Bell X1 will keep it real at Virginia Pumpkin Festival

In a glorious coup for the Virginia Pumpkin Festival, Bell X1 are on their way to perform in Co. Cavan for the first time, with a concert in the pumpkin marquee on Saturday, October 24. Paul Noonan has friends on the Cavan Gaels team, (though he doesn't want to name them), and is well versed on Cavan's All Ireland football aspirations. As he's never been to Cavan, except passing through, he's looking forward to staying around for the festival. "I've been reading about it online. We look forward to it," enthuses Paul, who says he's also done a little online groundwork about The Anglo-Celt. Even by telephone all the way from a hotel room in the US, Paul comes across the genuine, sincere and unpretentious guy, who together with the other band members, has captured the hearts of fans with songs like Rocky Took A Lover, Flame, The Great Defector and Eve, The Apple Of My Eye. Paul thinks before speaking, and seems to say what he means; he's soft-spoken and polite, and doesn't overstate. But then, as all their fans know, Bell X1 are a band who got to where they are by keeping it real. Special Having made music together in various guises since the early 1990s, Kildare school friends Paul Noonan, Dave Geraghty, Dominic Phillips and Brian Crosby (who recently departed the band to pursue his passion for production work and writing soundtracks) communed under the name Bell X1 to release their debut album, Neither Am I, in 2000. Its successor was Music In Mouth, marking the beginning of the band's inexorable rise in their home country and laying an invaluable foundation elsewhere in Europe. In 2005, the band's third album, Flock, exploded in Ireland with multi-platinum sales and sold out shows in the country's biggest venues. Last year centred around the band setting out their stall internationally, and they've secured a North American record deal, as well as having done key TV slots, such as The Letterman Show, and having music used on Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill. They released their latest album, Blue Lights On The Runway, in February, and headlined at the Electric Picnic. One wonders if performing at the Electric Picnic - a big gig with real street cred on home turf - was emotional for Bell X1, who have been there before as punters. "I think it was," says Paul, "because it was our first time to play completely in the dark on the main stage. I think there's a magic to outdoor festival stages at night. There was a great sense of homecoming for us, I think. We'd played a lot of European festivals and often when we play festivals inIreland, you really get the sense that the people we've played to all over the country are gathered in the one field. We felt a great kind of connection that night. It was really special." Enjoying huge success, however, the band have had many big moments in recent years. When, for example, they guest on The Letterman Show, does it feel strange, or when did all the success become real a possibility? "I remember when I was in school watching the Letterman Show in the evenings. The idea of being on it one day would have been a bizarre abstract notion, as was going to my first U2 show in Croke Park and to be playing with them 20 years later," says Paul. "When we think about things that have happened for us, sometimes you don't appreciate them at the time. You're working hard at making the band happen, sometimes you don't have time to pause and appreciate them." Paul's a little amused at the notion that it's something like the scene in The Commitments, where Jimmy Rabbitte does an imaginary Terry Wogan interview in the bath. "At the time, it kind of feels like a natural part of the trajectory. "I've never fantasised about these things happening or what you'd do in a certain situation." He readily admits, though, that they never intended to hide their light under a bushel. Honing the craft "Some people talk about how they make music for themselves and that if anyone else likes it it's a bonus. I don't think we're like that, we've always wanted to travel and reach people with the music; we wanted to be inclusive and embracing with it." The band are very much focused on their music, and they see it as a craft that benefits from constant practice and honing. If they were to give advice to Cavan's many talented musicians, who are trying to break through, this would be key. "I think DIY has become really strong in Ireland over the last while, with people making their own records, then getting out on the road and gigging and gigging and really honing the craft, not looking for the record deal..." "My advice would be to somehow acquire basic recording gear and just practise. It's a lot easier than it used to be to make your own records; it doesn't have to be expensively produced. It's about the spirit in which it's done. It is something that you improve on as well. It's definitely a craft." Asked about the up and down-sides to Bell X1's success, Paul once again focuses mainly on the music, although he mentions that being away from home, and his two-and-a-half month old son, so much is hard. Despite their celebrity status, he doesn't think keeping his private life private is a big issue: "We don't consciously do that. That's just not really of particular interest to anybody so we don't really talk about it," he says. His career, however, has affected how he listens to music. He "really fell for music" in his mid teens, with REM being a particular favourite. Now, technical know-how can get in the way of blind appreciation. "At the age of 14 or 16, I think that's when I felt most passionate about music as a true fan. You would take music and really get lost in them. I find it quite hard to do that now because you're aware of the technical processes that are involved. Sometimes that's a barrier to getting lost in the music. "The most satisfying thing about what we do is that some people tell us that we are one of those bands for them, that we are a band that helped them fall in love with music. It's great to feel that our music is connecting with people in that way." And, no doubt, it'll be great for everyone in the pumpkin marquee on the bank holiday weekend too... To win tickets, see competition in this week's Anglo-Celt. IN HIS OWN WORDS... What Paul knows about Cavan: "I know that they're working on another football All Ireland. They're still dining off the glories of... when was the last one? I have a couple of friends who play for Cavan Gaels." He's read about the Pumpkin Festival online and likes the sound of it... "We look forward to it! We'll be enjoying the festival and meeting the good people of Cavan. It's our first time playing there and we like doing new things." Size matters, but does Paul prefer big or intimate venues? "It depends on the mood, I suppose. They are very different and you would approach them very differently. Here in the States, where we've never been, we're playing small club shows and we love the challenge of coming somewhere new and winning someone over. Often you have to go with the spirit of the room." His twitter, 'Paul's waffle', is poetic and funny, but he has ambivalent feelings about tweeting: "You do feel that you're keeping people connected with band life, other than the music. But sometimes I feel that you wouldn't have David Bowie blogging about his breakfast back in the day, so there's a danger of losing a little mystique, especially when you're talking about staying in depressing hotels..." Paul's Electric Picnic highlight when he was a punter: "One year when Nick Cave, The Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire and Kraftwerk played. It was a real moment I think. They were all spectacular. It was very inspiring, as a musician, as well." On potential music abuse... "We get approached for our music to be used in ads a lot and we almost always say no. I think the Dublin Bus thing was something that we liked the idea of - better public transport in this country. If we can do anything to help that, we're up for it. In the ad itself, the music did have resonance, I think it really works... I have actually felt personally offended a couple of times with Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division being used to sell Heineken. I found that kind of really distasteful, so you do need to be careful." Inspired music "Blue Lights was very much inspired by life on the road and that sort of detachment or surreal existence." Bell X1 have achieved a lot. What's next? "I think a big part of why we do this is to see the world. We've never toured in Australia, and to get down through South America would be amazing as well." So who is, or was, Eve (the apple of his eye)?! "I'm not telling you who it's about. It's an old story." You're keeping that to yourself? "I am."