
Irish rockers Bell X1 will mount a short North American tour next month behind the US release of the band's most recent studio album, "Flock."
The four-piece group--Paul Noonan (guitar, vocals), David Geraghty (lead guitar), Dominic Philips (bass) and Brian Crosby (guitar, keyboards), and augmented by touring drummer Tim O'Donovan--launches the run March 12 in Toronto, the first of 11 cities the band will hit during the two-week outing.
Having recently signed a US record deal with the indie Yep Roc label, the band will reap the first fruits of its new association with the Feb. 19 release of "Flock." Originally released in 2005 in the band's native Ireland (and the following year in the UK), the disc became the group's first No. 1 record in its native country.
Last year, the group self-released "Tour De Flock," a dual CD/DVD documenting the band's sold-out concert at Dublin's Point Theatre in late 2006. The DVD features several extras, including music videos, live photos and a short "making-of" documentary for "Flock."
The Cake Sale, a collective of Irish musicians featuring Noonan, Geraghty and Crosby--along with members of Snow Patrol, Crowded House, The Frames, The Cardigans and several other bands--released a self-titled album last year. The disc, which raises money for the charity Oxfam and Ireland's Make Trade Fair campaign, was released in the US by Yep Roc last October.