I come not as a convert, so it’s surprising – to me at least – that Bell X1 are now playing venues as big as The Point. The band have grown in stature – quietly – with each record, despite never registering any obvious creative leap. Their transition from traditional ‘indie’ beginnings to a more lavish, gothic sound suggests a development that, for my money, has never been backed up by a commensurate break-through in terms of songwriting. Or maybe I’ve been missing something...
No matter. This might have been the occasion for a change of heart on my part, but it didn’t turn out that way. With the obvious exception of Radiohead, very few recent bands have successfully brought an almost unrelentingly gloomy, and – possibly consciously – showmanship-free live experience to indoor arenas like The Point. It’s a tricky challenge and tonight Bell X1 don’t quite meet it. Indeed it’s one that Irish bands in general find difficult, with even The Frames, who are renowned for their superb live shows, discovering that there’s a hell of a difference between a packed Vicar Street and a full Point, in terms of the demands it makes on a performer.
The night begins and ends in a celebratory atmosphere that emphasises the goodwill that exists among the Bell X1 fan base – but there is a sag in the middle which suggests that they lack either the stagecraft or the depth in their repertoire (and I’m not sure which) to sustain the crowd’s enthusiasm and involvement over the entire course of a long evening. The warm, touching ‘Rocky Took A Lover’ and the irresistible Talking Heads-esque bounce of ‘Flame’ are highlights, delivering the kind of collective ecstasy that a great rock’n’roll live experience ideally entails. But elsewhere in the set, there is quite a lot of sombre pounding that seems to work against creating the impact you might have hoped for, at a gig of this importance to the band.
The near full house indicates that Paul Noonan and co. are now big enough to play The Point, but they don’t have enough in their arsenal on the night to blow it away. There is, I suspect, a bit of pondering to be done.