Bell X1 (band)

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Bell X1

Background information
Origin	Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland
Genre(s)	Rock
Years active	1999 – present
Label(s)	BellyUp Records
Associated acts	Juniper, Damien Rice, Neosupervital
Website	Bell X1 Official Website
Members
Paul Noonan Brian Crosby Dominic Philips David Geraghty

Bell X1 are an Irish rock band from North County Kildare in Ireland.

1 Members
2 Origins
3 Universal Island Records
4 After Island
5 BellyUp Records
6 Discography
7 Trivia
8 External links

Members

Vocalist Paul Noonan also plays guitar, percussion and kazoo. Paul plays drums on all of Bell X1's studio recordings. He has also been known to occasionally play drums live if a session drummer is not available. David Geraghty plays lead guitar, banjo, (electric) piano and does backing vocals and sometimes lead vocals. Dominic Philips plays bass guitar and does backing vocals. Brian Crosby plays guitar, keyboards and also does backing vocals. Tim O'Donovan plays drums.

Origins

Originally known as Juniper, the band became a quartet with the departure of lead vocalist Damien Rice and after a short break reformed themselves Bell X1. Drummer Paul Noonan became the band's new frontman. The move heralded a significant shift in the band's style as Noonan and guitarist Dave Geraghty's writing styles came to the fore. Also amongst the band's members are guitarist and keyboard player Brian Crosby and bassist Dominic Philips. Tim O' Donovan, who also fronts Neosupervital, drums for the band when they are on tour.

Universal Island Records

Juniper's original contract with Polygram Ireland was moved to the Universal Music Group with the buyout of Polygram in 1998 by Seagram. In the process, Seagram also acquired Island Records which had been purchased by Polygram in 1989. Bell X1's published music has been inconsistently labelled as published variously by Universal Ireland and Island records, with the latest two albums being marketed under the Island label. Bell X1 have released three albums to date; Neither Am I in 2000, Music in Mouth in 2003 and Flock which was released in 2005. Neither Am I was released only in Ireland and although it did not have a dramatic impact commercially the band did build up an incredibly devoted fanbase on the gig circuit, due in part perhaps to the popularity of Juniper. Their second album fared better, garnering greater fan acceptance and critical acclaim. The wider appeal of the band was also helped by the use of their song "Eve, the Apple of My Eye" in a contentious episode of The O.C., during a scene in which two of the female characters shared a lesbian kiss. Flock is the band's latest album, it was released in Ireland in 2005 and the UK in 2006. "Bigger Than Me" was the first single to be released from this album, though the single was only released in Ireland. It reached number 16 in the Irish Singles Chart and the album went to number 1 in Ireland a fortnight later. The response to the album in the UK has been more modest though a dedicated fanbase is rapidly building there. The band played at The Point in Dublin in December 2006, their largest headline show to date.

After Island

In February 2007, the band issued a statement to Phantom FM that Island had offered them a renewal of their contract to record a fourth album. The band declined and left the label stating that they intend to record a new album with an as yet unspecified party. This was later confirmed on Bell X1's official website [1]. The band embarked on a European tour with The Frames in mid February and with former Juniper singer Damien Rice in late March.

BellyUp Records

A live CD and DVD set called Tour de Flock was released on June 15th of 2007. The set was the band's first post-Island release. It was released on the band's own record label, BellyUp Records[2]. Two weeks later, the band played an outdoor gig at Malahide Castle in Dublin. Support was provided by Duke Special, Jape and Herman Düne. In July, Bell X1 played The Marquee in Cork, supported again by Duke Special.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Label	Other Information	Irish Chart Position
2000	Neither Am I	Universal Music Ireland	Produced by Nick Seymour, former bassist of Crowded House	30
2003	Music in Mouth	Universal Island Records	Produced by Jamie Cullum, of the British musical duo Elcho.	15
2005	Flock₁	Universal Island Records	Produced by Roger Bechirian	1

₁ Flock was released in the UK on March 20 2006.

Other

Year	Album	Label	Other Information	Irish Chart Position
2007	Tour De Flock	BellyUp Records	Recorded Live at The Point Depot in 2006	6

Singles

"Pinball Machine" (Irish release)
"Man on Mir" (Irish release)
"White Water Song"
"Tongue"
"Snakes and Snakes"
"Alphabet Soup" (Aborted after the promo release)
"Eve, the Apple of My Eye"
"Next to You" (Radio-only release)
"Bigger Than Me" (Irish-only release)
"Flame" (March 13 2006) UK #65
"Rocky Took a Lover" (August 28 2006)
"Bad Skin Day" (2007)

Other Releases

"The Perfect Height For Kicking" (EP). This four-track EP was released prior to the Irish release of Neither Am I, despite sharing its title with a lyric from the song "Rocky Took a Lover", found on their third album.
A promo EP, also titled "The Perfect Height For Kicking" was released during the promotional campaign for the Flock album. This EP has a different track list, and features songs from the Flock album.
The band performed a medley cover version of Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" and Kylie Minogue's "Slow" on the charity album Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2

Trivia

Bell X1's most recent single "Rocky Took a Lover", was released in Ireland on August 28 2006. Many Irish radio stations, including Today FM, had been playing the track since before the release of the previous single "Flame". Their cover of "Another Girl, Another Planet" was heard on the 2006 Vodafone Christmas TV commercial in the UK. It was later made available as a free download by the band for one day only.

External links

This box: • • edit Bell X1
Paul Noonan • David Geraghty • Dominic Philips • Brian Crosby •Tim O'Donovan
Discography
EPs: The Perfect Height For Kicking Studio Albums: Neither Am I • Music in Mouth • Flock Live Albums: Tour De Flock
Singles: "Pinball Machine" • "Man on Mir" • "White Water Song" • "Tongue" • "Snakes and Snakes • "Alphabet Soup" (aborted) "Eve, the Apple of My Eye" • "Bigger Than Me" • "Flame" • "Rocky Took a Lover"
Associated Acts
Damien Rice • Juniper • Neosupervital