Biography
Featuring a fusion of several alternative stylistic touchstones, Snow Patrol's compositions combine songwriting aptitude with pop/rock's sharpest strains. Although originally from Northern Ireland, vocalist/guitarist Gary Lightbody and bassist/keyboardist Mark McClelland first teamed up in 1994 at the University of Dundee, having relocated to Scotland for college. The duo began composing music under several different band names, including Shrug and Polar Bear, before adopting the Snow Patrol moniker and enlisting Jonny Quinn to play drums in 1997. They signed with the U.K.'s Jeepster label in 1998 and released their debut album, Songs for Polar Bears, in August of that same year. The record was a large success across the U.K., where the bandmates also gained a large fan base for their live show.
The British trio graduated from school and decided to relocate from Dundee to Glasgow in late 2000. Their second full-length, When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up, was released in April 2001. Quickly thereafter, guitarist Nathan Connolly was added to the group, and Snow Patrol found themselves a deal with Polydor. Producer Chris Lord-Alge signed on for the release of Final Straw, which appeared stateside in April 2004. With the success of singles such as "Chocolate," "Run," and "Spitting Games," Final Straw sold two million copies in the band's native U.K. and became the 26th most popular British album of that year. Despite the band's growing success, founding member Mark McClelland left in March 2005, effectively downgrading Snow Patrol to a trio comprised of Lightbody, Quinn, and Connolly. Shortly thereafter, former Terra Diablo bass player Paul Wilson and touring keyboardist Tom Simpson were permanently added to the band.
An opening slot on the European leg of U2's Vertigo Tour followed in summer 2005, and Snow Patrol's fourth album, the slickly commercial Eyes Open, arrived in May 2006. One year later, with a successful run through North America under their belt and the mainstream appeal of "Chasing Cars" maintaining the band's presence on American radio, Eyes Open was certified gold in the United States. It later rose to platinum status. Snow Patrol also became the first U.K. rock act in 13 years to break into the Top Five of the Billboard singles charts, a feat they sought to revisit with the release of 2008's A Hundred Million Suns. Led by the single "Take Back the City," the album featured an emphasis on positive, romantic lyrics, something that Gary Lightbody had pointedly shunned in the past. ~ Mario Mesquita Borges & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
