Sorry Pixie, it is always very disappointing when you don't get a job after interview. The only thing for it is to keep going and applying for other things - in the current climate it is very difficult even to get shortlisted for interview, so you know you are putting in a strong application if you get to that stage. I've always found that if I could get a few interviews lined up, I would get one of the jobs. Well done on your publication, Incognito!

Fingers crossed! It's not always possible to work out how these things have gone, because we focus on every little thing we could have done better, when in fact it's the overall impression that counts. I came out of my PhD interview and said something unprintable about how I thought it had gone, and two days later I got an offer. Worst case scenario is that you've gained valuable experience in interviewing for a PhD.

I don't know if this will help (and I'm in a different discipline to you, so I don't know exactly what your alternatives would have been) but I've taken a lot of years out having a career before doing a PhD, and I can vouch for the fact that a degree won't necessarily get you any advantages on its own. My most recent job (having done a degree, a Masters and a career-specific Postgrad Diploma) involved working 12 hour night shifts for under £9 an hour! It is always tempting to think other choices would have worked out for the better, but in my honest opinion taking a few years to do a funded PhD right now is a pretty good idea.

What's your relationship like with your main supervisor, or your supervisory team? I think I'd sit down with them as soon as possible and talk about how to move forward - the main thing here is to find out what you need to do to be on course for your PhD. Don't give up after your two years' hard work!

Yes, I noticed with PhD applications that they wanted references up front. I've only ever known that in one job application though - normally they proceed with references after making you an offer.
Hope you've had some news, Incognito.

Another thing I'm aware of is that the 'unique' aspect of your research may come from the research itself, which can lead you in an unexpected direction. My supervisor is always encouraging me to do a series of small studies, rather than bank on one big idea.

Usually, employers only contact your referees once they have offered you the job. They use the referees as a way of verifying your information, rather than part of their decision-making process. I hope you hear something soon!

I wouldn't read too much into the fact that they didn't say when they would be in touch. That is standard information that should be given to all candidates whether successful or not, so it sounds like an oversight on their part! Ditto the stuff about salary. Perhaps they were so into the academic questions they forgot the basic housekeeping stuff. Good luck - it is agonising waiting to hear about something you really want.

I did my Masters with the Open University (distance learning) and to be honest I didn't think I had much chance of going straight into a PhD with no connections. I was very lucky though, and got two interviews, and was offered one of the PhDs. My sister-in-law also did her PhD with no prior connection to the university, and a friend of mine has just started a PhD in the same circumstances. There are plenty of us around, even if it does sometimes seem to be a small world in which the same students get given opportunities by the same supervisors!
Like others have said here, it's a good idea to focus (at least for UK PhDs) on advertised projects, as those already have agreement from supervisors and may already have funding. I applied for mine via jobs.ac.uk. I don't know how the funding works for overseas students, but I know there are a lot of overseas students at my university (I would say around 50% of the PhDs) so it is possible.
I wonder if it may also be worth contacting certain university departments, not with your own proposal, but just to say that you are very interested in the research they do, you wonder if they have any PhD studentships coming up etc...... It may just help to get your name on the horizon. From my experience of being interviewed, they want to know 'why did you choose this department?', 'do you know anyone else who has studied here?' and so on, so it might help to try to get some kind of communication with the department. Good luck.