuffy hotel room.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I remember you are still well and truly doing music.
In ninety four you moved to Amsterdam, met Steve Purcell
and created boof which exists to this day and recently March.
I think it was you came back to town with
book for the first time. What was it a homecoming
of sorts?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Oh, it was so great. We had such a good
time and we had great gigs and I think we're
you know, everyone really liked us. We had a couple
of gigs in Perth in one in three, one in person.
Then we went down south and we played at Anna's
daughter's wedding, which.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yes Denmark of course. Yeah, when she lives with the
tallest man in the world.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Yeah, yeah, Yeah. We had a great time and it
was such a fahoop for the Victoria musicians. You come
over to wet to the west and they just couldn't
believe it how beautiful it was. And we had great
weather and yeah, it was a lot of fun. And
hopefully we can do it again. Yeah, when we get
that festival gig or something.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Well, yeah, i've just heard that the polices have said
out now they're not reuniting. But what about a jam
Tarts reunion?
Speaker 4 (08:10):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Is that any chance in the future?
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Oh geez, that'd be fun. We have to get paid,
we'd have to get lots and lots.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
And lots of funny ellis.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Yeah, might be able to arrange that you never know.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I taste the dollar down and train to death.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Absolutely, we know the value of a buck.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, you've been working since a young age.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
You get it. I think you answered my question before
with the wedding gig.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I was going to say they still catch up with
the girls all the time.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
In this it's Samblaman, who's Lucy's brother. Yeah, it's a
significant birthday next week, so there's quite a few West's
coming over for the birthday.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Okay, very good because yes, because rules the boys as well.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
And you know we're all close. It's like family. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
And what age did we start saying significant birthday instead
of saying the number?
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Well, let's face that six a long time ago.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, a couple of years, and we.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Started in eighty two. Yeah, if you add that makes sense, well.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Exactly, it is life the jam Tarts.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Gosh, it has been lovely to reminisce with you this
morning as we continue our Perth pub crawl back to
the eighties. Joanie, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
Oh that's so nice to have me. And you didn't
I didn't answer that question of which was the best
gig in Frio. Oh yeah, in pers we used to
play out all the time, and it would have to
be the Sunday session at the Seed.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I see, you see now Sunday sessions.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
You try to explain a Sunday session to the young
people these days, and they just they cannot grasp the enormousy,
the enormity of what was the Sunday session When things
were things just cut off at eight o'clock. You had
to get in there and you had to kill the
end of that weekend you had.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
It was like, we're got to work tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
I'm going to do something school night school.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yea, thank you, okay, bye for having me. Bye.
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