Gary Lightbody
| Gary Lightbody | |
|---|---|
Gary Lightbody at Tempodrom (Berlin, Germany) in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Born |
15 June 1976 Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Alternative rock, power pop, indie rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | R |
| Associated acts | Snow Patrol, The Reindeer Section, The Cake Sale, Listen... Tanks!, Tired Pony, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran |
Gary Lightbody (born 15 June 1976) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.
Born in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, to Jack and Lynne (née Wray) Lightbody, on 15 June 1976, Jack Lightbody has been an independent business owner and has roots in Rosemount, Derry. Gary Lightbody has one sister, Sarah, and attended Rockport School and Campbell College.
In 1994, Lightbody left home for Scotland to study English literature and English language at the University of Dundee.
Lightbody formed a band with Mark McClelland and drummer Michael Morrison in 1994, called Shrug. Morrison left the band later, and the band were forced to change the name to Polarbear, as another band had claimed the name. 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 Levellers, Ash and Travis. The band stayed in Glasgow during the recording of the first two albums. Lightbody used to hold a job at the Nice n Sleazy's Bar in Sauchiehall Street. Today, Lightbody owns a small place in Glasgow and says he will never leave the country behind, though he resides in Belfast. He feels an attachment to the place, as it gave him his first taste of success.
In the early days, Lightbody used to drink very heavily, and in his words, was "irrational, erratic, neurotic". He had become frustrated by Snow Patrol's lack of financial success and felt lost and aimless. He started cursing at the audience and demolishing the band's equipment. He found himself breaking guitars they could not afford. This phase ran for two years. He later gave up drinking and now does it "for fun" and credits his band mates for the turnaround. The song "Disaster Button" (A Hundred Million Suns) deals with this topic. Though a musician, he cannot read music and has said that he "guesses" his way through chords. He has a baritone vocal range.
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