Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol started in 1994 when the University of Dundee students Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland met at their alma mater. The two young men’s music preferences were alike and they decided to form their own band. The first name picked out by the duo was Shrug. Their first performances took place at the University and adjusting pubs. In 1995, the musicians renamed the group to Polar Bear, but the same title was used by ex-Jane's Addiction bassist, Eric Avery. This forced them to rethink the name. That was how they came to Snow Patrol. After Jonny Quinn had joined them as a drummer, the trio recorded their debut, Songs For Polar Bears, in 1998. Its material bore a strong impact of indie rock bands. The next album by Snow Patrol, When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up, followed in 2001, but by then the relationship between the band and Jeepster studio had aggravated and a parting of their ways was imminent. The main problem was the commercial failure of the albums they released with the Jeepster despite all the critical acclaim they gained.

The next label to work with Snow Patrol was Polydor Records. To record their next album, the musicians found the second guitarist, Nathan Connolly. The first song by Snow Patrol to hit the UK charts was the single Run. It reached the fifth position in the UK singles chart and became good advertisement for the up-coming album, Final Straw (2003). Eventually, this work ranked third in the UK albums chart. This album was released in the States in 2004 and appeared a good seller there, too. The material Snow Patrol delivered was a smashing combination of distorted guitars, powerful drum beats and profound lyrics based on the Iraqi conflict tragedies and lost love experience. Early in 2005, McClelland left the band due to personal differences with the other members of Snow Patrol. He was replaced by Paul Wilson. Shortly after, keyboardist Tom Simpson, who had played for Snow Patrol at concerts, was announced a new member of the group. During a massive tour for the Final Straw promotion, the band gave performance as opening act for U2 and a number of concerts in the US. After an enduring streak of gigs, the musicians took a short break and then went to the studio for another session.

Snow Patrol finished recording the new album, Eyes Open, by the end of 2005 and released it in spring 2006. It became the best selling British album of the year and gained the platinum status in the UK and the US, backed up by the extremely popular single Chasing Cars. Both, the album and the single, maintained the leading positions in the most influential charts for the many weeks. It made Eyes Open one of the biggest commercial successes in the history of the British music. The trouble was that Snow Patrol were forced to postpone a number of performances in the frames of the American tour due to the discovery of polyps on Lightbody’s vocal chords. In October 2008, the single Take Back the City was released to get the fans ready for the forthcoming album. The record A Hundred Million Suns appeared in 2008 and turned out to be very successful: it was certified Platinum in the U.K. In 2009 the musicians issued their first compilation album Up To Now.