I'll Shine For You, That's What I'll Do: Bell X1 (and bonus Duke Special!)

I should have done an introduction to Duke Special and Bell X1 before making that last post, for my boyfriend's sake if for no other reason. So, here goes!

I'm not entirely sure that it's possible to write an introduction to Duke Special. He's a wonderfully eccentric, charming, slightly awkward gentleman from Ireland. He plays the piano and sings with great enthusiasm, and you know, I'm not even going to try to encapsulate the man in words, let's just have a couple of videos.

Don't you just want to cry now?

HE IS JUST THE CUTEST.

And yes, I went out of my way to pick the one with the Jedward reference. :p



Bell X1 is at least possible to describe in words. Apparently, they gained fame in the US after their song "Eve, The Apple Of My Eye" was used in a lesbian kiss scene in The O.C., but I guess that fame never translated to Canada...okay, I'll stop being bitter about that. I did not know that about The O.C., but I suppose that's why we blog.
In any case, Bell X1 are Irish, and they come from County Kildare. There is a complicated history involving Damien Rice, which we won't delve into terribly deeply, but in summary: Damien Rice and most of Bell X1 used to be in a band called Juniper, and when Damien left Juniper over "creative differences", Bell X1 came to be formed.

Their first album, Neither Am I, was released in 2000. Here is Man On Mir, which hit #30 on the Irish singles charts.

I feel I know the man on Mir  

I'd love to see what he can see

Bell X1 @ The Mod Club: I'm Not Over You, Can I Can Get Back Under You?

The stamp on my hand reads "Chillax!", which is a direct result of me having been at the "Virgin Mobile" Mod Club to see Bell X1 (with Duke Special).
I don't mind the Mod Club as a venue. The acoustics are pretty good, and the staff is generally pretty decent. Until about five minutes before doors, the "queue" consisted of me and three other women, and the bouncer was having a nice chat with us. I do mind seated shows. It just throws the atmosphere off. Paul Noonan even commented that it had a "town hall" feel to it. It was worse as the evening grew later and the crowd around the edges grew drunker and louder. Paul again commented on this, asking if the people at the back were "still with us". They weren't.
I was already upset at the lack of interest in Bell X1. My boyfriend had ended up having to work, and I was literally unable to give his ticket away. I give so many fucks about this band, and they get a mediocre turn out and a shitty crowd. Fuck you, Toronto, fuck you.
Having said that, the band itself was great.
But I get ahead of myself.
Duke Special opened. I love Duke Special. I think he is clinically incapable of doing things with anything but intense passion, but he has just a charming touch of awkward nervousness when he chats with the crowd between songs. He put out a loud, enthusiastic, rousing set, complete with two audience sing-alongs.

Duke Special @ the Mod Club 29/09/12

Then it was our favourite Irish boys. I swooned a little when they came out, I think. Even with the personal drama surrounding my attendance, I was desperately looking forward to this show.

Bell X1 @ the Mod Club 29/09/12

They opened with Bad Skin Day, which wasn't an opener that I was expecting, but it was surprisingly effective.

It feels like we're always waiting  

It feels like we're never leading

 I neglected to write down the setlist, and no one has posted it on setlist.fm, so I'll just go through highlights.  

There is, in almost every show I pay proper money to see, a point where I lose my shit. Last night, that point was during Velcro. 

Now we're clacking at computers,
In the sickly light they throw.
All jonesing for wi-fi,
So we can steal more tv shows.
Watching a 6 year old on YouTube,
Playing drums to Billie Jean.
Now this is the stuff that binds us,
This and all those dairy creams.

For most other people, that point was during Flame, with the corresponding hand-clapping: 

I wanna be near you and blink in your light  

And toast marshmallows on a cold dark night

  

Or during Rocky Took A Lover: 

He said 'The sun gives life, and it takes it away
But like all the greats, it'll burn out someday'
She said 'I don't mind, I don't want to get bored
I don't want to end up beached on this shore
I want to be that star' 

And then I'll shine for you. Then I'll burn for you.
Then I can shine for you. That's what I'll do  

I cried at one point. I wasn't expecting them to play Built To Last because they hadn't in Philadelphia, which was the only setlist I'd seen posted from this tour, and it really threw me. 

We're made like the past

We were built to last

We're made like the past

We were built to last

Nighttime is the wrong time

To be with the thoughts you fear

They drag their nails

And rattle their chains

David Geraghty @ the Mod Club 29/09/12

My emotions were not prepared for that, and they definitely were not ready for David Geraghty, who sings lead on the track, to mess up and have to restart halfway through. That track, hands down, made the night for me, but I would have been sad (knowing, as I did, that they played it in Philadelphia) if they hadn't played I'll See Your Heart and I'll Raise You Mine, which they did as their closer/first encore. 

Yea, they keep swapping shoulders
I think there's something going on
"Will you be my sweet pea?
Will you be the card up my sleeve?"
says one to the other
and this time they hold their gaze
for too long

 

God, I love this band, I love their sweet, soothing music, and I love their more dance-y hand-clapping songs, and I just fucking love this band. The problem is, though, as I discussed with an Irish friend who has seen them many times, they are very much a band who feeds off of the energy of the crowd, and the energy last night was ATROCIOUS. Apart from a few die-hards like myself, the viewers ranged from disinterested to loudly drunk. The band, especially Dominic, looked legitimately sad over this, and it was hard to feel like they, or anyone there, were really having a good time. The band still played well; they are great musicians, but the energy just wasn't there, and that was honestly kind of distressing to me given my ridiculous love for the band. I'll see them next time they're in town, but I'll go in with, well, the expectation of seeing a great band perform a set that's much less stellar than what I know they're capable of. 

It pains me to write this review.   

Leaving The House

This Is A Youtube Playlist

Tracklisting

Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes (Glitch Mob Remix)

Count In Fives – The Horrors

 If You Wanna – The Vaccines

Futures – Jimmy Eat World

Time To Pretend – MGMT

Knights Of Cydonia -  Muse

Help, I’m Alive – Metric

Makedamnsure – Taking Back Sunday

Not Gonna Get Us – t.A.T.u.

Postcards From A Young Man – Manic Street Preachers

I brought you a present. It’s for those days when it’s hard to put on your shoes, turn the key in the door, and progress to the subway. It’s for those days when you only have the energy to stand right, not to walk left on the escalator. It’s for those days when there just isn’t enough caffeine in the world. 

It’s a playlist to help you leave the house. 

We’ll start off with The Glitch Mob’s remix of The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. Yes, I know I just started you off with a remix of a classic. Hear me out. The song in its original form is pretty much perfect.  The opening lyrics – I’m gonna fight ‘em off, a seven nation army couldn’t hold me back – are rousing, and the guitar riffs carry that spirit throughout the song.  It’s been used as an anthem at sporting events, notably by Italy during the World Cup(s), and as a protest song in Egypt. Vastly different groups have gone to Seven Nation Army in search of that motivating factor, and have found it and taken it for their own purpose. That’s magical. The Glitch Mob’s remix keeps the essence of the song and just makes it fucking dirty, for lack of a more appropriate word. 2:20 and you’ll see.

Continuing the dirty trend, I bring you Count In Fives by The Horrors, off of their album Strange House. It’s not dirty in the same electronic way, but you’ll want to continue moshing, headbanging, or rocking out in the manner of your choosing. When Faris Badwan growls that and if another number confronts me, I will cut you in half, you’ll want to join in the cutting. Watch the video and see him lose his mind, dancing. Join him. Who knew that a song that’s essentially about maths could be so hardcore? HEY!

From there, we tone it down a little to The Vaccines’ If You Wanna. Come for well I don’t wanna wake up in the morning, but I’ve got to face the day, that’s what all the friends I do not like as much as you say, air-drum throughout the song, leave to the strange looks you’ll get as you pogo to this down a subway platform that you thought was deserted. Oops. JUST DANCE, YOU KNOW YOU WANNA.

We get a little more mellow with Jimmy Eat World’s Futures, but we’re probably still dancing. Say hello to good times, trade up for the fast rides. This song is here purely to make you feel good, make you feel hopeful. The riffs will rock you from the very beginning.

Moving into MGMT’s Time To Pretend, we are certainly dancing, now. Not headbanging, not moshing, just fucking dancing. This is our decision, to live fast and die young, we’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun. And yes, that is the sole reason for this song’s inclusion. FOR FUN! We don’t just want to leave you feeling agitated enough to Leave The House, we want you fucking enjoying it. I SAID YEAH YEAH YEAH.

Knights Of Cydonia by Muse is here to give you strength. It’s here to be FUCKING EPIC. It's here because there's fucking horses whinnying at the beginning. It’s here because NO ONE’S GONNA TAKE ME ALIVE, THE TIME HAS COME TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT, YOU AND I MUST FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS, YOU AND I MUST FIGHT TO SURIVIVE. This song is here to give you fight. 

Now that you’re feeling thoroughly roused again…well, maybe it’s more help I’m alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer. That’s why Metric’s Help, I’m Alive is here. Sure you’re out and moving around now, you’ve done what you set out to do, but do you feel really alive? Emily Haines' purity of voice will make you feel that way.

We need a little aggression again. MakeDamnSure by Taking Back Sunday gives us a little bit of edge again. I just wanna break you down so badly in the worst way. Yes. Just yes. I have headbanged screamed-along lost my shit to this song so many times. Because sometimes you just need the spirit of destruction. 

I threw in Not Gonna Get Us by t.A.T.u. in case you wanted to dance again. It’s a guilty pleasure, what can I say? Nothing can stop this, not now I love you, they're not gonna get us, they're not gonna get us.

We close this playlist with Postcards From A Young Man by The Manic Street Preachers. This song is the entire reason that I created a playlist for Leaving The House. It just starts  so epically!This WORLD WILL NOT IMPOSE ITS WILL! I WILL NOT GIVE UP AND I WILL NOT GIVE IN! And nor should you.