Ian Bell was born in Liverpool, England. He migrated with his parents and two sisters to Australia in 1971. His father’s death shortly after the family’s arrival in Adelaide was a huge blow to Ian, and he turned to music to escape his grief. He was educated at Glenelg Primary School and Brighton High School, but left formal education at age 15 to pursue his dream of being a live music photographer, and later reviewer.
Ian began working at The Record Factory in the early 1980’s, starting a lifelong career in music retail which culminated in co-ownership of famous Adelaide music store, Andromeda Music, from 1996 to 2003. In the early 1990’s Ian started his career as a DJ, a career which filled his Friday and Saturday nights for the next 25 years at such Adelaide institutions as the Tou-Can Tou, Limbo, Le Rox, Proscenium, the PROM, Pop!, BANG! and Crank!. Ian’s clubs were popular because he played everything – he was a fan of great music across most genres, so audiences never knew what to expect at Ian’s club nights. While his mainstays were primarily pop and rock (both alternative and top 40), soul and funk, he could and did specialise in any genre and subgenre, including punk, glam, ska & reggae, lounge, rockabilly, country & western, world music, and folk. He was devoted to the high camp of the Eurovision Song Contest and periodically held club nights where the broadcast was screened live for a similarly appreciative audience. He was a dedicated follower of Cauty and Drummond’s art through all their varied incarnations, and found their approach to life, music and art intensely inspiring.
Ian’s enthusiastic engagement with the music scene in Adelaide was further reflected through his work as a photographer and journalist for street press and mainstream Australian media outlets (including Rip It Up Magazine, dB Magazine, The Advertiser, Faster Louder, The Clothesline, and UK magazine NME) for whom Ian shot almost every band that came to town in the 1980s-2010s. Ian also travelled around Australia to attend, shoot and review live music, and interview musicians. Starting from the 1970s, he shot everybody from The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, KISS, U2, Robbie Williams, Beyonce, The Cure, Foo Fighters, INXS, Springsteen, Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols, AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, David Bowie, Nick Cave and countless others. Ian’s rock photography was collated in an exhibition My Camera Never Lies, which showed in April 2018 in the Urban Cow gallery in Adelaide.
Ian worked as a radio presenter on community radio station Triple M (now three-d radio) from 1990 to 1991, and was a regular contributor to other community radio shows through the 1980s – 1990s. He was also a passionate autograph collector, regularly meeting performers as they travelled to Adelaide and surprising them with gems from their early career to be signed.
In recent years, Ian was himself interviewed for music features and academic works on the history of music in Australia, and was a go-to music and pop culture expert for commercial radio and locally-produced ABC shows. He also contributed to the South Australian music scene by lecturing in merchandising and marketing, helping young bands find their audience.
Through his regular work as a photographer, DJ, pop culture enthusiast and industry stalwart (he was always to be found at every festival, every gig), Ian was known and respected throughout all aspects of the Adelaide music industry, including the record company representatives, record store owners, and every live music venue in Adelaide. Ian was also a passionate collector – his unspoken aim was to collate a record of the entirety of pop culture during his lifetime, with a particular focus on music posters and promotional material, recorded music in all formats with a preference for vinyl (12” and 7”), band teeshirts and merchandise, movies on DVD and VHS, music magazines, and an extensive archive of magazine clippings of any artist he admired.
Ian married his wife Jordan in 2009, and their happy marriage was expanded into a happy family when their child Ruby was born in 2013. The Bell household was filled with music and laughter throughout their lives together.
Ian learned about MuMufication when he attended Welcome to the Dark Ages in 2017. His participation in this event resulted in a personal and professional renaissance of creativity and joy in the last years of his life, and reinforced his personal motto of “Do The Thing” – whatever creative project you wish you could start, just start it. Start it now.
Ian was diagnosed with terminal oesophageal cancer in May 2022. Treatment was successful in slowing down the progression of the disease. However, Ian died unexpectedly of heart failure in France while travelling with Jordan and Ruby on the way to attend Eurovision in Liverpool. He was cremated at Père Lachaise Cemetery in May 2023.
Ian is survived by Jordan and Ruby, and his sisters, Janet and Susan. Above everything, Ian was a fan. His joy and enthusiasm for the live music scene never faded. He spent his life dedicated to attending, photographing, and writing about live music with an unwavering enthusiasm. He was delighted by the idea of the People’s Pyramid and made it clear he wished to be a part of this project after his death. We are happy and grateful to be able to fulfil his wishes.
Jordan Bell, October 2023