Under the ribs of a broken umbrella

A chat with Dave Geraghty from Bell X1

Interview
Owen Sweeney

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of experiencing a Bell X1 live show will understand how significant the band’s addition to this year’s Westport Festival of Music and Food really is.

For almost 15 years, Bell X1 has been on an epic journey that has seen the release of six studio albums, as well as Choice Music Award nominations, appearances on US chat show The Late Show with David Letterman, a song being featured in the hit TV show The OC and an ever-growing fan-base that extends far beyond the Irish shores.

From the perspective of Irish fans, the band’s roadmap can be tracked from the release of the ‘Neither am I’ LP in 2000 and appearances at All Ages gigs in the Temple Bar Music Centre (now The Button Factory) to the much adored ‘Music in Mouth’ album three years later, which brought with it headline events in such venues as the Olympia Theatre as well as Late Late Show appearances.
Backed by Universal’s Island Records, the band re-emerged in 2005 with ‘Flock’ which hit number one in Ireland and elevated Bell X1 to such notoriety that they sold out a night at The Point theatre – a gig that later spawned 2007’s live album, ‘Tour de Flock’.

Now, free from a major label, the hardworking Irish trio of Paul Noonan (lead vocals, guitar, drums), Dave Geraghty (lead guitar, vocals) and Dominic Philips (bass, vocals) have had three studio albums independently released under their own Belly Up label – ‘Blue Lights on the Runway’, ‘Bloodless Coup’ and ‘Chop Chop’ – all of which have charted successfully in Ireland.
With Bell X1 achieving success well before the days of social media, Dave Geraghty is thankful that the band was established before listeners in Ireland and all over the world were exposed to an overwhelming number of acts via the internet.

“We feel very lucky that we have covered the ground that we have. We are lucky as well because when we released ‘Flock’… well ‘Music in Mouth’ was the first album that was getting radio play, certain stations really jumped on board, gave us a leg up and really supported us,” explains Dave.

“We were lucky that at the time we were signed to a major label that allowed us to reach a certain amount of fans, and thankfully those fans have stayed with us over the years. We do feel very lucky when we put a gig on sale or a tour, or announce a tour, and there are Belly fans out there that have stuck with us over the years. It’s a lot more accessible because of the internet, what’s left of the music industry, the way it is structured, but it’s also very daunting because everyone and their mother are in bands … it used to be more contained … but now it’s one big melting pot.”
In recent years, fans in Ireland, Europe and the US have encountered the band through a series of almost acoustic gigs in intimate venues. The stripped-down performances saw the trio performing without extended band members Marc Aubele and Rory Doyle in an art form dubbed by the band’s management as ‘Chubby acoustic’.
“It seemed to go down really well with the Bell X1 fans … It was largely what inspired the sparse nature of Chop Chop,” says Dave. Material from the long run of intimate shows later formed the popular almost unplugged, live album ‘Field Recordings’.

What to expect at Westport Fest 2014

Bolstered by a sizeable back catalogue of hits, Bell X1 will bring a six-piece show to the grounds of Westport House featuring Marc and Rory, and Bill Blackmore on brass.
Knowing what songs the audience wants to hear on the night and what songs the band wishes to feature are not two lines that always run parallel. The success of songs such as ‘Eve the Apple of My Eye’, almost give them mandatory listings on the set list, in order to keep the fans happy.
“‘Eve’ would definitely be one of those. It’s great to play the songs that people want to hear, and it’s great to have songs that people want to hear. But sometimes it can be a chore to play them, because everyone in the band has different ideas of who and what the band is now and what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Sometimes it’s the songs that got you to where you are that are the songs that are not representative of who you are now. It can feel like [being] a wolf in sheep’s clothing, when you are playing these songs.”
Regardless of song choice there’s no doubt that Bell X1 will fuel one of the biggest sing-alongs of the weekend, and going by what Dave says, there will be something in their show for everyone.
“It’s going to be a mixed bag of the albums,” he reveals. “It’s been a while since we have played with six of us. A night of dancing, singing and getting all nostalgic and happy and sad … that feeling of togetherness that hopefully a Bell X1 show conjures … that’s how we feel when we go on stage, and hopefully it will be another one of those.”