Snow Patrol is one of the most progressive bands in Britain. The group creates exclusively within the framework of alternative and indie rock. The first few albums turned out to be a real "failure" for the musicians.
To date, the Snow Patrol group already has a significant number of "fans". The musicians received recognition from famous British creative personalities.
The history of the creation and composition of the Snow Patrol group
For the first time fans of heavy music got acquainted with the group Snow Patrol in 1994. The first members of the team were:
- Gary Lightbody;
- drummer Michael Morrison;
- guitarist Mark McClelland.
When it came time to choose a name for their brainchild, the trio settled on the creative pseudonym Shrug. Musicians began to perform at parties. Soon the guys released the album The Yogurt vs. Yogurt Debate. The mini-collection was not commercially successful, but it helped the musicians gain their first fans.
In 1996, the soloists changed their name to Polar Bear to avoid copyright issues. The changes affected not only the name, but also the composition. The team left Michael Morrison. He was replaced by Johnny Quinn. In this composition, the group's discography was replenished with another album, which was called Starfighter Pilot.
The Polar Bear group began to actively perform in local clubs. But the guys again had problems. The fact is that in the music world there has long been a band with the same name. Thus, young people again began to think about a new creative pseudonym. So, in fact, a new name appeared - Snow Patrol.
The creative path and music of the group Snow Patrol
Since 1997, the musicians began to cooperate with the independent label Jeepster. Soon the team moved to the territory of Glasgow and started working on the first professional record.
In 1998, the discography of the new band was replenished with the album Songs for Polar Bears. It cannot be said that the collection enriched the wallets of musicians. But one thing can be said for sure - the guys noticed. After the release of the collection, the musicians signed a contract with Philips.
But the second studio album "shot" and was called When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up. It was highly acclaimed by music critics, although it sold poorly.
During that period of creative activity, the band's music was harsh and aggressive. The Snow Patrol band experimented with sound. Musicians combined incompatible styles. This approach allowed even more to go into an alternative world.
The Snow Patrol has been touring extensively since the early 2000s. But, despite this, music lessons did not give enough profit. It was one of the most difficult times for every member of the team.
The band soon lost their lucrative Jeepster contract, and Gary Lightbody had to sell off his record collection to get the money to support his band. Hard times did not prompt the thought: “But should the group be dissolved?”. Moreover, a new member joined the team - Nathan Connolly.
Thanks to university acquaintances, the team managed to start cooperation with the Fiction label. Soon the band's discography was replenished with a new compilation Final Straw. The hit of the record was the track Run. The song entered the top 10 of the UK charts. This meant one thing - the musicians finally woke up popular.
Group line-up update
In 2005, new musicians joined the band - keyboardist Tom Simpson and bassist Paul Wilson. The latter came to replace Mark McClelland. In this composition, the group presented a new collection, which was called Eyes Open.
Interestingly, the Chasing Cars song was used as the soundtrack to the TV series Grey's Anatomy and was nominated for a Grammy Award. According to music critics, this is one of the most worthy albums by Snow Patrol.
But success was overshadowed by some events. The fact is that lead singer Gary Lightbody fell ill. The musicians were forced to postpone the tour and upcoming performances. However, the speeches did not end there. Performances again had to be cancelled. It was all the fault of the terrorist attacks in the UK and serious injuries to the bassist.
After these events, the musicians were forced to take a break to prepare for the release of a new album. The compilation album A Hundred Million Sun was released in 2008. At the same time, the group was "heated" by such bands as Oasis and Coldplay. In 2008, a video clip for the song Take Back the City was released.
Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the band's inception, the members of Snow Patrol decided to change the sound of the tracks. The soloists invited a new member to the team, it was Johnny McDaid. In the team, he took the place of a new musician and author of tracks, then began work on the next album. In 2011, the band's discography was replenished with a new album, Fallen Empires.
After 2011, the musicians announced that they were taking a hiatus for an indefinite period. At this time, they released only one collection. The band said goodbye to Tom Simpson. The musicians began to collaborate with the label Polydor Records.
In 2018, the band presented the album Wildness. The new collection of Snow Patrol is recommended for listening not only to fans of the band who are nostalgic for the 2000s. Against the backdrop of the global trend towards depression, the album Wildness with the unspoken slogan “We were able to record an album - and you can” may well become a manifesto for everyone who is going through a not the best period of his life.
Snow Patrol group now
In 2019, the band presented the Reworked mini-collection, consisting of new versions of musical compositions. In addition, in 2019 the musicians appeared at the Legend Award, which was presented in November in Belfast. The group started 2020 with concerts.
