Humble Beginnings

Formerly Shrug and then Polar Bear, the band finally settled for Snow Patrol because both names had already been snapped by American bands, including one, (Polar Bear) fronted by Jane's Addiction ex-bassist Eric Avery. Their first two albums, Songs For Polar Bears and When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up, were received well critically, but made little impact commercially. In 2001, Snow Patrol were dumped by record label Jeepster, and then reduced to selling personal assets to keep the band afloat. It was during this period that Snow Patrol reached their ultimate “low point” – the aforementioned strip club performance – an experience that drummer Jonny Quinn refers to as plainly “horrendous”. It was the release of their third album, Final Straw – a very intentional name choice, says frontman Gary Lightbody – that turned things around. Signed then to Black Lion (Polydor Records), despite no significant shift in Snow Patrol's sound, the album – and single Run particularly – did phenomenally well in both the UK and abroad. Then came Eyes Open, the album that solidified their name in the consciousness of modern pop-rock listeners. Inquiring whether Connolly has grown weary of hearing that Snow Patrol song – yep, the Grammy-winning, Grey's Anatomy and ER featured, emotionally climactic Chasing Cars – Connolly is impressively diplomatic.

“Depends what you mean. Live, I'll never get sick of hearing people sing that song back… it's a moment in our show… that's what keeps it fascinating for us and not boring or mundane. Other than playing it live, I don't really have an opinion about that. The song belongs to the public. It's almost not our song anymore. And that's the best you can hope for a song. Maybe at one point, around six months to a year after it came out and did what it did” – which Connolly adds, gave the band “a career and the opportunity to travel around the world” – “we felt like we were that band and that song. But we always knew there was much more to it. And on the other hand, I'd rather have a song like that, than not have it at all.”

But regardless if it's nails-on-a-chalk-board sentiments or otherwise, it's 2011's Fallen Empires that is most central to their upcoming Australian tour and the album, as it turns out, that drew huge inspiration from Arcade Fire.

Snow Patrol have been quoted saying it was the Canadian seven-piece's most recent, and ridiculously seminal album The Suburbs that compelled them above all to, “up their game”, and thus Connolly needs little invitation to unleash some praise. “That record's fucking stunning,” Connolly blurts unabashedly.

“But we feel that way about lots of albums,” he continues. “U2's Achtung Baby was one for me. But The Suburbs, we listen to that album a lot, you know, because we're fans of music. That's who we are, that's what we do. But the thing that excited us about that record was that it felt like its own world, its own complete record. It was honest. It was unapologetic. It's a fucking amazing record. And we don't necessarily want to make an album that sounds like that or copy it, but it's the idea behind that and the inspiration from that. They set the bar incredibly high with that album. It's almost like a healthy jealousy. And we're not competitive in that respect, but I think healthy jealousy is a good thing. That's what inspires us to make ourselves better and make better music.”

And did Snow Patrol make better music on Fallen Empires? Connolly claims the album is the band's best and gallant effort yet. “As musicians, it absolutely is. I think, I hope, it's the first step towards something really great. They're tentative steps into exploring all things. For example, a song like Fallen Empires, which I think is the most different and inventive thing we've done, that's where I see the future of this band. I think the next record will be even braver and bolder, and more confident. We were all those things on this record, but I think it's the first step.”

And despite it changing all the time, Connolly's favourite track off the recent album is one that epitomises the aforementioned sentiments: it's strong, original, littered with unpretentious harmonies, and, hopefully not to anyone's detriment, pretty damn addictive.

“It's different depending on the moment, but I think generally my favourite track is Fallen Empires,” he says. “Because I think that track is us at our greatest. We're inventive and strong musically. And again, unapologetic. And not afraid to try… and for that reason it's that track.”

Despite being kept busy with a new album and an arseload of touring, it turns out Snow Patrol do a good job at keeping their fingers in multiple proverbial pies, founding and managing music publishing company Polar Patrol Publishing, and scoring cameo roles in Game Of Thrones.

Eager to address the musically irrelevant – but televisually phenomenal – early, I inquire about Lightbody's donning of medieval gear for an upcoming episode of the fantasy series. “I only found out he was in it today!” exclaims Connolly. “And it's great! It's a great TV show, we're big fans. I know that Gary's a huge fan.”

As for the publishing company, knowing too well the challenges of upholding commitments to major labels, Snow Patrol settle instead for one-album deals with the artists they endorse. PPP first signed Johnny McDaid, who's now writing with Paul van Dyk, and have recently signed Brighton artist Kidda, and Brooklyn-based rockers Here We Go Magic, who played Splendour In The Grass just a few weeks back.

“[It was] our drummer Jonny Quinn, who had the idea of starting this publishing company, and he's one for ideas. It's about being involved beyond making your own music. And Here We Go Magic's album A Different Ship, it's probably the best record of this year. Listening to it, I don't know whether to write more or give up! It's hugely inspiring. I guess we're just excited to be a part of that.”

As for their tour, come September, Connolly gives little away about what to expect. “Well I hope we can make it more than just acoustic, and can be a lot more inventive with it. It's somewhere we love being, it's somewhere we love touring, and we haven't been there in a while. It's an amazing place. But I don't have any preconceptions about what it's going to be like, you know, we'll just come down and do what we do. Enjoy being there… and hopefully make it a lot more than acoustic – without giving anything away.”

Snow Patrol will be playing the following shows:

Sunday 30 September - Regent Theatre, Melbourne VIC
Monday 1 October - State Theatre, Sydney NSW