Let it snow, let it snow. . .Meet the band of the year - Glasgow s

IT'S been a big year for Glasgow's music scene. Indie-stalwarts Belle and Sebastian went all Radio 2 on us and art-rockers Franz Ferdinand waltzed off with the coveted Mercury Music Prize as well as all the critical plaudits. But it was Snow Patrol who gave us the singalong of the year - Run. The Glasgow based, Northern Irish-born quartet also sold millions of copies of their album, Final Straw, added U2 to their growing fan base, and ended up singing on Band Aid 20. Jeremy Paul caught up with Jonny Quinn, one of the founder members of the band of 2004.

It's been quite a year for you guys. What were the highlights?

Where do you start? Glastonbury was pretty amazing. Just to play there for starters and then have the crowd sing along to Run like that was a mad one. Mandela Hall in Belfast was pretty crazy. I've never heard a crowd so loud in my life. T in the Park was a big one for us.

Were your parents at T in the Park?

Yes. They loved it. Some girl stopped them and said, "What are you doing here? You're too old".

And my mum went, "Our son plays withSnow Patrol". So she got my mum and dad to sign her arm.

You're playing Glasgow's Hogmanay. What's your ideal New Year?

Ialways go away to the country.

Last year Iwent up to Achnaha in the Highlands to a cottage in the middle of nowhere, with a wee pub down the road. I've never really been in the city centre for Hogmanay before. It scares me, waiting for pints to rain down.

Do you feel like you owe Glasgow something?

Definitely. For us starting off, there were a lot of folks giving us gigs and that general musicians' community that goes on. It's a really down to earth place as well.

There was pressure to move down to London, but no way.

When did you realise 2004 was going to be your year?

When Run started getting the daytime (radio) play, that started making a difference.

When we supported Grandaddy in Brixton, we went on and did Run and everybody sang it. That was the moment we went, "This is turning around here, something is really happening, this is our break".

Are you sick of Run yet?

No. Maybe I should be. Not yet, maybe in a year's time. I'm more worried that people are sick of hearing it on the radio. But we're not sick of playing it. Yet.

Are any of you good skiers or snowboarders?

No, that's the irony. We're like the Beach Boys, in that they never went near the beach. I've skied before, but no one else in the band has. Ithink Gary is scared of skiing Didyou know that Snow Patrol were originally called Polar Bear?

That is until ex-Jane's Addiction bassist, Eric Avery, claimed the name and threatened to sue. And so Snow Patrol were born. But whatever happened to the US Polar Bear?

"The last I saw of him, he was playing with Alanis Morissette. Obviously, Polar Bear didn't do so well. But I'm happy we got Snow Patrol because it is a better name, so I'd also like to thank him. He did a good thing."

actually. The name comes from a mate who just made it up. Polar Bear was the start of it.

Is it true Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray used to put on gigs for you back in Belfast?

Yes. He ended up puking over the PA. He got so excited jumping around the front and had to pay to get it cleaned up. He was really enthusiastic when he was involved in a magazine in Northern Ireland.

He used to put on gigs and championed us early. It was good timing for us when he got the job with Radio One and everything happened from there.

Where is the strangest place you've heard your music?

The weirdest one, and it's quite bizarre, happened before Final Straw. In Brazil, there was a fashion designer who loved Black And Blue (from the second album). He cut it up and looped it and ordered 250 albums to hand out to the models and designers and everyone involved. And they were using this to walk down the catwalk.

That was the weirdest thing. And in Japan, when you hear us on the radio, there it's quite weird. But Japan is just crazy anyway.

Have you any tales of interesting new fans?

The biggest one is U2. We were going to play this big awards thing in Dublin and the guys were in a different flight than me. Iended up getting lost in a car going to the wrong airport. There was a bit of a panic. Meanwhile, Jacknife Lee (who produced Final Straw and U2's new album) said to the guys, U2 want to meet you. They walked into the studio and Bono's singing "Snow Patrol are in the house!" So the guys just stood there, mouths open, and Bono gave advice to everyone, and it was apparently brilliant. All while I was missing a flight. Bono asked the lads how everything's going, and they said "Great, but Jonny might not make this awards thing we're playing tonight". So Larry (Mullen - U2's drummer) said: "What song are you playing?"

"Run."

"I can play that! Sure I'll play it!"

And did he?

No. I made it just in time. But had I known, Iwould have missed the flight. I think the guys were kind of gutted when Iturned up.

And was performing on Band Aid 20 a surreal end to a surreal year?

It's just been a catalogue of bizarre incidents. We were added quite late. Everyone else involved was instantly recognisable but even some of the press were asking of us, "Who are these people?" We were thinking, why are we here? Until someone reminded us that we've sold as many albums, if not more, than most of the people there. So that's why we were there, but we still can't get our heads around it.

Were you drumming?

No, I was singing. Very badly. And playing a cow bell, among everybody else. I still played on a record with a Beatle (Sir Paul McCartney played bass on the single). That's the weirdest thing.

Snow Patrol play Barrowland December 19-21 and Glasgow's Hogmany in George Square.

Their new DVD, Mums And Dads Of The World Be Patient With Your Children, is out now

Meet the boys

Gary LightbodyGary was the mastermind behind The Reindeer Section, a Glasgow indie supergroup featuring members of Belle and Sebastian and Mogwai Mark McClelland He met Gary on their first day at Dundee University in 1994. Less than 24 hours later they had written their first song together Nathan ConnollyThe last to join the quartet, Final Straw is Nathan's first Snow Patrol album. Before joining the band he was working in HMV Jonny Quinn Jonny is a serial stage diver, but since Snow Patrol have hit the big time, he has been told to quit in case he breaks his valuable drumming arms

Copyright 2004 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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