Solo Activities and Projects
Bell has been good friends with Magnus Carlson, the lead singer in Swedish band, Weeping Willows, together they have embarked on some musical projects. The two run and DJ at the club, Bangers 'n' Mash. Bell, also undertakes occasional DJ sets in UK clubs, for example, 'This Feeling' night club night in London. In 2003, Bell collaborated with the Stockholm based Irish-Swedish electronica/acid house duo, DK7, by providing guitar on the tracks "Heart Like a Demon" and "White Shadow" for their Disarmed album. During the autumn of 2006 Carlson and Bell teamed up (with Janne Schaffer) and performed at an event dedicated to the late 1970s singer-songwriter, Ted Gärdestad. In addition to his role as producer, Bell played a number of instruments on eight of the twelve tracks on the 2007 album Fear & Love by Weeping Willows ranging from glockenspiel, piano to guitar. He has also performed solo gigs at smaller Swedish summer festivals including the 2006'Fest-i-val' in Umeå Sweden In July 2007, Bell appeared with friend and former fellow Ride member Mark Gardener onstage with Californian rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Oxford 'Truck' Music Festival On 19 December 2007, Bell joined Weeping Willows on stage for an event called "An Evening With Weeping Willows At Chinateatern" He lined up with other prominent guests such as The Soundtrack of Our Lives' Martin Hederos, Echo & the Bunnymen vocalist Ian McCulloch and Jens Lekman.
Andy Bell has worked with Swedish band The Most on various recordings and contributed guitars and vocals on the song "Now I Feel" from the EP Moderation in Moderation (a title suggested by Bell).
Bell has on several occasions stated his intention to record and release a solo album in the future: I will get around to it, it’s just waiting for the songs to turn up that suit my voice. I've got one so far, give me about five years and I'll have an album's worth.
During 2008 Andy Bell collaborated with SPC ECO a British American shoegazing/electronica/psychedelic group on the track 'Silver Clouds' to which Andy Bell contributes by playing an electronic sitar drone machine and an old custom Dulcimer as well as devising the songs lyrics. 'Silver Clouds' was made available in 2009 as a bonus track to the Japanese edition of SPC ECO's album 3-D.
2009 saw Andy Bell release his first solo recording under the Grapefruit name, an instrumental track also entitled Grapefruit which he contributed to the One by One: KZK Adidas Originals by Originals compilation album, a Japan only release via Sony Music.
In 2010, it was reported that a former member of Oasis had collaborated with Adam Ant on material for his forthcoming album Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter. Andy Bell was susbequently identified as the former Oasis member in question. In an interview for Bizarre magazine published in January 2011, Ant named the song co-written with Andy Bell as Cool Zombie.
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