Although part of the thriving Glasgow, Scotland music scene, Snow Patrol has its roots in Northern Ireland. Three original members, Gary Lightbody (b. 15 June 1976, Bangor, Northern Ireland; vocals/guitar), Mark McClelland (b. 1971, Belfast, Northern Ireland; bass), and Jonny Quinn (b. Belfast, Northern Ireland; drums) were born and raised in Belfast. Lightbody and McClelland formed Snow Patrol in 1994 while studying in Dundee, enlisting Quinn during a tour of their native city. Originally known as Polar Bear, they released a limited edition EP on Electric Honey before signed to the fledgling Jeepster Records label and changing their name to Snow Patrol. Their debut Songs For Polarbears was released in August 1998. This collection of thrashy indie rock songs was given a contemporary sheen by DJ and keyboard player Tom Simpson. The trio balanced their studies with live work, before moving to Glasgow following graduation. When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up, released in March 2001, demonstrated a more experimental approach, with the US post-rock and lo-fi scenes providing particular inspiration.
Lightbody briefly took time out from Snow Patrol to record two albums with the star-studded "solo' project, Reindeer Section. He returned to his main band to record 2003"s Final Straw, their first offering for Polydor Records offshoot Black Lion. The album, which featured Simpson, additional guitarist Nathan Connolly (b. 20 January 1981, Belfast, Northern Ireland) and songwriting input from touring guitarist Iain Archer, provided Snow Patrol with their mainstream breakthrough. The influence of Coldplay and Radiohead was apparent on the anthemic "Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking" and "Run", with the latter giving Snow Patrol their first UK hit when it debuted at number 5 in February 2004. Further hits followed with "Chocolate" and "Spitting Games" as the album took up residence in the upper regions of the UK charts. It was also the band's breakthrough into the US market with sales of over quarter of a million.
Bass player McClelland left the band at the start of 2005. He was replaced by Paul Wilson (b. 20 October 1978; ex-Terra Diablo) and, in April, Tom Simpson was made an official member of the band. The much hyped new album Eyes Open was released the following May, receiving generally positive reviews and spawning a number of new Snow Patrol anthems, including "Chasing Cars", "Open Your Eyes" and "Set The Fire To The Third Bar", the latter a duet with Martha Wainwright. The album was another huge commercial success in both the UK and USA.
