RELISHING returning to play Live At The Marquee later this month, the three members of Bell X1 – Paul Noonan, Dave Geraght and Dominic Philips – agree that the Marquee shows are indeed something special.
The band have recently announced details of their ninth studio album ‘Good Bones’ which is expected to be released later this year while the first single to be taken from it ‘But First, Love’ has just been released.
It’s been three years since the trio last played the Cork venue but for to them it’s always a big occasion.
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‘There isn’t really a big venue in Cork and when the circus comes to town and it’s clear that people really appreciate the series of Marquee gigs,’ said Dave.
The band aren’t long back from New York where they recorded their new album with producer Josh Kaufman at the world-renowned Dreamland Recording Studios in Upstate New York, close to where Woodstock was held.
‘It was probably our best ever recording experience I would say working with Josh and Dan Goodwin. We had met Josh before but had never worked with him so we didn’t know what to expect,’ said Paul.
‘The way he talked about music generally and about the record was very inspiring.’
The band is planning to debut some of the tracks from the new album leeside alongside fan favourites such as ‘The Great Defector’, ‘Rocky Took a Lover’ and ‘Next to You.’
Dave said: ‘As always I think it’s a commentary on what’s going on around the world right now as well as what’s been going on personally. We’ve all felt something very strong in the loss of our bandmate, Glenn Keating, and that’s been a very emotional shared thing that ran strongly through the album.’
They are embarking on a series of summer gigs with their friend Cormac Curran joining them on keys and guitar, while Tim O’Donovan will be on drums.
The three members also have fond memories of playing both St Luke’s in Cork city and De Barras in Clonakilty and said West Cork now has so many great gig venues including Connolly’s of Leap and Levis’ Bar in Ballydehob.
Bell X1 play Live At The Marquee on Friday June 19th with support from Cork band Babyrat (www.ticketmaster.ie). Dave will play a solo gig at Arundel’s By the Pier in Ahakista on June 24th
