The Irish pop-rock band Bell X1 has taken a circuitous path to worldwide success: Once known as Juniper, it used to feature a pre-stardom Damien Rice, who left and was replaced by drummer Paul Noonan. Now, after years of fame in Ireland, the band finally has a U.S. label deal — aided, no doubt, by the worldwide success of peers such as Rice and Glen Hansard — and a growing following here. Click the link above to hear Bell X1 perform live in concert from WXPN and World Café Live in Philadelphia.
Bell X1's third and most recent album, Flock, topped several U.K. charts shortly after its release in 2005, but it didn't come out in the U.S. until February of this year. Momentum continues to build for the band: In addition to appearances on late-night talk shows, its music has popped up on the taste-making teen drama The O.C.
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