Snow Patrol is a alternative-rock band, consisting of front man Gary Lightbody (singer, songwriter and guitarist), Scot Wilson (bass and backing vocals), Paul Nathan Connolly (guitar and backing vocals), Tom Simpson (keyboardist) and Jonny Quinn (drummer).
Originally set up in Dundee, the band is now based in Glasgow. The first three albums, the ep Starfighter Pilot and the studio albums Songs for Polarbears and When it's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up were commercially unsuccessful and were released by the independent record labels Electric Honey and Jeepster. The albums were to place in the indiegenre . When the band to the major label Fiction under Interscope moved, brought it in 2003 the album Final Straw , which was awarded with the quadruple Platinum status , supported by the single Run that the fifth position in the British UK Singles Chart holds. Released in 2006 by the Eyes Open, which the band more towards the alternative power pop and went, the band finally broke through. Singles like Chasing Cars 'Shut Your Eyes and achieved high positions and bivouacked in the charts for a long time, just like the album. After years of touring, the band decided to take a break, but still brought it in the autumn of 2008 the fifth album A Hundred Million Suns with Take Back the City as a lead single. It was the second single Crack the Shutters a hit in the Dutch Top 40. In november 2009, the compilation album released Up to Now , with the techno-influenced Just Say Yes, with which the band reached its peak with the first position in Netherlands. In november 2011, the sixth album from Fallen Empires .
Worldwide, the band has more than 11 million albums sold, whose Eyes Open is the most successful.
Content[]
Breakthrough[Edit][]
Origin (1994 — 2003)[Edit][]
[1][2]Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland, founding member of the band
At the end of 1994 started the Northern Irishmen Gary Lightbody, Michael Morrison and Mark McClelland at the University ofDundee, in Scotland the band Shrug. The students performed with this band on in college and the pubs around the area. The firstep, Yogurt vs. Yogurt debate titled, was a small success. In 1995 they decided to change the name to Polar Bear drummer Morrison left the band and soon after, and he returned to Northern Ireland. In the summer of 1997, Polar Bear through the Electric Honey record label , an ep Starfighter Pilot from where three songs on were. Because of a naming conflict with another band from the United States, led by Jane's Addiction's ex-bassist Eric Avery, the band was forced to change the name again. A friend of the Group coined the name, which the group always had Snow Patrol called, also during the period that the band Polar Bear was called. Jonny Quinn from Northern Ireland joined then to and became the permanent drummer for the group.
The band released the next ep-single Little Hide out through Jeepster Records. The second single One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed was a small indiehit.Both singles were heavily promoted by Jeepster in which the video clip on the single were put and Snow Patrol for the first time on television was on display. The band released through Jeepster the first studio albums Songs for Polarbears from: from 1998 and When it's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up from 2001, both listed in Glasgow. In 2001, Lightbody a supergroup with members of the Jeepster label, including Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian and brought along with them two albums.
Snow Patrol albums with the votes reached critical success but failed commercially and the band started to assess the relationship with the label and felt that Belle & Sebastian got all the attention and there is little for Snow Patrol was done to break the band to pass through. Because of the low success of the band and the minimum support of the label came the financial situation of the band under tension, and it led to the sale of Lightbody's cd collection to pay his rent.
Final Straw (2003 — 2005)[Edit][]
After the contract dissolution with Jeepster was completed, the band signed with the mainstream Polydorlabel. In 2003 they released the third album Final Straw , produced by Jacknife Lee. With the album for the first time to Snow Patrol tasted success with the third single Run. The song debuted on the fifth place in the British UK Singles Chart and this started the comparisons with Coldplay. The successors chocolate and Spitting Games (a re-release), the top 30.
The album was sold in the United Kingdom over a one and a half million times and has reached the Platinum status five times. The album won the 49th place In Netherlands as the top position in the United States and was the number one in the Top Heatseekers, the list of potential successful albums. In the Billboard 200 and reached to the 91st position, the album was awarded with Gold .
On 16 March 2005 McClelland left the band. At the end of the month was found a replacement in the form of Paul Wilson, the former member of Terra Diablo. In addition, tour keyboardist Tom Simpson added as final member.
In 2005, the band U2's frontman Bono by personally asked as opening act to go along on the Vertigo Tour in Europe. The band then returned to the Final Strawafter the Vertigo-tour to resume in the United States.Also In this summer, the band played a small set for Live 8 in London. After their tasks as opening act and touring to promote the album, the band took a while rest and began to write to and the inclusion of any successor. In december of that year was a cover of John Lennon's Isolation released as part of Amnesty International's Make Some Noise campaign in which songs of Lennon were used to promote human rights.
Eyes Open (2006 — 2007)[Edit][]
[5][6]Snow Patrol on Madison Square Garden during the Eyes Open-tour.
In 2006 the band completed the recording of the fourth studio album and was in april of that year released with Eyes Open 'you're All I Have as the lead single. This song did the commercial well and achieved the seventh place in the British lists, supported by big promotion by BBC Radio 1. For the United States , the song was chosen as Hands Open first single. The song Chasing Cars during this period was used in the emotional final scene of the last episode of Grey's Anatomys second season. This caused great popularity of the number that entered the American lists and downloads the release of Hands Open drowned out. This decided the label to release the song as the third single.Chasing Cars became the most successful single of the band and reached the top 10 in many countries. In the Dutch Top 40 , however, did little (number 28) but in the Single Top 100 it reached the ninth position. In the Flemish Ultratop 50 even reached the third place. The single was a song with a long breath, it resided 58 weeks in the Single Top 100, 90 weeks in the UK Singles Chart and 34 weeks in the Ultratop 50.
The band was forced a large portion of the American tour to promote the album after a polyp on his vocal cords was discovered and Lightbody's failed to heal after a rest period that was obtained by canceling three tour dates. It was on the tour area a difficult year for the band in which many dates not continued because of a variety of reasons, including the planned attacks on transatlantic aircraft, it's too late arrival of baggage and an injury to Wilson.
In november, it was announced that Eyes Open the best selling album of the year was having a sale number of 1.6 million copies and defeated, among others, Take That's comeback album Beautiful. In the United States, the album was sold more than a million times that year and reached the Platinum status, partly because the album for fifteen weeks in the top 25 of the Billboard 200stayed, backed by the success of Chasing Cars.
The success continued in Flanders, where the band scored a hit in 2007 Shut Your Eyes that three weeks on the first position and spent 23 weeks in the Ultratop 50. The single missed the less, the duet Set the Fire to the Third Bar with Martha Wainwright came only to the 41st position. Meanwhile, the band recorded the soundtrack of Spider-Man 3 on, Signal Fire. It was the highest scoring single in the charts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, respectively, in the band, with the fourth and the second spot.
On 7 July 2007 the band performed on Live Earth-in framework of the benefit concert in the United Kingdom. Simpson was arrested shortly after the action after he was absent on a court case in which he was indicted on suspicion of cocaine possession.
A Hundred Million Suns (2008 — 2009)[Edit][]
[8][9]Singer Gary Lightbody during the Taking Back the Cities Tour with in the background the universe in origami, the theme of the album.
The band was going to after the Eyes Open to do a little quieter after years of touring. However, in early 2008, Lightbody announced that they were working to a successor with Lee again as producer. The album, A Hundred Million Suns came out in October and made his debut in the top 10 in most countries. To promote the album was toured there in the smaller halls of Great Britain. The single Take Back the City took out the top 40 is not in Netherlands, but came up to the sixth position in the United Kingdom.
At the end of 2008 brought singer Leona Lewis Run from her interpretation of. As a result, the original of Snow Patrol came the Singles Chart again on 28 in. Because this list again Chasing Cars came in at 65, the sure the band at the same time, three singles from three different albums in the UK Singles Chart had standing.
Crack the Shutters second single was released in the United Kingdom did it at the beginning of 2009, but was named in Netherlands by 538 Alarm disc and reached the 14th place in the Dutch Top 40. The third British single was published at the end of January: If there's a Rocket Tie Me to It and flopped as a whole to achieve by any chart.
The UK & Ireland Arena Tour started in February and then the band played next to Oasis during the Coca-Cola Zero Festival and did next, festivals in Europe. During the 40th edition of Pinkpop groomed Snow Patrol the closing concert on the Monday. In an interview at the festival, the band revealed that the new material will launch by the end of the year as a bridge between A Hundred Million Suns and the release of a new album. In may, The Planets Bend Between Us as the fourth and final single chosen. Lightbody commented In april on the condemnation of The Pirate Bayowners by saying that they do not deserve this punishment.
[10][11]Snow Patrol as support act for U2 (360 ° Tour) in theAmsterdam ArenA.
After the festival tour started the band as support act by Coldplay. On 20 and 21 July the band performed again on the support act of a U2-tour, this time to promote the album No Line on the Horizon in the U2 360 ° Tour and did it to the Amsterdam ArenA . On the night of 21 to 22 July gave the band a secret concert for prize winners to promote the fourth Dutch single If there's a Rocket Tie Me to It.
Up to Now and Reworked Tour (late 2009)[Edit][]
In August 2009 it was announced that the band's tour in november and december by Britain would start with an emphasis on former numbers, numbers of the Reindeer Section and new interpretations of hits would be laid. Shortly afterwards it was announced that there was a corresponding album in the making with Just Say Yes as the first single. Up to Now the album appeared on 9 november and featured singles, non-singles, B-sides and songs by the Reindeer Section. Just Say Yes the second in the Single Top 100 and reached the Top forty the first position, making it the highest rating of the band is in Netherlands. After the success of the song Run and chocolate were re-released, submitted by the compilation album.
Tired Pony and Fallen Empires (2010 — advance)[Edit][]
The band made stubs with the sixth studio album, making it one level higher will and that, according to Connolly another direction. The first step was previously set with Just Say Yes, with which it was merged with thetechnokant . Also were two solo projects of Lightbody planned: the electronic Listen... Tanks! and on country oriented Tired Pony, a collaboration with Archer, Lee and Peter Buck of r.e.m., which in July 2010 was released and was well received critically and commercially. The first project has been postponed.
By the end of that year the band together with Jacknife Lee in Malibu on the recordings of the new album. In June made Lightbody via his tumblr-page announced that the album Fallen Empires was finished and mixed the single on 21 July and went was Called Out in the Dark in Premiere, with strong industrial rock and electronic influences. The second single from the album This Isn't Everything You Are came on 3 October and on 11 november, the album was released that the band's first album is that on the first position in the Dutch Album Top 100 signed as a youth player. The album was the longest of all albums to work on and also with the longest playing time. At the end of december came in Netherlands and the United Kingdom among other things In the End as the third single from, while other countries were presented with New York . The band played during and opened in the meantime also 3FM Serious Request 2011 in Leiden and Music For Life 2011 in Ghent. At the end of February 2012, the band in the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium and at the beginning of March did the Ahoy Rotterdam for a double concerto. The successor of the album is already ready with material that during the recording of Fallen Empires was recorded. A release date for this is still unknown.
Band Members[Edit][]
| (September 1994-1996)
"Shrug" |
|
|---|---|
| (1996-1997)
"Polarbear" |
|
| (1997-2002)
"Snow Patrol" |
|
| (End 2002-March 2005)
"Snow Patrol" |
|
| (March 2005-present)
"Snow Patrol" |
|
Time Line[Edit][]
Tour Members[Edit][]
- Richard Colburn – drums, percussion (1996-1997, 2008-present)
- Tom Simpson – keyboards, samples (1997-2005)
- Iain Archer — guitar, added songwriter (2001-2003)
- Miriam Kaufmann — backing vocals (2006-2007, 2008-present)
- Lisa Hannigan — backing vocals (2007)
- Graham Hopkins – drums, percussion (February 2007)
- Johnny McDaid – keyboards, piano, guitar (2011-present)
Discography[Edit][]
Albums[Edit][]
| Album (s) with any charts in the
the Dutch Album Top 100 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Straw | 04-08-2003 | 08-05-2004 | 49 | 10 | |
| Eyes Open | 01-05-2006 | 06-05-2006 | 6 | 88 | Platinum |
| A Hundred Million Suns | 27-10-2008 | 01-11-2008 | 8 | 59 | Gold |
| Up to Now | 09-11-2009 | 14-11-2009 | 5 | 74 | Greatest Hits /Platinum |
| Fallen Empires | 11-11-2011 | 19-11-2011 | 1 (1wk) | 34 |
| Album (s) with chart positions in
the Flemish Ultratop 200 albums |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyes Open | 2006 | 13-05-2006 | 9 | 76 | |
| A Hundred Million Suns | 2008 | 01-11-2008 | 16 | 24 | |
| Up to Now | 2009 | 14-11-2009 | 8 | 49 | Compilation album/Gold |
| Fallen Empires | 2011 | 19-11-2011 | 4 | 50 * | Gold |
| Snow Patrol | 2012 | 11-08-2012 | 135 | 3 |
Singles[Edit][]
| Single (s) with any charts in the
the Dutch Top 40 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run | 21-06-2004 | - | No. 71 in the Single Top 100 | ||
| Chocolate | 15-11-2004 | - | No. 34 in the Single Top 100 | ||
| You're All I Have | 13-04-2006 | - | No. 88 in the Single Top 100 | ||
| Chasing Cars | 01-08-2006 | 07-10-2006 | 24 | 7 | No. 21 in the Single Top 100 |
| Shut Your Eyes | 20-04-2007 | 10-03-2007 | tip8 | - | No. 66 in the Single Top 100 |
| Shut Your Eyes | 21-10-2007 | 24-11-2007 | 14 | 16 | re-release/
No. 17 in the Single Top 100 |
| Take Back the City | 13-10-2008 | 20-09-2008 | tip3 | - | No. 36 in the Single Top 100 |
| Crack the Shutters | 12-12-2008 | 10-01-2009 | 14 | 11 | No. 36 in the Single Top 100/ Alarm drive |
| The Planets Bend Between Us | 25-05-2009 | 30-05-2009 | tip8 | - | 2009 Version |
| Just Say Yes | 27-10-2009 | 10-10-2009 | 1 (3 wk) | 23 | No. 2 in the Single Top 100/ Alarm drive |
| Run | 26-03-2010 | 27-02-2010 | 22 | 8 | re-release/
No. 75 in the Single Top 100/ Alarm drive |
| Chocolate | 23-06-2010 | 26-06-2010 | tip11 | - | Re-release |
| Called Out in the Dark | 25-07-2011 | 13-08-2011 | 10 | 10 | No. 12 in the Single Top 100/ Alarm drive |
| This Isn't Everything You Are | 03-10-2011 | 08-10-2011 | tip2 | - | No. 52 in the Single Top 100 |
| In the End | 10-12-2011 | 31-12-2011 | 35 | 5 | Alarm Drive |
| New York | 23-04-2012 | 16-06-2012 | tip21 | - | |
| I won't let you go | 2014 | 08-03-2014 | tip7 | - |
| Single (s) with chart positions
in the Flemish Ultratop 50 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You're All I Have | 2006 | 13-05-2006 | tip9 | - | |
| Chasing Cars | 2006 | 30-09-2006 | 3 | 34 | No. 6 in the Radio 2 Top 30 |
| Open Your Eyes | 2007 | 10-03-2007 | tip6 | - | |
| Signal Fire | 2007 | 26-05-2007 | tip15 | - | |
| Shut Your Eyes | 2007 | 15-09-2007 | 1 (3 wk) | 23 | No. 1 in the Radio 2 Top 30 |
| Set the Fire to the Third Bar | 2008 | 23-02-2008 | 41 | 2 | with Martha Wainwright |
| Take Back the City | 2008 | 15-11-2008 | 32 | 8 | |
| Crack the Shutters | 2008 | 28-03-2009 | 42 | 3 | |
| Just Say Yes | 2009 | 07-11-2009 | 6 | 16 | No. 5 in the Radio 2 Top 30 |
| Run | 2010 | 13-02-2010 | tip8 | - | |
| Called Out in the Dark | 2011 | 20-08-2011 | 7 | 23 | |
| This Isn't Everything You Are | 2011 | 21/01/2012 | 44 | 3 | |
| In the End | 2011 | 31-03-2012 | 43 | 1 | |
| New York | 2012 | 05-05-2012 | tip16 | - | |
| I'll never let go | 18-06-2012 | 07-07-2012 | tip82 | - | |
| Lifening | 16-07-2012 | 21-07-2012 | tip5 | - | |
| I won't let you go | 2014 | 05-04-2014 | tip57 * |
Radio 2 Top 2000[Edit][]
| Number (s) with markings
in the Radio 2 Top 2000 |
' 99 | ' 00 | ' 01 | ' 02 | ' 03 | ' 04 | ' 05 | ' 06 | ' 07 | ' 08 | ' 09 | ' 10 | ' 11 | ' 12 | ' 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chasing cars | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 342 | 90 | 49 | 63 | 56 |
| Chocolate | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1829 | - | - |
| Crack the shutters | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 732 | 1098 | 1054 | 1408 | 1237 |
| Just say yes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 258 | 319 | 491 | 529 |
| Run | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 327 | 198 | 207 | 179 |
| Shut your eyes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 228 | 460 | 339 | 473 | 479 |
| This isn't everything you are | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1629 | 1806 |