In what has to rank as a major statement of belief in the band, NPR – an acronym for National Public Radio – is getting behind their new album in a way that is unprecedented, flying 85 listeners to Dublin for a special private gig on April 3 at the Guinness Storehouse. The event will be recorded live for broadcast in America, promising extended exposure to millions of listeners for the band.

The unique initiative is the brainchild of the legendary music extravaganza World Cafe, which is networked through a record number of NPR stations. World Cafe runs for two hours every week and features a broad range of contemporary indie, rock and roots formats. Its motto runs: "Presenting new and significant music and the artists who create it."

The show has been running since 1991 and originates in WXPN in Philadelphia. It is currently broadcast on 185 stations throughout the US. Host David Dye is credited as having provided crucial exposure to Damien Rice, when he made his Stateside breakthrough.

"We are big fans of NPR Stations and the World Cafe and very much looking forward to spending some time with them in Dublin," Bell X1 manager Foye Johnson told Hot Press, "David Dye has an extraordinary passion for music and always seems to be one step ahead. It is enormously encouraging that the staff at World Cafe are giving this kind of support to the band and the new record."

With the release of their new album Bloodless Coup imminent, Bell X1's latest single 'Velcro' has also been generating a buzz on a level not seen before, suggesting that the world is about to turn on to a band that Ireland has already fallen for.

So far, over fifteen stations in the US have added 'Velcro' to their playlists, even before it has been officially serviced to radio. Meanwhile Hot Press sources have confirmed that key European stations like Motor FM, Radio Eins, and Kink FM have also been playing the song.

"If they can build on that momentum," one industry insider told Hot Press, "then this could be by far Bell X1's biggest album to date."

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