Snow Patrol to Play Intimate Belfast Gig Ahead of 2025 Arena Tour
The popular Scottish rock band Snow Patrol will be performing an intimate gig at Belfast's Ulster Hall on 13 September, just two days after a show at KOKO London on 11 September. These performances mark a prelude to their upcoming arena tour in 2025.
The band, comprising Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly and Johnny McDaid, is embarking on this tour in support of their new album, "The Forest is The Path," their first release in six years. This album also marks the first without former drummer Johnny Quinn and bassist Paul Wilson.
"The Forest is The Path" is due for release on 13 September and features the recently released single, "All," the third track from the album. Lightbody, the band's frontman, expressed his excitement regarding the song, stating, "I was blown away by the reaction it has been getting from crowds hearing it for the first time."
"All" was co-written by Lightbody and producer Fraser T Smith, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Adele and Stormzy. The artwork for both the album and the single is comprised of paintings by Lightbody himself.
Speaking on the collaborative process with Smith, Lightbody commented, "The first day of writing with him, I walked into the studio and he had already got some music going. It was all very much 'Hi, how are you? What about this?' and, bam, we were off. I love when that happens. Not really a fan of the small talk. I like big talk. And when you're writing a song with someone, you have to get to the big talk [or what's the point], so why wait?"
Snow Patrol began their European and UK tour in July, and their eight-date arena tour across the UK and Ireland is scheduled to kick off in February 2025.
Reflecting on the album's themes, Lightbody explained that "The Forest is The Path" is rooted in introspection and the exploration of love through the lens of time. "I haven't been in a relationship for a very long time, 10 years or more, so love from a distance to me meant the way a relationship sits in your memory from a distance of, say, 10 years," he said.
"That's not something I'd previously thought about as a way to write about love. So, it's like, when you're in love, you're standing in the lobby of the Empire State Building. When you've broken up with that person, you're out in the street. You can still see the building but you're not in there any more. And when it's 10 years later, now you're standing in Brooklyn looking at the Manhattan skyline."
Tickets for the Belfast gig go on general sale on Wednesday, 14 August 2024, at 10 am. Further information on the upcoming gigs and pre-sale details can be found on the Snow Patrol store.
