The X1 factor
With the release of their acclaimed third album Flock, which went straight to No.1 in Ireland, Bell X1 have staked their claim not just to greatness, but also to potential world domination – a possibility which is reinforced considerably by their powerful showing in the Hot Press Readers’ Poll. Here, in an emotional and revealing interview, the band’s photogenic frontman Paul Noonan discusses life, art, love, death... and music.
Joe Jackson, 06 Feb 2006
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Joe Jackson
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The band also have dates in Cork and Dublin this summer in support of their new album out this June...
2013-03-04 - News
The Irish rockers this morning uploaded a new song to their Soundcloud page...
2013-02-14 - News
The lads are currently Stateside recording their sixth studio album...
2013-01-08 - News
Ahead of Bell X1's Music Show slot, their singer talks side projects.
2012-02-20 - News
Easing you into the weekend with The National, Bell X1, Pet Shop Boys, Weezer, Ellie Goulding, Tinchy Stryder and many more...
2011-11-04 - News
The two acts will be playing six dates around the country.
2011-10-12 - News
Watch now the fan-made video for '4 Minute Mile' that pleasantly surprised Bell X1.
2011-09-12 - News
Bell X1 paid a house call to superfan Sinéad Loughman in order to find out what the hell that cryptic cabbage business was all about. Read on...
2011-05-16 - Interview
Villagers, Bell X1 and Ziggy Marley headline each respective night!
2011-05-13 - News
Gig will be broadcast around the world on the band's official Facebook page
2011-05-10 - News
Sinead Loughman from Maynooth was the lucky lady in question...
2011-04-27 - News
What do Q-Tip, UNKLE, U2, PJ Harvey and Depeche Mode have in common? They’ve all at some point been an influence on Paul Noonan and Dave Geraghty who sit down with Peter Murphy to talk about musical heroes, the evolution of their own chart-conquering career and how they learned to embrace the Gary Numan within on their new album, Bloodless Coup. Plus, find out courtesy of our exclusive Hot Press competition how you can lure the Bellies to your living-room for a private gig.
2011-04-19 - Interview
You can listen to the entire album ahead of its April 1 release
2011-03-30 - News
Check out the boys at HMV on Bloodless Coup release day
2011-03-28 - News
Tell us which of the band's songs is your favourite, and they could be serenading you in your own home!
2011-03-24 - News
Ireland's Bell X1 have scored an international first with the most influential radio network in the US
2011-03-18 - News
Bell X1 has released a new video for their single 'Velcro' and you're bound to get stuck on it. 'Velcro' will be on Bell X1's new album Bloodless Coup soon to be released on April 1.
2011-03-16 - News
Bloodless Coup could be the first record to include a paen to Cypriot cheese!
2011-02-04 - News
It's made up of studio footage from the Grouse Lodge recording of 'Hey Anna Lena'
2011-01-26 - News
Bloodless Coup will be with us on April 1.
2010-12-09 - News
Stripped back to their bare bones for this acoustic show at Vicar St., Bell X1’s songs wear their raw emotional quality with pride.
2010-11-22 - REVIEW
The Kildare band got the full tour, though Obama was away
2010-10-19 - News
He's also been rubbing shoulders with heavy metal royalty in LA!
2010-03-04 - News
They're jetting out to L.A. in March
2010-01-21 - News
You can also find some new Electric Picnic '09 footage on their YouTube channel.
2010-01-19 - News
Here's a full list of all nominees and categories for the 2010 Meteor Ireland Music Awards
2010-01-07 - News
The bands, who are featured in the 2fm DJ's new book In Bloom - Irish Bands Now, will be joining her to celebrate the book's launch at Tower Records.
2009-11-26 - News
Possibly referring to a certain Hot Press cover, Noonan assures us that he’s a strong confident woman before singing the slow-release ‘A Better Band’
2009-07-06 - REVIEW
Paul Noonan & Co. tell Vicar Street of their festival plans.
2009-04-14 - News
It was inflight double entendres all round as Bell X1 donned cabin crew attire for a special Hot Press photoshoot. When not showing an unhealthy interest in women’s clothes and fancy Raybans, they talked about their chart-topping new album Blue Lights On The Runway, their imminent breakthrough in the US and freezing their arses off on The Late Show with Dave Letterman
2009-03-24 - Interview
Things are really hotting up for Bell X1. The Great Defector went to number 1 in the airplay charts last week, while their number 1 album Blue Lights On The Runway is still flying high.
2009-03-11 - News
And then there were three. Slimmed down Bell X-ers stretch on fourth album
2009-02-26 - REVIEW
Thirty lucky fans were treated to a special acoustic Bell X1 show in the intimate surroundings of Bewley's Cafe Theatre in Dublin on Sunday. **NOW UPDATED with photos!
2009-02-24 - News
Their Vicar St. run has been extended to three nights.
2009-02-20 - News
Hot Press are offering fans a chance to be at a top secret acoustic show ahead of the band's upcoming tour. But get moving, the closing date's tomorrow!
2009-02-19 - News
Get your hands on tickets to an exclusive Bell X1 gig, plus, your chance to tell the boys which song you'd like to hear!
2009-02-12 - News
Hotpress.com is delighted to bring you this pre-release goo at the artwork for Bell X1’s Blue Lights On The Runway album, which makes it into the shops here on February 20.
2009-01-29 - News
BellX1 have announced a run round Ireland in support of their Blue Lights On The Runway album, which is due on February 20 and is preceded by the lead single, ‘The Great Defector’.
2009-01-14 - News
The Bell X1 lads plan to release their 4th record in late February, with a new track available now on their MySpace.
2009-01-07 - News
Bell X1 have announced that Brian Crosby will be leaving the band following their October 19 Flock tour finale at the Panorama Festival in the Lebanon.
2008-10-02 - News
Following an extensive US tour, Bell X1 have announced their Irish live return at Vicar St. this November, with a new date just added.
2008-09-02 - News
Hot Press joins the lads of Bell X1 on the road in America - land of David Letterman and flaming tour buses.
2008-04-15 - Interview
Bell X1, fresh from their US success, have revealed that they’ve already written a dozen tracks for their much-anticipated fourth album.
2008-04-08 - News
Bell X1 had a narrow escape on Saturday March 15 when their tour bus caught fire outside the Medford, Massachusetts hotel they were staying in.
2008-03-17 - News
Today marks the Stateside release of Bell X1's Flock album, which has received a rake of positive reviews.
2008-02-19 - News
Bell X1 are about to embark on a North American tour, but first they plan on stopping by London's King's College for their first UK date of the year.
2008-02-05 - News
Bell X1's Paul Noonan is to present tomorrow night's Pet Sounds on Today FM.
2007-08-21 - News
From their opening song, Bell X1 are all gloriously triumphant. Their demeanour is relaxed, entertaining, and above all, slick.
2007-07-13 - REVIEW
On the eve of the release of Tour De Flock, BellX1’s live album and DVD from Dublin’s Point Theatre, Paul Noonan, Brian Crosby and Dominic Phillips answer the weird and wonderful questions of hotpress readers, from the swimming habits of monkeys to ripping the gusset of your pants on stage.
2007-06-26 - Interview
What’s most striking about Tour De Flock is how unpopulist Bell X1 are. This is not a live album filled with huge, chest-beating anthems, but it works instead on a more intimate scale.
2007-06-22 - REVIEW
Here's your chance to quiz Dublin's finest, Bell X1, and win a fine prize while you're at it.
2007-05-29 - News
The HP Newsdesk is delighted to bring you this exclusive first peek at the Bell X1 2-disc live album and DVD package.
2007-05-02 - News
There’s been more reaction from BellX1 to their departure from Island Records and its parent company, Universal Music.
2007-02-12 - News
After much industry speculation, it’s been confirmed that BellX1 have parted company with Island and its parent company, Universal Records.
2007-02-11 - News
Their transition from traditional ‘indie’ beginnings to a more lavish, gothic sound suggests a development that, for my money, has never been backed up by a commensurate break-through in terms of songwriting. Or maybe I’ve been missing something...
2007-01-12 - REVIEW
While the majority recover over the excesses of the festive period, Dublin foursome are already planning their summer exploits.
2007-01-02 - News
All roads lead to Belfast this month as the city hosts belFEST 2006, a veritable orgy of live music that runs from November 16 to December 3.
2006-11-07 - News
BellX1’s cross-channel profile is set to receive a major boost with their version of The Only Ones’ ‘Another Girl Another Planet’ soundtracking Vodafone’s Christmas TV advertising campaign.
2006-11-03 - News
In order to further understand the African AIDS crisis, Bell X1, ardent supporters of Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign, travelled to Tanzania for eight days this month.
2006-08-24 - Interview
A radio favourite since January, the delay in releasing ‘Rocky’ can be attributed to a desire to similarly see it take off across the pond. A story of lush melodies, chiming instrumentation and Paul Noonan’s bittersweet lyrics, ‘Rocky’ will probably be most of interest to Irish fans for its b-sides. Amongst them lies a sparse acoustic reworking of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’ that should prove a live favourite on their forthcoming November tour.
2006-08-02 - REVIEW
The line-up has been confirmed for Live Revolution ’06, a week-long musical blowout that takes place next month in Lisburn’s Island Arts Centre.
2006-07-19 - News
Timed perfectly for their newly acquired fans from Oxegen, BellX1 have announced a winter tour.
2006-07-10 - News
The Dubliners have announced a new single from their number one album Flock.
2006-06-26 - News
BellX1 have given one of the tracks from their Flock album to Oxfam as a free download to publicise the charity’s ‘Generation Why’ arms control initiative.
2006-04-26 - News
You wouldn't have thought that Paul Noonan and Brian Crosby would have time for extra-cirricular activities, but they've been dabbling in theatre.
2006-03-10 - News
This is one of the finer moments from Bell X1’s patchy and somewhat overrated Flock LP. Anyone with even half an ear cocked to radio will be well aware of this infectious sing-a-long from the X1 boys. A proven favourite on the airwaves, the group’s collective ears will be firmly tuned to see if UK disc jocks show a similar penchant for ‘Flame’s shouty chorus and chiming guitar lines. Irish fans however will be more interested in a live version of the track, due to be made available on the group’s website in the coming weeks.
2006-03-03 - REVIEW
Bell X1 at the RDS? It would have seemed unthinkable a few years back, but 2005 was a good year for the group – one in which they took steps to ensure that they will be remembered as more than just Damien Rice’s old playmates.
2006-02-09 - REVIEW
The Choice Music Prize - Irish Album of the Year 2005 shortlist was announced today, with BellX1, Turn and The Chalets all in the running.
2006-01-11 - News
The audience know they mean business. ‘Reacharound’, a born opener, kicks off the set and after that there’s no fag breaks for an hour and a half.
2005-11-03 - REVIEW
BellX1 fans unable to lay their hands on tickets for their current dates will be mighty pleased to learn that they'll soon be returning to the live scene for a one-off date at the RDS Arena in Dublin.
2005-10-18 - News
Its real beauty comes when the effort is made to tunnel further down. The songs you were tempted to skip first become familiar, then recognisable, then at a point only hindsight will reveal, become shining examples of subtle magnificence, however much you’re loath to admit a change of heart.
2005-10-17 - REVIEW
Those of us who always suspected Bell X1 of the denatured blandness that typified the genre they skirt will find in ‘Bigger Than Me’ a large, layered soft pop track that is cheerfully mordant, with more than a hint of Liam O’Maonlai. In ‘Still Selling Shoes’ we get neatly itemised observations of the mundane roles enjoyed by now legendary or indeed notorious Irish performers. Not many would shoehorn (ahem) Rory Gallagher and Ronan Keating into a song, and fewer still could make it work.
2005-10-04 - REVIEW
Resourceful as ever, the Hot Press Covert Operations Team has managed to, er, obtain a pre-release copy of the new BellX1 album, Flock.
2005-09-20 - News
The long-awaited follow-up to the phenomenal Music In Mouth is nearly upon us, and just to build up the tension a little more, you can get a sneaky peek at the cover right here...
2005-09-14 - News
The hotly-anticipated return of OC faves BellX1 draws nearer as they announce an extensive tour of Ireland and and shelf date for their new album.
2005-08-23 - News
Currently on tour in the US, BellX1 have made a considerable impression on LA radio listeners
2005-06-23 - News
Expectations for new material are, understandably, quite high, both from long term fans of the band and the ever-broadening circle of new admirers, Indeed, the days of Bell X1 filling medium size stages could well be numbered – as it is, tonight’s stage can barely hold the band’s enthusiasm and confidence.
2005-05-05 - REVIEW
Paul Noonan takes a night off Bell X1 duties with a special guest appearance at Dublin's Sugar Club next month
2005-03-24 - News
What's in a name? Bell X1 have revealed the title of their work-in-progress...
2005-03-01 - News
Hot Press visited BellX1 in their city-centre studio, where the group are working on the follow-up to Music In Mouth. “There’s been a lot less fuck-acting this time around,” they tell John Walshe. Photo: Liam Sweeney
2005-02-22 - Interview
With their new album set for summer release, BellX1 have scheduled in an April tour of Ireland
2005-02-09 - News
With a successful debut album- Music in Mouth- behind them, Bell X 1 are embarking on an Irish tour for September & October.
2004-09-09 - News
Noonan and co. have penned in a hometown show at Vicar St. this October
2004-08-26 - News
Bell X1’s transformation into one of the big bands is already in process, with only an all-conquering run of festival appearances left to complete the picture..
2004-06-01 - REVIEW
BellX1 have scored something of a coup by landing the "special guest" slot on Keane's upcoming UK tour.
2004-03-18 - News
It’s all back to the BellX1 frontman’s place for a root through his back pages.
2004-02-10 - Interview
BellX1 and The Frames will do what they do best at January's Eurosonic Festival in Holland
2003-11-21 - News
It's non-stop gigging for the BellX1 crew, who have announced eight dates around the country
2003-10-23 - News
Quite probably the next of the ‘should have made it big’ brigade to make it big.
2003-10-08 - REVIEW
Music In Mouth is a more unified, distinctive and cohesive record that showcases the band’s multiple directions, adding further conviction to the depths of epic balladeering on ‘Eve, The Apple Of My Eye’, the quirky pop of ‘Next To You’ or the manic rock of ‘White Water Song
2003-07-17 - REVIEW
Here's the lowdown on new Bell X-1 album Music In Mouth - and the cover art as well. Taste for yourself
2003-06-30 - News
Bell X1’s debut album displays a touching uncertainty. Apart from the robust vanguard of ‘Pinball Machine’ and the confident swish of ‘Man On Mir,’ Neither Am I has a preponderance of translucent ballads. Most of these, while genuinely lovely, are not as striking as they might be, due to the distant, dreamy production style.
2000-10-26 - REVIEW
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