Snow Patrol: The story of the 'Chasing Cars' hitmakers' career

Snow Patrol are one of the most popular alt-rock/indie bands EVER! Since their 1998 debut, Songs for Polarbears, the Northern Irish/Scottish band have racked up an impressive number of critical and commercial accolades.

What makes the band so special? From poetic songwriting to their connection with their fans, Snow Patrol continue to sell out iconic music venues across the world. Having enjoyed such an incredible career, we thought we'd take a closer look at the band's history and success.

Who is in Snow Patrol?

The band was originally made up of lead singer Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar, piano), Jonny Quinn (drums), Nathan Connolly (guitar), Paul Wilson (bass) and Johnny McDaid (keyboards, guitar).

In September 2023, Gary took to the band's Instagram page to announce that Jonny and Paul had decided to leave the band, with Jonny choosing to pursue a career as a solo artist. The band is continuing as a trio made up of Gary, Nathan and Johnny, with a new album set to be released in 2024.

When did Snow Patrol form?

Former members include Mark McClelland on bass and keyboards from 1994 to 2005, Michael Morrison on drums 1994 to 1996 and Tom Simpson on keyboards and piano between 2005 and 2013. The band's touring musicians are Richard Colburn, Iain Archer, Colm MacAthlaoich, Miriam Kaufmann and Troy Stewart.

How did Snow Patrol get their name?

The band originally came together at the University of Dundee in 1994, when Gary Lightbody, Mark McClelland and Michael Morrison began playing as students under the name Shrug.

After swapping from Shrug to Polar Bear to avoid any conflicts with American bands also using the name, they renamed the band to Snow Patrol in 1997 after discovering another band called Polar Bear. In keeping with the icy theme, the band chose the name after a friend jokingly referred to them as the Snow Patrol whilst they were still called Polar Bear.

Where do Snow Patrol come from?

The three current members are from Northern Ireland, with the band originally forming in Dundee, Scotland. Gary Lightbody is from Bangor, Nathan Connolly is from Belfast and Johnny McDaid is from Derry.

What is Snow Patrol's most popular song?

It's probably a toss-up between 'Chasing Cars' and 'Run', which had a new lease of life after The X Factor's Leona Lewis covered it in 2007, four years after the original release. But 'Chasing Cars' was crowned the most popular song of the 21st Century in July 2019, having had more radio plays than any other song according to music licensing company PPL.

When asked why he thought it was so popular, Gary said, "It's an emotionally open song and it's a simple song. But it's also unabashedly a love song, and we don't really have any others. The way it unifies an audience is the thing I most cherish about it. It's a beautiful moment every time you play it."

When did Snow Patrol release 'Chasing Cars'?

The track was released as the second single to the band's fourth album 'Eyes Open' in 2006 — and was certified 6x Platinum in 2024.

What movie was Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' in?

It has appeared in plenty of TV shows and films over the years, most notably receiving a huge boost from its inclusion in the second season's finale episode of Grey's Anatomy in 2006. It also featured in an episode of One Tree Hill, and also in Gavin & Stacey where the two titular characters get married.

How many albums have Snow Patrol released?

There have been seven studio albums by Snow Patrol so far, with an eighth due out in September 2024. Debut 'Songs for Polarbears' was released in 1998, the album title being a nod to their previous band name, of course. The record has been certified Gold in the UK.

Snow Patrol's follow-up, 'When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up', came out in 2001 and also received a Gold certification, and the band's third album 'Final Straw' in 2003 was their breakthrough, peaking at Number 3 and receiving 6x Platinum certification in the UK. It spawned singles 'Run' and 'Chocolate'.

Fourth album 'Eyes Open' in 2006 hit the top spot in the charts and has been certified 8x Platinum, containing songs 'You're All I Have', 'Chasing Cars', 'Set the Fire to the Third Bar', 'Open Your Eyes' and 'You Could Be Happy', which was also featured in a Gavin & Stacey episode.

Snow Patrol's fifth album, 'A Hundred Million Suns', was released in 2008 and peaked at Number 2, receiving a Platinum certification. It had songs 'Take Back the City' and 'Crack the Shutters' on it.

The sixth studio album was 'Fallen Empires', released in 2011 and containing 'Called Out in the Dark'. It peaked at Number 3 and was certified Platinum in the UK. The band took a break before putting out seventh album 'Wildness' in 2018, which peaked at Number 2 and was certified Gold. They also released 'Reworked' in 2019, which - as you can probably guess - contained several of their biggest hits that the band had reworked.

Are Snow Patrol still together?

They sure are! The band took a break after the release of 'Fallen Empires' as Gary was suffering from writer's block, later revealing that it made him feel "useless" and adding, "There's a lot of depression that is attached to it as well, because you feel like, 'Maybe the only gift I have has deserted me,' and you're kind of inconsolable really."

Thankfully, he was able to overcome it with the advice of other musicians, who told him to keep writing - "even if it's jibberish".

In 2023, Gary announced that a new Snow Patrol album is set to be released in 2024.

Snow Patrol new music

The band announced their eighth album 'The Forest Is the Path' is due to be released on Friday 13th September - with a UK and Ireland arena tour set for February 2025. The album's first single 'The Beginning' was released ahead of the album on 29th May, 2024.

What is Snow Patrol's most recent song?

Snow Patrol have released three singles ahead of their new album 'The Forest is the Path', including 'All' in August 2024, 'This is the Sound of Your Voice' in July 2024 and before that 'The Beginning' released in May 2024.

Are Snow Patrol going on tour?

The band have scheduled an eight-date UK and Ireland arena tour, starting on 15th February 2025 in London and finishing with two consecutive dates at the SSE Arena in Belfast on 27th-28th of February.

When did Snow Patrol play Glastonbury?

Snow Patrol played The Other Stage in 2004, and were slated to perform in 2019. Unfortunately, they were forced to pull out of the gig after a serious injury left Johnny McDaid in need of immediate surgery on his neck. The band also cancelled upcoming tour dates, and Nathan Connolly was also recovering from nerve damage.

The band released a statement on the matter, 'After consulting with some top neurosurgeons they are all in agreement that the only course of action is immediate surgery. To replace Johnny would take at least two people … we feel it’s not appropriate to continue with shows at this stage.

'It isn’t just their guitars and pianos that would be missed. Their backing vocals are essential to our sound, and their energy and spirits are colossal and are irreplaceable forces.'

Who from Snow Patrol was in Game of Thrones?

It was Gary! He had a small cameo in Episode 3 of Season 3, 'Walk of Punishment'.

Scroll through to see some of our favourite live moments from Snow Patrol:

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• Snow Patrol
• gary lightbody
• jonny quinn
• nathan connolly
• Paul Wilson
• Johnny McDaid