“It took the Beatles six years to change the music yet it took us six years to make an album”

Snow Patrol finally return to Leeds after eleven years to play a sold-out gig at the First Direct Arena on a chilly Tuesday evening. Frontman Gary Lightbody seemed surprised that this many people would still turn up after all these years in comparison to the first time they played in Leeds, which saw only one person showing up.

Support came from fellow Irish singer-songwriter Roe and Irish rock band Kodaline, who didn’t seem too impressed with this Leeds crowd, “I thought Leeds was lively”. Perhaps the older crowd weren’t as energetic as they’d hoped.

After a seven-year hiatus, the five-piece began their set with ‘Take Back The City’ off their 2009 Up To Now album which had the crowd clapping. The lighting and visuals were dazzling illuminating the stage. Hearing old favourites like ‘Open Your Eyes’, ‘You’re All I Have’ and ‘Hands Open’ brings back many memories of long car journeys. The repetitiveness of ‘Shut Your Eyes’ allowed the audience to interact with the band and sing the line, tier by tier consecutively creating the chorus effect you hear on the record. Another song from Eyes Open, ‘You Could Be Happy’ had a sparkling mesh curtain boxing the band in which was mesmerising, creating optical illusions.

Having released Wildness last May, seven years after Fallen Empires it was refreshing to hear new songs, ‘Heal Me’ and ‘What If This Is All The Love I Ever Get’ which still have that Snow Patrol vibe about them with deep emotions attached. Lightbody exclaimed that ‘Empress’ took five years to write and “It took the Beatles six years to change the music yet it took us six years to make an album”.

The classic, ‘Chasing Cars’ was dedicated to boxer Josh Warrington and ‘Run’ is surprisingly eighteen years old since release. Both left the crowd cheerfully singing but you could definitely hear more of the man sat behind me singing the chorus than Gary Lightbody. Ending the set with catchy “Just Say Yes” left the crowd thinking they will say yes to seeing the band again in which they promised they will be back sooner than eleven years.

Amy Brown

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