Pel Mel

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Pel Mel
Origin	Newcastle, Australia
Genre(s)	Post-punk
Years active	1979–1984
Label(s)	GAP

Pel Mel were an Australian post-punk music band. They formed in Newcastle, Australia in mid 1979 and moved to Sydney, Australia in late 1980.^[1] They toured and recorded until 1984.

Pel Mel's early lineup included Graeme Dunne (guitar & vocals), Judy McGee (sax), Jane McGee (guitar), Glenn Hill (bass), Dave Weston (drums) and Nigel Savage (sax). By early 1980 Nigel Savage had left, and by late 1980 Lindsay O'Meara replaced Glenn Hill on bass. Judy McGee began playing keyboards in 1980 and began sharing vocals with Graeme Dunne. Jane McGee left in February 1981, and Craig Robertson replaced Lindsay O'Meara on bass in late 1981.^[1]

Pel Mel's first single, "No Word From China", was released in 1981 on Primate records (re-issued on GAP records), and was followed by the album Out Of Reason.

Pel Mel's second album, Persuasion, was recorded by a new lineup including Graeme Dunne on vocals, bass and guitar, Paul Davies on guitar, Judy McGee on vocals, keyboards and saxophone and Dave Weston on drums.

Acclaimed Australian producer Tony Cohen produced both albums. He later produced albums by notable Australian artists The Birthday Party (band), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Hunters & Collectors and The Go-Betweens.

Pel Mel moved from an early punk-influenced sound to a distinctive pop sound, and were a backbone of the thriving inner Sydney music scene in the early 1980s. Other bands associated with this scene include Pel Mel offshoot band The Limp, Wild West, Tactics, The Particles, Scapa Flow and the bands from the M Squared label and studio.

"No Word From China" was included on Tales From The Australian Underground, a collection of key Australian independent singles from 1976-1989.^[2]

Pel Mel have been cited as an influence by some of Australia's later rock acts. In 2003, Glen Bennie of Underground Lovers, cited them as one of his favourite bands, with Persuasion one of his top 3 Australian records.^[3] Australian social commentator, academic and writer, Philip Brophy, cites Pel Mel as a representative of the Australian musical avant garde rock in his essay "Avant-Garde Rock - History In The Making"[1] published in the 1987 collection "Missing In Action - Australian Popular Music In Perspective" (edited Marcus Breen).

The Pel Mel track, Pandemonium, was covered by Sobriquet Vs Other People's Chilkdren on the "Re-fashioned - Antipodean Classics" compilation on the Groovescooter label in 2001.[2]