Playing to screaming fans at a free gig in the middle of the day in one of the capital's most impressive venues might not be the most risky way of introducing your new album. Better be good then...
Fortunately for Snow Patrol they haven't got the attention of the world, God, and his dog detailing every note and jaded falsetto every time they release an album, a la Coldplay.
Having been round the block several times with their shoe-laces undone as great record after greater record has passed largely unnoticed by the mainstream, the Dundee five-piece finally struck silver with 2004's massive seller 'Final Straw'. Now, determined that their lengthy career is not going to end up on that note, Gary Lightbody has pledged everything on latest release 'Eyes Open', claiming it to be Snow Patrol's finest moment and their potential legacy, promising a bigger sound of brass and strings and drafting in a choir.Fitting then that one of their first UK gigs showcasing their brand new material is in Covent Garden's Royal Opera House, its arched, modern interior, panelled by glass prompting a bewildered response from Lightbody as he takes to the stage. "It's like playing in a train station isn't it?" Kicking off with the seasoned 'Wow' it's clear that the frontman is revelling in being back on the live stage, grinning almost non-stop as the band tear through crowd favourite 'Chocolate'. Perhaps it's because he knows he's going to be on TV (the show being part of a 'secret gigs for fans' series being put on by Vodaphone), perhaps it's the sight of middle aged fans losing it to his tunes in the middle of the day, or it could be the fact that for the first time ever he can watch his own band playing back their hits thanks to a huge mirror on the back wall of the room.
The 'Final Straw' classics ('Run', 'How To Be Dead', 'Spitting Games') of course draw the biggest cheers to the delight of the TV men, but it's the songs from the new album that everyone's waiting on. Even the fans who cheer the affirmative when Lightbody asks who's downloaded new tracks illegally, before sheepishly looking over their shoulder when he jokes that security have been instructed to nab them, are eager to hear how the songs sound live - and ultimately it's a mixed bag. 'It's Beginning To Get To Me' is a chuggy brooding pop song with minimal verses but an explosive chorus, a slightly backward cousin of current single and set closer 'You're All I Have', which still gets better with every listen.
It's the tracks featuring the choir (only half of them here in number today) that really resonate the strongest and suggest that Snow Patrol have in fact moved on. The first, 'Hands On', is average at best with Lightbody getting as tangled up as his matted barnet towards the end, attempted harmonies and ambitious vocal assaults becoming lost in a maelstrom of confused warbling - perhaps distracted by his lyrical nod to Sufjan Stevens. Fortunately, the delicate 'Shut Your Eyes' utilises the cooing of the choir to better affect, its warm and soothing chorus perfectly suited to the classical setting of the opera house, before 'Make This Go On Forever' builds a stirring lament and brings forth the goose bumps. However, the best new song of the set comes in the shape of 'Chasing Cars', a stripped down yet atmospheric U2-like anthem in the making that has the potential to be the next 'Run'.
Snow Patrol haven't veered too far from the tried and tested formula, however the promise of 'strings, brass, and choir' has added a new dimension that should see them hit even bigger times, not least in front of thousands under the stars at festival throughout the summer. And, perhaps most strikingly, the band are clearly loving it - or is that just themselves in that mirror?
SET LIST
Wow
Chocolate
It's Beginning To Get To Me
Spitting Games
Hands Open
Shut Your Eyes
Chasing Cars
How To Be Dead
Make This Go On Forever
Run
You're All I Have
Source: http://www.virtualfestivals.com
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