Irish Band Set To Become American High-Flyers?

By Joe Kavanagh

The US market has always had something of a love affair with Irish bands, a dynamic that differs from America's relationship with UK acts, which is possibly unsurprising given the deep well of sentimentality and goodwill that springs from Irish America.

Whether it was the Clancy brothers in the 60s, Van Morrison in the 70s, Enya in 80s, The Cranberries in the 90s, Snow Patrol in the noughties and U2 in virtually every decade in between, Irish bands have often found their way into the hearts of the American public in a manner that is rarely replicated by UK acts; perhaps because they are viewed as analogous to US culture, as opposed to their British counterparts, who are often seen as cultural competitors.

In recent times, lesser known names have continued this convention, with Flogging Molly, Glen Hansard and a host of others enjoying varying degrees of success, as they percolate just under the surface of mainstream public perception.

Given the considerable momentum they have gained in the run up to the release of their latest album, Bell X1 are currently primed to become the next name to join this illustrious Irish list, a list that ironically includes a ghost from their past that they have spent much of the past decade trying to exorcise.

The story of Bell X1 begins in a Kildare schoolyard, when Paul Noonan, Dominic Phillips and a singer known as Dodi, came together to form Juniper.

Joined a short time later by multi-instrumentalist, Dave Geraghty, the band's rare talent saw them snapped up by Polygram, who signed them to a six-album deal, and a pair of promising singles, coupled with their frantic live shows, soon saw them being talked about in almost mythical terms by the Irish media.

The wheels fell off the bandwagon in spectacular fashion just a short time later, however, when Dodi found he was unable cope with the pressures being exerted upon him and, fleeing to Italy, left his stunned colleagues without the band's main songwriter.

As many of you will know, Dodi was in fact, Damien Rice, and, after running through the range of erratic emotions that one might expect in such a radically altered situation, the remaining members decided to continue working on their debut album, with Noonan stepping out from behind the drum kit to become the band's singer and main songwriter.

The transformation became complete when they dropped their old name in favor of one inspired by the jet in which Chuck Yeagar first broke the speed of sound.

Despite fears over their future when Polygram was sold to the Universal/Island group, the band did finally get their debut album, Neither Am I, out in 2000, and subsequently watched it hit a respectable number 30 in the Irish charts.

With the benefit of hindsight, even they now admit that the album was a little disjointed, due to their lack of confidence as songwriters and the fact that they had yet to discover their true 'sound'.

Aimed solely at the Irish market, the band developed a huge grassroots following on the national level, as they played the length and breadth of the country, as they remained an almost uniquely Irish phenomenon.

It was not until the release of Music In Mouth, three years later, that they began to truly distinguish themselves, yet their success was somewhat unfairly measured against that of their former front man, whose debut album O, became a worldwide smash hit in the very same year.

It possibly didn't help that Rice's global hit single The Blower's Daughter, inspired more comparisons given Bell X1's choice of album title, which was inspired by a line from Austin Clarke's poem The Planter's Daughter, a line from which reads: 'And they say that her beauty was music in mouth.'

This confluence of events put the band under the microscope in a manner that most acts will mercifully never have to face, as hacks constantly drew comparisons between what were essentially apples and oranges.

Nonetheless, the record did provide some spirited highlights, particularly the superb Eve, The Apple Of My Eye, which saw the band first come to the attention of the US market, when it was used by the show, The OC, for a controversial scene that saw two characters enjoy a nationally debated lesbian kiss.

It also saw the band make their debut in overseas markets as the album was released in several European countries and the band took their act on the road outside Ireland for the first time.

In 2005 they returned with their most cohesive work to date, in the form of Flock, which saw them become a truly iconic act in Ireland.

Driven by tracks such as Flame and Rocky Took A Lover, the album wore a multitude of influences, went to number one in the national charts and saw them stand second only to U2 in terms of the biggest band on the island.

Despite such successes, tension arose between the band and their label when the album failed to live up to Island's expectations in overseas markets, leading to a break up in the relationship in 2007.

Island may have subsequently learned the prudence of patience however, in light of what transpired when US label, Yep Roc Records, gave Flock a US release in February of last year and the band also signed a management deal with the Intrigue Group.

In the ensuing months, they embarked on several American tours, saw their music featured on hit shows such as Grey's Anatomy and made multiple appearances on nationally syndicated talk shows such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

They even made national newswires in the US last March, when they were left with a $50,000 bill after their tour bus dramatically caught fire just outside Boston, although this was tempered by the fact that they made an appearance on the Letterman Show only two days later and saw many of the remaining dates on their tour sell out as a result their performance.

Given their US success, it was truly fitting that 2008 also provided a Hollywood ending to any lingering strife with Damien Rice, when the latter took them out as his support act for his European tour.

Despite such huge leaps forward, founding member, Brian Crosby left under entirely amicable circumstances last October, to pursue a career producing music and writing soundtracks for film and television.

From the doldrums associated with losing a major label deal, the band now stands primed to stake a legitimate claim in the US market, with the release of their latest work, Blue Lights On The Runway, which receives its American release in March.

While such expectations bring their own kind of pressure, the remaining members have certainly experienced enough of the business end of music to simply ignore the chatter and concentrate on the only thing that they have control over, reinforced with the quiet confidence of a band who have a verified track record of improving with every release.

They have already been road testing material in Ireland and through their MySpace site, showing off influences as diverse as Neil Young and Talking Heads, in addition to a sprinkling of electronica, which should only enhance their appeal further still. Bell X1 once claimed that they would rejoice when the time came that they would not have to answer another question regarding Damien Rice, but assuming that they manage to replicate his success in the US then one gets the distinct impression that this is one double-edged sword that they are now imminently more capable of contending with.