1991 - 2000
Brian, Paul, Dom and Damien Rice form Juniper, having met in school. They go to college, play some weddings, 21st's and Bar Mitzvahs... and for a while have a Sunday night residency in the Kildrought Lounge and Bar, Celbridge. They meet Dave, who weans them off the Neil Diamond and Roxette covers. Band move into house in country, release EP, Manna, and two singles in Ireland. Damien leaves band, the others read about Chuck Yeager and his Right Stuff. They call the new band Bell X1. Bell X1 support Elliott Smith and Bon Jovi in the same 1 week period, leading to severe identity crisis, making small music with big hair. They make their first album, Neither Am I, in the summer/autumn of 1999 with Nick Seymour of Crowded House and release it in Ireland a year later, after much touring and a couple of old singles.
2001
Band take some time to indulge musical differences. Paul records and tours as drummer with Tipperary siren Gemma Hayes, Brian's away with Offaly hearthrob Mundy, and Dave and Dom join Richie Mullen of Lino Richie Carpets, Finglas, in touring cabaret show. Bell X1 regroup in late summer and write songs for what would become Music in Mouth in a house by the sea in Wexford.
2002
Second album recording starts in Ridge Farm studios in Surrey, with producer Jamie Cullum. After 4 weeks they move to the Fallout Shelter, London. The studio has no teapot!! Some moaning. The band take turns to make dinner. Some of it is shit. The world Cup happens. Mixing finishes in July and everyone goes away for a while. Come back and mix it all again. Borrow a friend's house in Kilkenny, record some more songs, play hurling, are laughed at by locals. Music in Mouth finally finished in December, a few days after the birth of Jamie's daughter Ellie, who was both conceived and born during the making of the record.
2003, 2004
The album Music in Mouth is released on July 21st 2003, to tremendous applause, and the band play with all sorts to try to flog it. Tom McRae, Keane, Starsailor, Aqualung and Snow Patrol show them the highways and byways of the UK and continental Europe. Songs from the record appear in many TV series, from Teachers to The OC, and at home the album goes double platinum, with four top 40 singles. In July 2004, the band gather in yet another house in Wexford to write a new record.
2005
Flock is recorded in Dublin and mixed in London, with Roger Becherian producing and Phil Hayes knob twiddling. A shrine to Daniel O' Donnell (Irish singing deity, ref Cliff Richard without ever having had a brush with cool) is created in the green room, Dave creates Pistachio Nut Shell Installation and mustaches are grown. The band take a break from recording and sell out a mini tour in the USA, where they record a live session for Nic Harcourt’s essential show on KCRW in L.A.
Flock is released in Ireland and hits the heights of #1 in the album charts. The band leaves Island Records and sets up its own record label called BellyUp records. A live album called Tour De Flock is released - it is a 2-disc compilation featuring 16 tracks from their sold-out gig at The Point Theatre, Dublin on December 1, 2006.
In 2008, Flock is released in the USA and the band appears on the St. Patrick's Day edition of the Late Show with David Letterman.
On 2nd October, Brian Crosby quits saying "It's been an extraordinary privilege to be in a band with your mates for more than 15 years. I'm really grateful for everything I got to do with Bell X1, for all the adventures we had and for the great support of our fans. It's been particularly wonderful to have connected with so many people and to have got to meet people all over the world doing what I love. I look forward to continue making those connections. At the same time I'll be applauding the boys continued success."
As well as promoting Flock in the USA, the band gets busy recording a new album Blue Lights On The Runway. It finally sees the light of day in 2009, with lead single The Great Defector becoming their biggest hit to date (no. 3 in the Irish charts).
2011
The band will release its newest album Bloodless Coup in stores and online on April 1 in Ireland, April 4 in the UK, April 8 in Germany and Benelux, April 12 in the USA and Canada, and April 26 in France. The album's lead single is “Velcro,” which the band performed on The Rachael Ray Show on St. Patrick's Day.
Starlings Over Brighton Pier
Bell X1 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What do they know, what do they hear?
They'd block out the sun
If there was one
Like iron filings upon the page
Gathered around leaders
I see faces that melt and flow
Starlings over Brighton pier
Who do they follow?
Greater than the sun
Of each and every one
Shifting weight from heel to toe
Ducking and diving
There is a bigger thing going on
They play their part in
They take me away from this place
In a rush and spinning grace
They take me away from this place
From the buzzing of half remembered fails
Starlings over Brighton pier
What do they know, what do they hear?
They'd block out the sun
If there was one
They take me away from this place
In a rush and spinning grace
They take me away from this place
From the buzzing of half remembered fails
Yeah the buzzing of half remembered fails
From the sting of paper cut trails
Yeah the sting of paper cut trails
The lyrics to Bell X1's "Starlings Over Brighton Pier" describe the mesmerizing sight of starlings gathering in graceful movement above the pier. The singer questions what the birds know, and who they might be following instead of the sun. The birds are compared to iron filings, drawn to their leader, and the singer sees their melting and fluid-like movements as they shift their weight from heel to toe. The starlings become a bigger thing, a part of something greater, as they play their part in the larger scheme of life.
The lyrics capture the sensation of being transported away from a mundane or unfulfilling place by the beauty and wonder of the natural world. The starlings, with their pulsing and evolving formation, offer an escape from the buzzing of half-remembered failures and the sting of small disappointments. The bird's movements, both chaotic and harmonic, reflect a mystery and an order that lies beyond human comprehension.
Line by Line Meaning
Starlings over Brighton pier
The poet sees a flock of starlings flying over Brighton pier.
What do they know, what do they hear?
The poet questions the knowledge and information that the birds may possess.
They'd block out the sun If there was one
The poet suggests that the sheer number of birds in the flock could block out the sun, if it were visible.
Like iron filings upon the page
The birds are compared to iron filings scattered on a page or surface.
Gathered around leaders
The birds could be grouped together, perhaps following a lead bird or set of birds.
I see faces that melt and flow
The poet observes that the birds move and shift like a fluid, with no distinct features or faces.
Old man's eye-caves
The birds' eyes are sunken like the eye sockets of an old man.
Who do they follow?
The poet questions who or what the birds may be following.
Greater than the sun Of each and every one
The birds, collectively as a flock, are perceived to be greater in significance than any individual bird or the sun itself.
Shifting weight from heel to toe Ducking and diving
The poet observes the birds' movements as they shift their weight and move around in a fluid manner.
There is a bigger thing going on They play their part in
The poet believes that there is a grander scheme at play, and that the birds are playing a role in this scheme.
They take me away from this place In a rush and spinning grace
The poet is swept up and transported away from their current location in a rush, with a sense of great beauty and grace.
From the buzzing of half remembered fails
The poet is escaping from the stress and noise of past failures that still linger in their mind.
Yeah the buzzing of half remembered fails
The poet reiterates the idea of past failures still causing a buzzing noise in their mind.
From the sting of paper cut trails
The poet is also escaping from the pain of small, insignificant injuries or wounds (like paper cuts).
Yeah the sting of paper cut trails
The poet repeats the idea of small wounds causing pain that they are trying to get away from.
Contributed by Jack J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Karlo Silverio Sevilla
Starlings over Brighton pier
What do they know, what do they hear?
They'd block out the sun
If there was one
Like iron filings upon the page
Gathered around leaders
I see faces that melt and flow
Old man's eye-caves
Starlings over Brighton pier
Who do they follow?
Greater than the sun
Of each and every one
Shifting weight from heel to toe
Ducking and diving
There is a bigger thing going on
They play their part in
They take me away from this place
In a rush and spinning grace
They take me away from this place
From the buzzing of half remembered fails
Starlings over Brighton pier
What do they know, what do they hear?
They'd block out the sun
If there was one
They take me away from this place
In a rush and spinning grace
They take me away from this place
From the buzzing of half remembered fails
Yeah the buzzing of half remembered fails
From the sting of paper cut trails
Yeah the sting of paper cut trails
Morfinn C
This is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard.
I have got up in the middle of the night to listen to it.
I would like to have a few pints with them.
HicSuntLutra
I really can't understand why Bell X1 aren't as big as some other acts out there, they write the most amazing lyrics and always do something different and clever with their production. They are inspirational and should be given way more credit.
Pa Lynch
The most underrated band to come out of Ireland
John Menzies
music speaks to us in different ways and at different times, this is a beautiful song to lose yourself in. bell X1 can be proud of it.
Aisling C
Really love Chop Chop, fantastic album, talented band. Gig in London please!
We Love Brighton
Gorgeous, hypnotic song. We've linked to it as part of an article we've just published (it's at the end with West Pier)
Giang Lam
wow this song... it saddens and makes me happy at the same time.. Brilliant!
Amina Valenziano
I agree. They are amazing!
Indieandmore
This is truly beautiful!
madlen161
The biologist in my is so fascinated by the pictures of the flock (great link to the former records!). And I love the song, it's growing on me every time I'm listening to it :)