SNOW PATROL

After seeing the band support Magoo on the recent Chemikal Underground/Jeepster tour, we thought they rocked and decided to ask for an interview.  Here it is.  A world exclusive which even has one or two swear words – very NME.

Please stand up and introduce yourselves to the class…

Gary: Introducing the band, on drums we have Jonny ‘Spacehopper’ Quinn, on bass guitar we have Mark ‘Maps’ McClelland and finally on guitar and vocals it's Gary ‘Alien’ Lightbody.

You didn’t play ‘100 things…’ at your recent Brighton show, how come? have you gone off it or something?

Gary:  Yes and no.  Because of the unscheduled appearance of the Chemikal snow who took some of our set time, we had to sacrifice ‘100 things…’.  We don’t always play it anyway, it depends on the weather, we also don’t play it very well, sometimes deliberately.

Did you have any wild rock n roll nights of excess while on tour with Magoo?

Gary:  There was one night when we forgot to throw the TV out of the window, but every other night we… Actually it’s all a lie, we’re all strictly Amish.

Gary, you have some very alien like facial expressions while on stage (No offence – its good for your stage presence), are you aware of this?

Gary: NO, I take offence as I have a severe facial tick which I have limited control over and jonny will always be teasing me and copying me and beating me up with this drumsticks and cymbals after the shows we do.  When he’s asleep I shit in his slippers.

Jonny: What I tend to do is make my own ‘alien’ faces and try and out do him.  It’s very competitive in one respect, who can pull the weirdest face and pull the weirdest girl in the crowd type thing.

Mark: I’m hoping for some stage presents this Christmas.

Gary, is your Telecaster on course for destruction as we heard you mutter “You were lucky this time” to it, or are you going to have a Symposium stylee trashing of your equipment?

Gary: How dare you mention that?!  It did get trashed though on the last night of the tour in Aldershot but I think I, someone who know how to fix guitars, will be able to fix it up nice like knew.  I have a love/hate relationship with my guitars, actually I don’t have any unbroken ones left but if I did I would so there hot dang digadedang.

How long have you been together and how did you get signed to Jeepster?

Gary:  Four years ago.  While I was teaching Marks sister how to swim in the shallow end of the swimming pool, Mark shouted out from the spectator gallery “get your hands off her baps”.  I guess it kinda went from there.  When we were busking and selling our bodies in Amsterdam we cam across (More literally than you could ever dare to imagine) Mark Jones who offered us a record deal in the throws of passion (we’ve got the photos and therefore a 26 album deal).

Are you good chums with any of your label mates?

Gary:  Belle and Sebastian are regular visitors to our bachelor pad when they need some help with their musical direction. Salako are still hiding.

Who are your favourite bands at the moment?

All:  Grandaddy, Groop Dogdrill (who put the ROCK back into rock – Gary), Neil Young, PJ Harvey, Super Furry Animals, Mercury Rev.

Have you had any response from Polar Bear regarding your album title?

Mark: I don’t think anyone has heard from Polar Bear…ever.  The title is partly a tongue in cheek dig at them but we didn’t expect them to burst into tears or anything, although that would be nice.

Finally, what are your favourite things?

Mark:  I love black and white war movies on rainy Sunday afternoons, seaplanes, pretty girls, free-form synchronized lawn mowing and my moog.

Gary:  Sheraton skyline hotel and conference centre.

Jonny: Canadian reserve mature cheddar and my own sandwiches, you have to try one.

Well that’s it from a fantastic band and a crap interviewer (or in Lamacq terms “shoddy”).  I recommend you go and see them live and I’m sure they will entertain you, as Robbie would put it.  After you’ve seen them buy their album ‘Songs for Polar Bears’ or alternatively go around to Jonny’s and have one of his world famous sandwiches, maybe I’ll see you there.