Bell X1 Live at the Marquee

Bell X1 start slow and stay that way. ‘How Your Heart Is Wired’, ‘Bad Skin Day’, and ‘Next To You’ are classic examples of what frontman Paul Noonan calls “girly new man soft rock”. The understated ‘Next To You’ is a bit lost in the vast venue, although the delivery is pristine.
Twenty four hours after the death of Michael Jackson, a musical homage is inevitable and the band duly bash out a reverent cover of ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’. Later, ‘Man On Mir’ segues effortlessly ‘Man In The Mirror’.
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’ – the song culminates in a blizzard of heavy guitars from Dave Geraghty. The kinetics continue as they close with an explosive ‘Great Defector’ and a brilliant ‘Flame’. All in all, something of a thriller.