Coldplay
Snow Patrol
The band from Scotland and Northern Ireland formed in 1994 released three records before obtaining mainstream success with 'Final Straw'. Since the band was influenced by the likes of U2 and Coldplay, Snow Patrol has now created their own style of music that many people in the UK and America enjoy. Snow Patrol is now a household name and are one of the biggest bands of the noughties.
Originally formed in 1994 by Gary Lightbody (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Michael Morrison (drums) and Mark McCelland (bass guitar, backing vocals) called themselves The Shrug until they found out their was an another The Shrug in America. The band settled on calling themselves Polar Bear and creating their debut album 'Songs for Polar Bears'. After Michael Morrison left the band and the conflict between Jane’s Addiction bassist Eric Avery because his part time band was also called Polar Bear, they appointed the name that would stick, Snow Patrol. After appointing Johnny Quinn as their new drummer, Snow Patrol signed for Jeepster in 1997 and released two more albums. They were applauded by critics but unfortunately were a chart flop.
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Jeepster dropped Snow Patrol from their label in 2001 as the relationship soured between the two parties. After asking Nathan Connolly (lead guitar, backing vocals) to join the band, signing a record deal with Frition and working with producer Garrett ‘Jacknife’ Lee, the band secured their first number one album in the shape of ‘Final Straw’ in 2003. Their first top five hit also was supplied by this album called ‘Run’. After the success of the record, Mark McClelland departed Snow Patrol as he could not cope with the pressure of being a member of a successful band. Paul Wilson took his place. Full time keyboardist Tom Simpson also became an official member of the band.
After touring with U2, the band took a break to write their new album which would later become their biggest record to date ‘Eyes Open’ with £1.6 million in sales. They released the album in 2006 with their first single ‘You’re All I Have’ being a reasonable hit. The band however, was later pushed by their fans to release ‘Chasing Cars’ due to early download sales. The single remained in the top 75 for an astounding 90 weeks and was voted best song of all time in 2006 by Virgin radio listeners. Other singles included the notable ‘Set The Fire To The Third Bar’ featuring Martha Wainwright and ‘Open Your Eyes’. 2007 saw Snow Patrol writing ‘Signal Fire’, which became the official song for the film Spiderman 3.
‘A Hundred Million Suns’ was released in 2008 with the singles of ‘Take Back the City’, ‘Crack The Stutters’ and ‘If There’s A Rocket, Tie It To Me’. Snow Patrol toured with Coldplay and again with U2 followed by there own sell out tour across the UK. They released a greatest hits compilation entitled ‘Up To Now’ in 2009.
Still young and going strong, the future looks bright for the alternative outfit.
Dean Woodhouse
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band consisting of vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer/backing vocalist Will Champion. The band came together in 1998.
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The band came together as they met each other at the University Collage of London. With very different music background, they brought their expertise together to form Coldplay. As a young boy, Martin played the piano and later worked with American songwriter Tom Waits. Buckland however, grew up with heavy guitar sounds by listening to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Berryman was into funk rather than indie which led him being a bass guitarist and while Champion did not plan to be a drummer until he met the band due to his musical talents being more diverse.
Coldplay achieved fame with their third single, “Yellow” which went to No.4 in the UK chart followed by their debut album, “Parachutes” in 2000 which was nominated for the Mercury Prize and went to No.1 in the UK chart. Their follow up album, “A Rush of Blood to the Head” was a multiple award winning album that also went to No.1 including tracks, “In My Place”, “The Scientist” and “Clocks”. Third album “X&Y” was the third-fastest selling album in UK chart history and went straight in at No.1 and fourth studio album, “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends”, produced by Brian Eno (producer of U2's Joshua Tree) also went to No.1. To date, Coldplay have sold more than 50 million albums globally. The band’s influences have varied from album to album but they have been compared to Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, U2 and Travis.
With their success throughout the 00s, Coldplay are one of the biggest bands the UK have ever produced. They are as well known as U2 and Oasis and with youth on their side, it looks like they are going to be around for a long time. Coldplay have collaborated with icons such as Jay-Z and Kanye West, and they have used different influences for each album they make such as: Echo and The Bunnyman, Kate Bush, Muse and George Harrison for A Rush To The Head; Johnny Cash for X&Y and Blur, Arcade Fire and My Bloody Valentine for Viva La Vida. With this, Coldplay diversity and music skills are improving after every album they do, as they reach out for new fans, Martin and co continue to sell out arenas and stadiums across the world.
Coldplay actively participate in political and social programs like Amnesty International and Oxfam's Make Trade Fair. Apart from commercial projects, Coldplay also performed for charity projects like Band Aid 20, Sound Relief, Teenage Cancer Trust and Live 8.
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This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com.
