More Jamie Info

You’ve never had a proper job have ya?

No, when I was nine I went to Syvia Young’s stage school. The work I’ve done is showbiz – I’ve loadsa experience!

Ooh! Tell more!

You name it, I’ve sung and danced in it! I’ve done loads of charity and cabaret shows in America and Europe!

What was your big break?

I played Oliver at the Palladium teatre when I was 10, which was good.

Any more acting?

I’ve been in a bunch of films, including Harry Potter. I was a pupil at Hogwarts. I haven’t seen myself but I’m sure my mum’s been looking for me!

Cor, you musta earned loadsa cash already! What’cha buy?My mum put it in the bank for me! You get lots but I spent half on school fees (thinks) I haven’t spent the rest… Yet!

Was it all work and no play for a child actor?

Nah! We got seven weeks off in the summer! I spent the whole time in Kent where my parents have chalets. My mates are there so I love it!

Is stage school as mad as we think it is?

It depends who you’re mates with! I wasn’t a hardcore stage school kid, my mates were cool. We called the others the Jazz Hands!

What did you look like in school photos?

Very moody, much shorter than I am now, and I had a bowl hair cut! My mum cut my hair but it’s ok coz she’s a hairdresser!

Was your glam hair a hit with the ladies?

I did ok! I do think I was quite good at chatting up girls – but I’m a lot better now – obviously!

And now you’ve got loadsa fans! Any man ‘uns?

Our fans are lovely. I’m shocked that fans show up to see us. I wonder why they’ve come to see us, and why they want to hear about me. It’s surreal, but it’s wicked!

You’re quite young to be travelling the world on yer own. Do yer parents worry?

I’m really lucky that I’m from North London, my parents aren’t far away. Everyone’s happy for me coz they know this is what I want to do!

Six years ago in a wet Bristol underpass, and two teenagers are busy with their permanent marker. Their handiwork is barely visible among the tags and elaborate airbrushed artwork cluttering the walls, but its message is more powerful than a thousand aerosols: "1997 will be our year."

In fact, all that happens is that the alleyway is demolished, and 1997 turns out to be the year of the Spice Girls, which really isn't the plan at all, and in a chart climate where fast-track pop comes freeze-dried, flat-packed, and with an 18-month use-by date, most bands would take that as proof that destiny had given them the finger. But for Ian 'Sparx' Farquharson and Justin Scott it was more like a gauntlet being thrown down. Fast-forward to 2002 and their dream is reality. With Josh Barnett, Jamie Bell and David Wilcox swelling their ranks, 888 are finally ready. Balladeering boybands beware: this'll knock you right off your stools.

ilikemusic.com caught up with Jamie Bell to chat about Triple 8's debut album and single, and how they're enjoying things so far.

JAMIE: Well not last Christmas but the Christmas before, we got signed, so basically last year we were just doing the album and getting it right and make it the best album we could, so basically this year we've been promoting knockout. But it's been really exciting, because every day has been different - doing a tv interview one day and a magazine the next. It's been great!

ILM: Your debut solo single Knockout is out on April 21st - can you give us your own personal description of it and it's whole vibe?

JAMIE: It's a statement record. For one it's called Knockout, but it's probably the rockiest track from the album, as far rock as we go. A lot of the songs on the album are pop combined with rnb. It's not necessarily the best song on the album, but it's a song that gets peoples attention.

ILM: What is your favourite track off your debut album? And which track did you have the most fun making?

JAMIE: My personal favourite track? We worked with such great producers so it's hard to decide. But probably Hit The Bone, or I'm All You Need Tonight, which we co-wrote so it's more personal to us. We haven't done the choreography for that one yet, but I cannot wait to do it.

The whole album was fun. We recorded 40 songs and it's been really hard choosing the tracks for the album, because we've had to leave out five or six great songs. And they'll be perfect for someone out there, but it was unfortunate because we had great songs on their already.

It's hard though, because different people have different favourites and some of them don't make the album, but they're still great songs and will hopefully get someone else out there a hit. Knockout was probably the most fun though, because it was the first one we did, and it was out in Sweden.

JAMIE: We share the same management as Kym and she's lovely. It's weird though, because we don't get that much feedback from fans. People in the industry, and management and media are raving about us, but the average public, we don't get much feedback. So when Kym said she liked the track and her son was a fan, it's great to get feedback like that.

ILM: What many people won't realise is that Sparx and Justin formed the band 6 years ago, do you think it's important that founding members of bands are friends beforehand, rather than being put together through audition processes? And do you think it makes it more likely that you'll last?

JAMIE: Yeah definitely, if you audition five guys and stick them in a house together and put them in a band, you can't expect them to get on.
When Josh asked me to join the three of them it was really hard, because a lot of it counted on whether or not I got on with them. Whether they liked me and whether I liked them and whether they accepted me. But they did and I did, and it was the same with David when he joined. It was a case of well you can sing and dance but are you going to click with us, but luckily as soon as we met David we knew it was right.

ILM: Can you tell us the hardest rejection/knock back career wise you had to deal with and how you overcame it?

JAMIE: Often I didn't even know what the audition was for. And it was a case of, if I get it I get it, if I don't I don't. If you take it too seriously and wonder why you didn't get a part, or think they're not better than me, it can get all bitchy and that's not what its about.

ILM: Like the Spice Girls you guys share a 5 bedroom house - what's that like? Who's the tidiest and the messiest?

JAMIE: It was nothing to do with the record company, we got our advance and ended up getting a house together, so it was all down to us. It's not a plush record company house. It's got five bedrooms and five bathrooms, but it's not very well decorated, flowery wallpaper and stuff.

The good thing about it is that we're five mates anyway, so it's easier for everyone, because we live in West London so we're quite near the airport and stuff, and it's easier to get one car rather than five cars all over the country in Blackpool, Bristol, North London and Essex. Plus it's nice because we work and we're mates as well, so we have a laugh.

The messiest is definitely David, his room is constantly a mess. The worst thing about him is you'll go in to his room one minute and it'll be absolutely spotless, and then you'll go in five minutes later and it'll be like a bombs hit it. The tidiest is definitely Josh. He's obsessively tidy. He used to work in Ted Baker's so he knows how to fold clothes properly and all his clothes are amazingly folded. It's quite sad.

ILM: You attended Sylvia Young and have done Oliver and Grange Hill - where you at Sylvia Young with anyone else we'd have heard of?

JAMIE: Quite a few actually. There was Billie Piper, Scott from Five, Muhammed George who plays Gus in Eastenders, Jamie Lewis and Jodie Abbot from HollyOaks, Matt from Busted, and all sorts. I've seen Jodie around, and Matt when we've been on Saturday morning shows. It's really nice to see them because I was good friends with them at school, so wish them well, because it shows all the hard work's paid off?

ILM: You refuse to be ashamed of making pop music or being a boyband and hold your heads high. Do you think that's half the battle, being proud of what you do?

JAMIE: Yeh, definitely. I mean if you are a boyband and you say you're not a boyband, it gives you an unecessary obstacle. Saying we're a vocal harmony group or whatever, or we're not a boyband, why say it you are a boy band, and everyone'll just think why are they being like that. We just accept that we are a boyband. We think it's fine anyway. The term boyband is supposedly very cheesy and probably has been, but it doesn't have to be. I mean we're just five guys in a band and that's it.

ILM: You've said, For some people, getting in the charts is good enough. It's become a joke and pop needs to step up a gear. We're here to raise the game. How are you doing that?

JAMIE: Yeah, the album has got rock, pop, rnb, so it's very diverse. We're a very visual band and every performance we do we want to make it better and better, whether it's rehearsing or a roadshow or a tour or a tv show - every time we do a routine, we want to make it better and better.

JAMIE: It's called Highbury Stadium and it's the home ground of Arsenal. It's got a great atmosphere and I love being there. It's a great place to be.

"I like music because... no matter where you are it can set a mood for you." Jamie Bell, Triple 8

“Hey everyone. How’s it going? Us Triple Eight boys haven’t been in the music business long, but we’re already being branded the bad boys of pop. We’re not bad, really, we just like having a laugh and larking about – and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve been nicknamed Cheeky Eight, but I don’t think some of the things I’ve got up to are that bad. Why don’t you read on and decide for yourselves?

Every year my family and I go to out chalet in Leysdown in Kent. When I was 12 I stayed there with my nan and went out with a big group of mates to play football on another campsite. I belted the ball up in the air and the wind sent it flying towards another chalet. It went straight into the roof, took a bit off and bounced onto the owner’s car, damaging that too. I tried to apologise but the owner was going mental and called the police. Me and my mates just jumped on our bikes and legged it. For the rest of the day I felt really guilty, and every time I heard a siren I thought it was the coppers coming to get me.

I used to lie about my age. I’ve only just turned 18, so for months I was lying to get into clubs and stuff. I had a fake ID that sad I was 18. I got drunk for the first time when I was 14. I was on holiday with my dad and didn’t realise I’d had that many, or that I’d get so drunk. We went out one night and he let me have a couple of Alco pops. I ended up being quite tipsy. I didn’t get sick, which was lucky. I don’t seem to get hangovers.

OK, I confess – I’m a killer. But it was only a fish and I didn’t mean to. It belonged to my mum’s friend. I went round to her house and picked it up and started playing with it. I took it out of the water and was just sort of juggling it around – I had no idea the fish wouldn’t be able to breathe. I was only around six. I dropped it back into the water and left it lying on the bottom. I thought it was sleeping. Later, my mum’s friend rang and asked what I’d done as the fish had died. I told her I was only playing with it. She was upset – it was an old fish.

I steal something from every hotel I stay in. I never take towels or dressing gowns, but David does that. A telly, a bed – you name it, he’ll try to nick it. We always mess around in hotels. Recently, we were in Germany and spent the night in the bar making all the locals drink flaming Sambuca (very strong Italian booze) shots. They were well up for it. We’re always playing pranks, too. One night Josh was the only one in his room, so we called him and said there was a hen party in the bar. He spent ages having a shower and getting ready, and when he came downstairs we had our camcorders waiting for him.

I always manage to worm my way out of things. I remember when we all got these new desks at school – the caretakers were really proud of them until I did a big graffiti tag on one, and then stood back and let someone else take the blame for it. I felt really guilty because the guy they pointed the finger at was my mate and he didn’t know it was me. I used to blame my sister Natasha for things all the time. I’d tell mum when she did stuff, grass her up so she’d get grounded.

I did an advert once for WH Smith and nicked loads of stuff afterwards – pens, folders and notepads. Not sure if I was allowed, but I just stuffed them in my bag and walked out. Completely pointless really. I even nicked some crates of fizzy drinks the other day. We were being interviewed and I was told the drinks were free, but I didn’t know if I was supposed to take them or not so I just ran off with the crates.

“So there you have it – I’ve confessed all. You can decide whether I’m really bad or just a bit on the unlucky side. I’ll leave it totally up to you…”