Gary Lightbody

Gary Lightbody

Gary Lightbody (born 15 June 1976 in Bangor, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish musician and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.

Personal

Gary Lightbody studied English literature and English language at the University of Dundee. As a songwriter, he has written songs and lyrics for a wide variety of artists. In 2001, he formed the Scottish supergroup The Reindeer Section including members of bands like Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai, Idlewild, Teenage Fanclub, Arab Strap and other else musicians . He works also as DJ in variously music clubs, often in teamwork with his Snow Patrol-bandmate Tom Simpson with whom he recorded an album sampler for the British music compilation series Late Night Tales in September 2009. He is one of the supporting voices for the growing music-scene in his hometown Belfast in Northern Ireland, and stated once in an interview to have grown up as an "Indie rock-kid"-inspired to become a musician through influences of artists such as Kurt Cobain, Super Furry Animals and Sebadoh. Lightbody prefers to keep his private life very private. He was listed in 2009's Poll of Sexiest Irishmen.

Furthermore he writes as essayist articles or columns in variously music magazines and newspapers like Q The Music.com magazine or did write for The Irish Time's music section as guest-editor. As passioned music fan and DJ he recommends in his blogs or esssays albums and artists of different and wide-ranging genres of music. In the magazine "The New Statesman", he referred to his journey to Uganda with the aid organisation Save The Children.

Gary Lightbody is currently on the board of directors of the Oh Yeah Belfast Music Centre (Oh Yeah Music Centre) in Northern Ireland, a project set up to give young artists a place where they can share ideas and kick-start their music careers, as often is the trend of talent leaving the country from lack of appraisal. He supported young bands from Northern Ireland and involved them as support bands to shows of Snow Patrol's UK & Ireland Arena Tour of February-March 2009.

Musical career

After attending Rockport School and Campbell College, he moved to Dundee, Scotland in 1994 to attend the University of Dundee. It is here that he formed the band Polar Bear (after the original name 'Shrug') with fellow student Mark McClelland, also from Northern Ireland. Initially, Michael Morrison, then Richard Colburn of Belle & Sebastian featured on drums. Lightbody then asked Jonny Quinn to move from Belfast to take over on drums. Facing legal action from an American band of the same name, the boys changed their name to Snow Patrol. He was one of the celebrities who filled in for DJ Zane Lowe on his radio show after he took his annual leave. He was subsequently voted the best fill-in DJ amongst them by the listeners.

Snow Patrol

Lightbody formed the band with classmate Mark McClelland and drummer Michael Morrison in 1994. In the band's first seven years of existence, they added drummer Jonny Quinn, released two albums (Songs for Polarbears, and When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up), and toured with bands such as The Levellers, Ash and Travis, before signing to Polydor offshoot Fiction. Their first album on Fiction, Final Straw, saw Lightbody working with producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee, who went on to produce U2. After the success of Final Straw, the band headed back into the studio to record the next album for Fiction, Eyes Open, which was again produced by Lee. Their first single for A Hundred Million Suns is "Take Back The City". "A Hundred Million Suns" was released on 28 October 2008.

Collaborations, side and solo projects outside Snow Patrol

Lightbody performing live at Madison Square Garden in 2007

2000-2002

• Lightbody formed in 2000 the Scottish supergroup The Reindeer Section, made up of 47 musicians from 20 different bands. They released yet two albums: Y'All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear! in 2001 and Son of Evil Reindeer in 2002.

• In addition to work on Snow Patrol and side-project material, Lightbody has also lent his voice to the band Mogwai (one track on Rock Action).

• In 2001 he contributed furthermore British Breakbeat/Electronica musician Cut La Roc's song Fallen.

2005-2006

• In 2005 he was included in another musical collective, The Cake Sale, formed by Brian Crosby to raise funds and awareness for Ireland's Make Trade Fair campaign. He partnered with Lisa Hannigan to perform "Some Surprise", a song written by Bell X1's Paul Noonan. The song reached #5 on Irish charts as a radio–single release.

• He contributed vocals to The Freelance Hellraisers Waiting for Clearance debut album in 2006 and for UK producer Kidda's debut album Going Up.

2007-2008

• As songwriter for the track "Just Say Yes" for Nicole Scherzinger's debut solo album Her Name Is Nicole but due to the album being shelved the single was re-recorded by Pussycat Dolls and remains unreleased by Scherzinger. For autumn 2009 announced Gary Lightbody in an interview releasing his self written song "Just Say Yes" as single by Snow Patrol.

• In 2007 he leant his voice to British House musician and DJ Cut La Roc's track Mishka on his album Larger Than Life which is yet to be released.

Lightbody in 2008, Bloomsbury Theatre in London

2008-2009

• With his friend and music producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee he works currently on the album Listen... Tanks!, a Napoleonic rock-band collaboration. One-time bandmate Iain Archer has been approached to contribute.

• In spring 2009 he announced to work actually on a solo album as sideproject outside his band Snow Patrol titled as Tired Pony and what he described in interviews as Country influenced.

• In May 2009 he started to write as essayist his music column Gary Lightbody's Band of the Week in the magazine Q The Music.com

• August/September 2009: Gary Lightbody founds with Johnny Quinn and Nathan Connolly Polar Music, a publishing music company "run by artists for artists" in co-work with Universal Music Group and which will be administered by Kobalt Music in London. Polar Music’s debut signing is artist Johnny McDaid from Northern Ireland who is currently writing with German Electronica/Trance DJ Paul Van Dyk for an album due 2010.

Musical equipment

Guitars

• Lightbody's main guitar is a Fender '72 Telecaster Deluxe reissue in Black. Gary's guitars are known for the 'CELT' sticker on them.
• Gibson SG - Black with White Pickguard
• Fender Telecaster '72 Thinline Reissue – Blonde
• Fender Telecaster (c)'77 Deluxe – Blonde
• Fender Telecaster Standard – USA model in Yellow
• Gibson Les Paul Deluxe - Black (also bears the CELT sticker)
• Gretsch 6120 New Nashville - Orange (seen during a 2008 performance on Later... with Jools Holland)
• Guild Acoustic

Amplifiers

• Diamond Decada Amp Head With Decada 4x12 Cab (Uses Two of the same)
• Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo Heads With Rectifier 4x12 Cabs
• Marshall JCM800 2203 With JCM 1960A 4x12 Cab
• Marshall 3315 Transistor Amp(Originally Used By Nathan Connolly)With 1960TV 4x12 Cab
• Vox AC30 CC's

Effects

Gary's Pedalboard

• BOSS TU-2 Tuner
• BOSS TR-2 Tremolo
• BOSS CS-3 Compression Sustainer
• Two BOSS SD-1 Super Overdrives
• BOSS GE-7 Equalizer

Misc

• Picks: Dunlop Tortex Standard Orange .50mm
• Strings: Gauge .010
• Pickup Preference: Neck Position. Amplifier EQ set quite bright for jangly tone
• Vocal Mic: Shure Beta 58

External links

• Snow Patrol
• The Reindeer Section