Originally called Polarbear, this Northern Ireland band released a three-song EP in 1997, Starfighter Pilot, before changing their name to Snow Patrol.
The band was actually formed in Scotland, where Gary Lightbody and original bassist/keyboardist Mark McClelland were students in Dundee. The band released Songs For Polarbears in 1997 and When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up in 2001.
Guitarist Nathan Connolly joined shortly after the band were dropped by London-based Jeepster Records. Snow Patrol then signed to Polydor and promptly scored a hit in 2003 with Final Straw, which reached number three in the U.K. album charts. The album's single "Run" debuted at number five in the U.K. singles charts; three more singles from it also subsequently charted—"Chocolate," "Spitting Games" and "How to be Dead."
McClelland left in March 2005, with Paul Wilson replacing him. The next month, Snow Patrol enlisted longtime touring keyboardist Tom Simpson as a full-fledged band member. The band played the immense Live 8 show in London in summer 2005, in the midst of an opening stint on U2's Vertigo tour. The next album, Eyes Open, was completed in late 2005 and released in spring 2006.
