Bell X1 (band)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bell X1 are an Irish rock band from
County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
. The group consists of Paul Noonan (lead vocals, guitar, percussion, keys), David Geraghty (guitar, vocals, keys, percussion, banjo, piano, harmonica) and Dominic Phillips (bass, vocals). They have performed on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
'' and their music also has appeared in popular drama series such as the TV series ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' and '' The O.C.'' Bell X1 are known for regular changes in sound from album to album, their range taking in alternative, indie, hard rock,
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
, acoustic, lo-fi,
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
, ballad, pop,
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
, new wave and
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
. They have been compared to The Blue Nile,
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
,
The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...
,
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
, U2, Animal Collective,
Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...
and
Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), Paul Webb (bass), and Simon Brenner (keyboards). Initially a synth-pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, '' The Party's Over'' (198 ...
.


History


Juniper

The trio began life as members of the
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...
, along with former Bell X1 member Brian Crosby and singer-songwriter
Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper (band), Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate succe ...
. The quintet had garnered a level of interest in the Irish music press and had built up a live following. In 1998, having signed a multi-album deal with PolyGram and releasing two top-20 singles, Rice quit the band just as Juniper were preparing to record their debut LP in France. With a body of songs already accumulated, the remaining four members decided to continue, with Noonan swapping drums for vocals and Paul "Binzer" Brennan coming in on percussion duties. The name Bell X1 was adopted after Noonan read
Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
's 1979 non-fiction book '' The Right Stuff'', in which the aircraft of the same name makes history by breaking the sound barrier.


''Neither Am I''

Juniper's original contract with Polygram Ireland was moved to Island Records UK, and the band released their debut LP, '' Neither Am I'', on 13 October 2000. It was preceded by the singles "Pinball Machine" and " Man on Mir", both of which would become live favourites. The album also featured two collaborations with Rice from the Juniper days, "Face" and "Volcano" (Rice would release his solo version of the latter on his 2002 debut album, '' O''). The album was produced by Nick Seymour of
Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...
in The Windings studio, Wales and mixed at
Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...
in London. It achieved gold sales in Ireland despite mixed reviews.


''Music in Mouth''

In late summer, 2001, the band decamped to
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
to write songs for what would be their second LP. They entered Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England in 2002 with producer Jamie Cullum and released '' Music In Mouth'' in July 2003 in Ireland and then the UK on Island. Singles released from the album included "Snakes & Snakes", "White Water Song", "Tongue", "Next To You", "Alphabet Soup" and " Eve, the Apple of My Eye", four of which went top-40 in the Irish charts. The album went double platinum in Ireland. Taking its title from a line in the poem "The Planter's Daughter" by Austin Clarke, the album received positive reviews and the band began to perform support slots with
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...
, Starsailor, Keane, Aqualung and Tom McRae. John Meagher of the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
'' named ''Music In Mouth'' the fourth-best Irish album of the 2000s and the 30th-best of all time, while
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
's Harry Guerin described it as a band "pushing themselves in different directions and coming up with a joy and sadness that prove as contagious as each other ..a band thinking outside the a, b, c of guitar rock". ''
Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a monthly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who cont ...
'' magazine described the record as "more unified, distinctive and cohesive" offering than ''Neither Am I'' that showcased the band's "multiple directions", while Entertainment.ie claimed that the album should see Bell X1 at the forefront of a new Dublin rock movement. Two tracks from the album, "In Every Sunflower" and "Eve, the Apple of My Eye", were used in the TV drama '' The O.C.'' The latter soundtracked a lesbian kiss between
Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn, , March 10, 1984) is an American actress and director. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' (2007–2012), and appeared ...
and Mischa Barton and was selected for inclusion on the compilation ''The OC Mix 4''. Looking to capitalise on this, the band played their first ever US shows in New York's Mercury Lounge and the Viper Room in Los Angeles in 2003. 2004 also saw Bell X1 open for former bandmate
Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper (band), Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate succe ...
on one of the singer-songwriter's New York dates.


''Flock''

Summer 2004 saw Bell X1 return to
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
on the South-east of Ireland to commence writing on what would become their third long-player, ''Flock''. Following a headline show in Dublin's Olympia Theatre in December 2004, the band entered Dublin's Westland Studios in early 2005 to record with producer Roger Bechirian and engineer Phil Hayes. In June of that year, the band recorded a live session for Nic Harcourt's
Morning Becomes Eclectic ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' (MBE) is an American three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill t ...
radio show on
KCRW KCRW (89.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is an NPR member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programming ...
in Los Angeles. " Bigger Than Me" was the first single to be taken from the album and went to No.16 in Ireland in September 2005. It was followed on 14 October by the release of ''Flock'' itself. It went straight to No.1 in the album charts in Ireland where it would go on to sell five-times platinum. The album was met with largely positive reviews. On Metacritic it holds a score of 72 out of 100. The ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' deemed that the record displayed the group's "musicality and charm", while RTÉ's Kate Moten described the album as "an accomplished collection from a clever and inventive band, whose talent deserves heapings of praise". Following a sold-out performance in Dublin's 5,000-capacity RDS Main Hall on 31 January 2006, the band released "Flame", which entered the Irish singles charts at No.12 that March. George Whyte of the ''Irish Independent'' reported that Bell X1 "received a more passionate welcome than anyone else" during their Main Stage appearance at
Oxegen Oxegen was a List of music festivals#Ireland, music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festiva ...
music festival that summer. The third and final single to be lifted from ''Flock'' was "Rocky Took A Lover", the song having become a highlight of the Bell X1’s live setlist. Both songs remain on heavy rotation on Irish radio to this day. ''Flock'' was subsequently released in Europe and the US in Spring 2008, the latter territory given a rejigged tracklist that incorporated " Eve, the Apple of My Eye" in order to springboard the band to wider attention stateside.


''Tour De Flock'' and departure of Brian Crosby

In February 2007, Bell X1 parted company with Island Records after the UK label's roster was affected by mergers and buyouts. Although Island offered the group a new deal after ''Flock'', Bell X1 opted to go independent and release records through their own BellyUp label. In June 2007, to coincide with becoming the first Irish act to headline Dublin's Malahide Castle, the group put out ''Tour de Flock'', a two-disc concert album and live DVD of Bell X1’s sold-out Point Theatre homecoming show the previous December. The band rounded off 2007 by playing the Other Voices festival. On 15 March 2008, while on tour in the US, the band's tour bus burst into flames outside their hotel in Medford, Massachusetts. Noonan and Geraghty were on board the vehicle alongside their manager and a friend. Fire fighters were called to the scene shortly after 3:30am and spent 90 minutes fighting the blaze which had caused an estimated $50,000 worth of damage. The band and crew were able to get all equipment and instruments off the vehicle undamaged. After sourcing a replacement vehicle, the band travelled to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
where they played a sell-out show in the
Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in Manhattan's Bowery neighborhood. The venue has enjoyed a fabled reputation among musicians as well as audiences. In 2013, industry insiders polled by ''Roll ...
, followed by a performance of "Rocky Took A Lover" on the
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
. Other North American television appearances during that Spring 2008 tour included MTV Canada,
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...
and
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
. Bell X1 would return to North America for a fourth time in 2008 as special guests of Canadian indie act
Stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...
on their September tour. Shortly afterwards, in October, founding member Brian Crosby announced that he was parting ways with the band to pursue a career as a producer and film composer. In a statement, Crosby said: "It's been an extraordinary privilege to be in a band with your mates for more than 15 years. I'm really grateful for everything I got to do with Bell X1, for all the adventures we had and for the great support of our fans. It's been particularly wonderful to have connected with so many people and to have got to meet people all over the world doing what I love. I look forward to continue making those connections. At the same time I'll be applauding the boys continued success." His final show with Bell X1 was the closing night of the ''Flock'' tour in October 2008.


''Blue Lights on the Runway''

Having undergone such significant changes, the band wanted to regroup after coming out of a "speed wobble". In late 2008, they decamped to Ballycumber House, Offaly in the midlands of Ireland for pre-production on what would be their fourth LP and their first studio release on their own independent label. Touring drummer Tim O'Donovan accompanied them as did engineer Phil Hayes. Noonan and Geraghty set out to write traditionally on guitar and piano and then "dress" the songs in beats and electronic flourishes. A digital guitar known as a Casio DG-20 was acquired prior to song-writing sessions for the album and Noonan attributes this to the album's "playful" and "goofy" nature. Self-produced by the band, ''Blue Lights On the Runway'' was recorded in Ballycumber House and mixed by Phil Hayes. Ahead of the LP hitting shelves, Bell X1 put out a lead single in the form of " The Great Defector" on 30 January 2009 (3 February in the US and UK). Peaking at No.3 in the Irish charts as well as going Top 10 in the US AAA Radio charts, the song remains the band's most enduring radio hit to this day. ''Blue Lights On the Runway'' was released in Ireland on 20 February 2009, and in the US on 3 March. It went straight to No.1 in the Irish album charts and went Top 20 stateside in the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart. The record received generally favourable reviews both sides of the Atlantic and holds a Metacritic aggregate rating of 73/100.
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
described the album as having "cold, wonderous Radiohead-esque moments within a warmer sound all their own" while NPR praised the record's "artfully constructed songs and offbeat lyrics".
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
described the album as "delicate", "expansive" and Bell X1’s best work to date. The album was nominated for the
Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to music from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. ...
that year. Within weeks of each other, the band had performed "The Great Defector" on two primetime late-night chat shows in both Ireland ('' Tubridy Tonight'') and the US (a return visit to '' The Late Show With David Letterman'').
Letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
hailed the song as "fantastic" afterwards. ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
'' journalist Eamon Sweeney described the song as "the best thing on the airwaves at the moment". "The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella", the second single to be taken from ''Blue Lights On The Runway'', was later released. With Marc Aubele replacing Crosby on keys and Rory Doyle on drums, the band toured heavily in promotion of the new record, with arena shows at Summer festivals in Europe including Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, Spain, Electric Picnic, Ireland and Live at The Marquee, Cork, Ireland. The band also supported U2 on the last show of their three-night residency in Dublin's
Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
. After some dates in the US at the end of the Summer – including the Austin City Limits Festival – the band returned to Ireland for two sell-out homecoming shows in Dublin's Olympia Theatre as well as a live session at Other Voices (broadcast in early 2010).


''Bloodless Coup''

In Summer 2010, the band went into a rehearsal room in preparation for recording their fifth studio album. Marc Aubele and Rory Doyle now completed the line-up, something the band has credited with making writing sessions more streamlined. '' Bloodless Coup'' was recorded in Grouse Lodge studios in Ireland with Rob Kirwan (
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
,
PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
, Hozier), a longtime friend of the band from the
Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...
days. It was recorded mostly live with some minimal
overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio Music track, tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto o ...
. Noonan's lyrics were once again a talking point of the new record. Members of the band had recently begun families while at the same time seeing friends losing their own parents, a theme touched upon in "Built To Last", "Nightwatchmen" and "74 swans". Songs like "Sugar High" as well as the very album title itself, meanwhile, saw Noonan reflect on the perversities and injustices of the harsh economic downturn that had recently hit Ireland. In his four-star review in the ''Irish Independent'', John Meagher praised Bell X1 for being one of the few bands to lyrically tackle the "turbulent, uncertain times". The album was released on 1 April 2011. Ahead of its release, Bell X1 released the track "Hey Anna Lena" on 18 January before an official single, "Velcro", on 1 March. The album received mixed reviews with a
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
score of 58/100 based on reviews from 5 critics. ''State'' called the LP "an emphatic return to form", commenting that the band sounded "rejuvenated". '' Entertainment.ie'' noted that it felt as if the band were "hungering for something new" on the record, and that they deserved kudos for "refusing to make music for anyone but themselves". The feeling was echoed by a review on ''Addict Music'' that felt the music on ''Bloodless Coup'' was "hinting at a new direction".
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
named ''Bloodless Coup'' its CD of The Week in a 5 star review, while the ''
Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...
'' gave the record an "A" grading, calling the songwriting and playing "superb". On 5 April, NPR recorded a special live concert by the group at Dublin's Guinness Storehouse before 27 May saw the band play a rooftop set at
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
's European HQ in Dublin in the presence of founder
Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born May 14, 1984) is an American businessman who co-founded the social media service Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms, of which he is the chairman, chief executive officer, and controlling sharehold ...
. Besides extensive touring in Europe and the US, Bell X1 played headline shows that year in Marlay Park, Galway Arts Festival and Cork's Live At The Marquee. The band added a date at Dublin's Olympia Theatre to their winter tour in order to stage a benefit concert for homeless charity Capuchin Day Centre. It was reported that the show raised €20,285 and that the centre received a further €225,000 due to the awareness raised.


''Field Recordings''

In early May 2012, Bell X1 announced that they would be releasing a two-disc collection of 21 live acoustic tracks and tour photographs entitled ''Field Recordings''. The audio-visual compendium was captured by the band's long-time engineer Phil Hayes, and taken from shows both in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
as well as
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
where the band had stripped their arrangements down to guitars, piano and an
iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...
. The release, which featured tracks from across their entire catalogue, was only made available via the group's webstore. ''Hot Press'' magazine praised the album, calling it "an essential purchase for both fans and newcomers alike… It reminds you once again just what a great songwriter Paul Noonan is, with his carefully crafted miniatures about love and life." Like ''Hot Press'', ''State'' awarded it four stars, calling it "a keeper for die-hard fans and a great introduction for the new ones".


''Chop Chop''

Summer of 2012 saw Bell X1 convene in Geraghty's home studio to demo a new batch of songs for what would become the group's sixth studio LP. Unlike '' Bloodless Coup'', there was no overarching thematic thread to Noonan's lyrics this time but the song "A Thousand Little Downers" did touch on some of the social commentary themes found in the previous record. On 8 January 2013,
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
reported that the band had begun work on a new album at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut with producer
Peter Katis Peter Katis is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, audio engineer, mixer, and musician. Katis is best known for working with alternative and indie rock bands. He works primarily out of his own residential studio, Tarquin Studios, ...
( The National) and composer and producer Thomas Bartlett ( The Gloaming,
Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...
, Martha Wainwright). The trio found themselves energised by the approach of Katis and Bartlett, resulting in a recording process that took just two weeks. ''Chop Chop'' was released on 28 June 2013 and premiered at a sell-out date at Dublin's
National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...
the following night. It became the third Bell X1 LP to enter the Irish charts at No.1 and is among the best reviewed studio album releases in the band's career, holding a 76/100 score on review aggregation website Metacritic, based on reviews from 7 critics. Writing in ''Mojo'', James McNair praised the record's "zest and focus", while the '' Independent on Sunday'' deemed it "Funny, sad, perfect". ''Q Magazine'' gave the album three stars, conceding that "the more you ignore Bell X1, it seems, the better they get". Back in Ireland, music journalist Tony Clayton Lea, reviewing in the ''Irish Times'', said ''Chop Chop'' was the best album of Bell X1’s career to date. ''Hot Press'' magazine said that the band's back-to-basics approach on the new record had yielded "powerful results". It was the fourth Bell X1 album to be nominated for the
Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to music from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. ...
for album of the year. To connect with their audience while promoting the release in Ireland, the band opened "Pop-up shops" at 10 different venues on the tour where fans could access vouchers to attend special acoustic sets. There was a special promotional
chopping board Chopping may refer to: * Chopping (astronomy), an instrumental technique to remove the background * Chopping (sampling technique), a hip-hop sampling method. * Chopping (violin), rapid tapping with the bow, used in jazz * Chopping the blinds, in po ...
issued to launch the album. The band toured the new record extensively both in Europe and North America, as well as embarking on their first ever tour of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in summer 2014. In 2015, Bell X1 supported
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
on both nights at massive
Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
Shows in Dublin.


''Arms''

While ''Chop Chop'' took two weeks to record, making a follow-up record would take two years. In late 2014/early 2015, the band assembled in Geraghty's home studio once more to write and demo new material before relocating to the Donegal studio of producer Tommy McLaughlin ( Villagers, Soak) to record. The trio, however, were not satisfied with the overall shape of the record and road testing the material on live dates revealed that some tracks needed to be re-approached. The original release date of summer 2015 was scrapped. Seeking to make something "looser" in structure and more "unhinged" to their previous records, the band chose not to record to a
click track A click track is a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings, sometimes for synchronization to a Film, moving image. The click track originated in early sound movies, where optical marks were made on the film to indicate precise ...
for a lot of the songs, believing that the irregular tempos and imperfections would have more resonance with listeners. It would be 14 October 2016 before ''Arms'', Bell X1’s seventh album, would be released and enter the Irish album charts at No.2. The album received universal acclaim and holds a Metascore of 81/100 on the music aggregate site
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. Talia Schlangar of NPR called the record "bright, thoughtful and gracefully rough around the edges…". Mojo said ''Arms'' was "a humane and typically eclectic affair with winning flashes of eccentricity". The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Hozier, meanwhile, described lead single "The Upswing" as "new beautiful greatness". Some commentators picked up on a sense of solace and ease in Noonan's lyrics, with Brynn Davies of ''The Music'' commenting that the album was "elegantly melancholy, reflecting the determination, optimism and bittersweet musings of a band finding wisdom in the next stages of their lives and careers". In its review of the album, ''Hot Press'' magazine noted that "The Upswing" (released as single four months ahead of ''Arms'') was "Bell X1 at their melancholic moodiest, but still optimistic and hopeful", while "I'll Go Where You Go" was addressing the concerns of being a touring musician and parent at the same time. The band returned to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in December 2016 for a three-date mini-tour before bringing ''Arms'' to the US for a string of live shows in February 2017. Following a headline outdoor show in Dublin's Trinity College in July, the band embarked on a 20-date European tour supporting
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
.


20th Anniversary shows

In 2018, Bell X1 played a series of gigs marking their 20th anniversary across
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. This included a five-night residency in Dublin's Vicar Street 21–25 March 2018, with the first three nights featuring a classic album played in full – '' Neither Am I'', '' Music In Mouth'' and ''Flock'' – and the final two comprising a greatest hits set and an acoustic evening, respectively. All five nights quickly sold out. There were also greatest hits shows in both King John's Castle,
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
in May and Live At The Marquee, Cork in June of the same year. In August 2018, the band concluded their "Bandiversary year" with two shows at Dublin's
National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...
on 28 and 29 November. The shows featured string accompaniment from Dowry Strings (Éna Brennan), with whom Bell X1 had performed earlier in the year at an event in aid of Aware. In 2019, they played two January dates in the band's beloved Union Chapel in London, one of which sold out immediately. Following this, the group embarked on a nine-date February tour of Ireland which, like the November shows, would be "Acoustic-ish" performances with Dowry Strings again providing accompaniment. They played a headline outdoor show at King John's Castle in July 2019 in the full-band format, as well as a major date at the Galway Arts Festival. The Acoustic-ish with Dowry Strings Tour 2020 dates were released in November 2019 for the following summer across Ireland and the UK but were postponed due to COVID-19. In May 2020, Bell X1 announced the rescheduled tour dates from January 2021 for the gigs on their official website.


Lyrics and style

Noonan's lyrical style has been described as being confessional, occasionally bemusing, and incorporating
aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
s and
colloquialism Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...
s. Thematically, he is known to cover a wide variety of subject matter. The unconventional nature of Noonan's lyrics is regarded as a signature feature of Bell X1's music. Noonan has also said in the past that most Bell X1 songs are lyrically driven during development stage rather than musically driven. Although the group has never categorised themselves as "Irish rock", lyrically Noonan has often woven in elements from everyday Irish life into songs, from the changing economic fortunes of Ireland during the
Celtic Tiger The "Celtic Tiger" () is a term referring to the economy of the Republic of Ireland, economy of Ireland from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, a period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment. The boom was dampened by ...
era and subsequent
recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction that occurs when there is a period of broad decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be tr ...
, to a popular Irish ice-cream known as a Cornetto. Noonan has also expressed a growing interest in prose writing. The singer revealed that he has written some short stories. He has described himself as a big fan of the Irish writer John McGahern. The
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
has described Bell X1's music as "remarkably warm — as if imported from the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
via Dublin City".


Side projects and solo work

David Geraghty has released two solo albums under his own name. His solo debut, ''Kill Your Darlings'', was nominated for the 2007 Choice Music Prize for Album of the Year. More recently, Geraghty has composed music for film and television, including the Oscar-nominated short ''The Crush'', and ''You're Ugly Too'', which was selected for the 2015 Berlinale. He has a website for this film score work here
davidgeraghtymusic
Since 2014, David has been releasing music under the Monike
Join Me in the Pines
2014 saw the release of "Inherit" and in 2019 "Monomania" was released. Over the years, Paul Noonan has appeared on a number of side projects and as a guest musician (usually percussion and vocals) for fellow artists such as Cathy Davey and Gemma Hayes. Since 2011, Noonan has curated a solo project called Printer Clips which took the form of collaborations on original material with a range of female artists. In May 2014, a self-titled debut album was released featuring collaborations with Joan As Policewoman, Martha Wainwright, Gemma Hayes, Amy Millan, Julia Stone, Lisa Hannigan, Danielle Harrison, Cathy Davey, Maria Doyle Kennedy and fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. In July 2017, Noonan announced solo dates across Ireland performing new material as well as songs from Bell X1 and Printer Clips. The band and individual members have been involved in several charitable endeavours, including the recording of '' The Cake Sale'', a collaborative compilation spearheaded by former Bell X1 founding member Brian Crosby. David Geraghty wrote the opening track "Last Leaf", which was sung by Lisa Hannigan. This song also features on Geraghty's debut solo album but under the title "Long Time Running". Another song from the Cake Sake – "Some Surprise", features Noonan and Lisa Hannigan – and it appeared on an episode of ''
Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' in November 2007. Bell X1 also contributed a track called "No Retreat, No Surrender" to the Sparks n' Mind charity compilation in aid of the Irish group Aware.


Members


Current

* Paul Noonan – vocals; guitar; drums; percussion;
kazoo The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a ''buzzing'' timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (itself a membranophone), one of a class of instruments that modify the player's v ...
* David Geraghty – vocals: guitar; drums: banjo; piano; keyboards: harmonica * Dominic Philips – bass guitar; vocals


Live

* Bill Blackmore – horns * Marc Aubele – guitar; keyboards (2008–present) * Rory Doyle – drums (2008–present) * Glenn Keating – keyboards (2014–present)


Former

* Brian Crosby – guitar; keyboards; vocals (1999–2008) * Tim O'Donovan – drums


Discography

* '' Neither Am I'' (2000) * '' Music in Mouth'' (2003) * '' Flock'' (2005) * '' Tour De Flock'' (2007) * '' Blue Lights on the Runway'' (2009) * '' Bloodless Coup'' (2011) * ''Field Recordings'' (2012) * '' Chop Chop'' (2013) * ''
Arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...
'' (2016) * '' Merciful Hour '' (2023)


Awards


Choice Music Prize

Bell X1's third album ''Flock'' was nominated for the 2005
Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to music from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. ...
. Although considered the favourite, it did not emerge as the winner on the night, with Julie Feeney's ''13 Songs'' taking the award. Fourth album '' Blue Lights on the Runway'' was nominated for the 2009 Choice Music Prize. It lost out to ''The Season of the Sparks'' by Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley. '' Bloodless Coup'', Bell X1's fifth LP, was nominated for the 2011 prize, but was a runner-up to ''Ocean of Frequency'' by Jape. "Chop Chop" was nominated for the 2013 Choice Music Prize, the eventual prize for Album of the Year going to Villagers for '' Awayland''. Villagers were a support act for Bell X1 on their 2009 UK tour. , - , 2006 , , '' Flock'' , , Irish Album of the Year 2005 , , , - , 2010 , , '' Blue Lights on the Runway'' , , Irish Album of the Year 2009 , , , - , 2012 , , '' Bloodless Coup'' , , Irish Album of the Year 2011 , , , - , 2014 , , '' Chop Chop'' , , Irish Album of the Year 2013 , ,


Meteor Music Awards

Bell X1 have been nominated for several Meteor Music Awards. They were nominated in the Best Irish Band category and ''Music in Mouth'' was nominated in the Best Irish Album category at the 2004 Meteor Awards. They were again nominated in the Best Irish Band category at the 2005 Meteor Awards. They were nominated in three categories at the 2010 Meteor Awards: Best Irish Album, Best Irish Band and Best Irish Live Performance. In addition, the band have performed at the 2005 Meteor Awards on 24 February 2005 and at the 2006 Meteor Awards on 2 February 2006. , - ,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, , '' Music in Mouth'' , , Best Irish Album , , , - , 2004 , , Bell X1 , , Best Irish Band , , , - ,
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, , Bell X1 , , Best Irish Band , , , - ,
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, , '' Blue Lights on the Runway'' , , Best Irish Album , , , - , 2010 , , Bell X1 , , Best Irish Band , , , - , 2010 , , Bell X1 , , Best Irish Live Performance , , , -


Further reading

*


References


External links

*
Bell X1
on '' Other Voices''
Recorded interview of Bell X1 at NPR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell X1 Irish rock music groups Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups from County Kildare 1999 establishments in Ireland 1990s in Irish music 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music