HousePlants: 'We can make the art for art's sake, in a very real way'

Noonan, best known for his role fronting indie stalwarts Bell X1, and the producer and performer Daithí joined forces back in 2018. In 2024, they’re going on a national tour. Kate Demolder writes.

Paul Noonan and Daithí Ó Drónaí of Houseplants, at RTÉ's Studio 8. Pictures: Nina Val

When former Bell X1 frontman Paul Noonan, and musician-producer Daithí Ó Drónaí, who performs as Daithí, first met, it was by way of a track. 

Noonan came to Daithí with ‘Take The Wheel’ [“There is a violence in looking away / When they speak of how it all gets made / And we stay squinting skyward / Oh Jesus, take the wheel”] as he felt he could add to it, as it wasn’t a track Noonan was comfortable working on alone.