Bell X-1 mark the spot

BELL X-1 have ended months of conjecture by signing an international deal with Island Records.

"The folk we've met from Island are good humans and we're making the record the way we want to," says singer Paul Noonan. "They also have a cool little studio in the basement of the Island building in London and P.J. Harvey's signed to them!

"We'll be recording and faffing and arguing until sometime in April, and probably won't be doing any gigs between now and then – but you never know!"

Following a pre-Christmas orgy of creativity, the Artists Formerly Known As Juniper now have over 20 songs stockpiled for the follow-up to the Neither Am I album.

"Some of them – 'Alphabet Soup', 'Boy Loves Girl', 'Rockridge', 'Real Palm Trees' – have been around for a while and others – 'Last Time Around', 'Ten Paces', 'Daybreak' – we've only started playing recently," Noonan continues. "We're excited by the last few, especially, 'cause they were born out of jams."