Bell X1 are an Irish rock band from County Kildare. 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 and their music also has appeared in popular drama series such as the TV series Grey's Anatomy 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, acoustic, lo-fi, folk rock, ballad, pop, synth-pop, new wave and electronica. They have been compared to The Blue Nile, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Coldplay, U2, Animal Collective, Elbow and Talk Talk.

History

Juniper

The trio began life as members of the alternative rock band Juniper, along with former Bell X1 member Brian Crosby and singer-songwriter Damien Rice. 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'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 in The Windings studio, Wales and mixed at Mute Records in London. It achieved gold sales in Ireland despite mixed reviews.

Music in Mouth

In late summer, 2001, the band decamped to Wexford 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, Starsailor, Keane, Aqualung and Tom McRae.

John Meagher of the Irish Independent named Music In Mouth the fourth-best Irish album of the 2000s and the 30th-best of all time, while RTÉ'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 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 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 on one of the singer-songwriter's New York dates.

Flock

Summer 2004 saw Bell X1 return to Wexford 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 radio show on KCRW 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 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 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 where they played a sell-out show in the Bowery Ballroom, followed by a performance of "Rocky Took A Lover" on the Late Show with David Letterman. Other North American television appearances during that Spring 2008 tour included MTV Canada, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Bell X1 would return to North America for a fourth time in 2008 as special guests of Canadian indie act Stars 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 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 described the album as "delicate", "expansive" and Bell X1’s best work to date. The album was nominated for the Choice Music Prize 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 hailed the song as "fantastic" afterwards. Irish Independent 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. 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, PJ Harvey, Hozier), a longtime friend of the band from the Juniper days. It was recorded mostly live with some minimal overdubbing.