#where is gary lightbody’s award

[barrowsteeth]

[exilehaylor]

William Bowery is... Harry Styles

Here’s a masterlist of everything I’ve found that points to William Bowery being Harry Styles! As I become aware of more information, I’ll add it to the post.

So as we all know, Taylor wrote with someone named William Bowery on “exile” and “betty” from folklore. Well here is all the evidence that I have found so far pointing to that person being the one, the only, Harry Styles.

We know that Harry was written under a pseudonym before (Mick Greenberg), so it’s not that far-fetched of an idea that he’d write under one again.

But wait, what about the theories that William is Joe or Lorde?

Joe: there’s no way that Joe, a man who is not a songwriter, wrote two songs as amazing as exile and betty (sorry Joe)

Lorde: fans have been wanting Taylor and Lorde to write together for years so why would Lorde write under a pseudonym? 

Onto the name William Bowery:

One of Harry’s last performances before everything went into lockdown was at the BOWERY Ballroom (thank you Rosie @ paintedmegclden)

In March 2012, Harry and Taylor both stayed at the BOWERY Hotel while in New York City (thank you to @ paperthinplans for reminding me of this)

Now, onto the lyrics:

It sounds like a conversation between them reminiscing where they went wrong

So if we assume Justin Vernon (Bon Iver’s) lines are Harry’s side of the conversation:

“I can see you standing, honey; With his arms around your body; Laughin’, but the joke’s not funny at all”

This refers to the 2015 Billboard Music awards when Harry was on stage and watched Taylor and Calvin laughing front row

And if we assume Taylor’s lines are her side of the conversation:

“I can see you starin’, honey; Like he’s just your understudy; Like you’d get your knuckles bloody for me”

This also refers to the BBMAs when Harry couldn’t take his eyes off Taylor

“Second, third, and hundredth chances; Balancin’ on breaking branches; Those eyes add insult to injury”

This refers to Haylor going back to each other after they had broken up (see the 2013 VMA’s)

“Those eyes add insult to injury” one of Harry’s most famous defining features are his eyes and Taylor has mentioned them in many songs

2015 BBMAs:

2013 VMAs:

Lines they both sing:

“I think I’ve seen this film before; And I didn’t like the ending”

When they started dating, it was Harry’s real first major public relationship whereas Taylor had may public relationships up to that point, meaning she was familiar with what would happen and how it would end

“I’m not your problem anymore; So who am I offending now?”

This is saying “We’re not together anymore so why are you acting like we are?” aka Harry’s jealousy

“We always walked a very thin line” just say fine line lmao

“You didn’t even hear me out” the lack of communication between the two of them

“You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs)” again, the lack of communication, but this is again referring to it being Harry’s first major public relationship but not Taylor’s. She thought the warning signs were obvious and knew they were doomed but he wasn’t picking up on it

“I never learned to read your mind (Never learned to read my mind)” again, just like above, Taylor thought the issues were obvious but Harry just couldn’t see it

“I couldn’t turn things around (You never turned things around)” Harry tried to make this relationship different for her but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t

It’s been compared to “The Last Time”

Who wrote “The Last Time”? Taylor, Gary Lightbody, and Jacknife Lee

Who wrote “Something Great” by One Direction? Jacknife Lee, Gary Lightbody, and Harry

The vertical video for “exile” is a clip from the “cardigan” music video where she’s clinging to the piano in the water

This scene mirror’s Harry’s music video for “Falling”

But what about Betty? William Bowery wrote on that song too!

We all know that Harry is a fan of Friends, that’s no secret. Just watch this video from @ taylenarare 

Betty is very similar to a Bob Dylan song and Harry is a known fan of his (again, thank you Rosie @ paintedmegclden )

Lyric parallels to Harry’s other songs:

The most obvious: “We always walked a very thin line”

“I got splinters in my knuckles crawling cross the floor” from “Only Angel” and “Like you’d get your knuckles bloody for me” (thank you Nouf @ prayingwickedly) 

“I’m selfish, I know; But I don’t ever want to see you with him; I’m selfish, I know; I told you, but I know you never listen; I hope you can see, the shape that I’m in; While he’s touching your skin; He’s right where I should, where I should be; But you’re making me bleed” from “Woman” references the 2015 BBMAs and their lack of communication

“I’m empty, I know; And promises are broken like a stitch is” from “Woman” again references how Harry tried to make this relationship different but failed

And that’s all I have so far! If I come across anything else, I’ll be sure to add it below!

[aijamisespava]

I Remember It...All Too Well

Last week, I stayed up until midnight waiting for Taylor Swift's rerecording of her 4th album RED. And let me tell you, it was...an experience. I bought breakfast sandwiches at my school convenience store (I'm in college), got some coffee for a "breakfast at midnight" ordeal like she sings in the song "22." I painted my nails red hours before while listening to the songs she owns (basically any album not released by Big Machine, singles that came out during the Lover era, and her rerecording of Fearless earlier this year). And it ended with me staying up until 2am listening to refreshed versions of an album first released when I was 10 years old. I also dressed in red, with a hat, a scarf, and OF COURSE red lipstick! To top it all off, I watched the premiere of the All Too Well Short Film on Youtube on my dorm bed...holding a pillow my mom had made of my Red 2012 t-shirt that was my birthday gift just the week before.

Oh yeah, I might have wanted to start like this. As you can kinda tell, I am a Swiftie. I have been since her first album, and stayed for the whole time. I mean, look at my username here. 1989sspeakingnow is a reference to my two favorite albums of hers, 1989 and Speak Now. My Wattpad bio has my album ranking of all her albums, and yes. I have three things of red lipstick. And I bought the Taylor Latte at Starbucks last week as well. Okay, enough about me, let's get to the point of what this blog will be about.

One thing I had been doing since this past summer was ranking albums that I listen to often. It's so interesting because you're listening to them and finding your favorite song, but it's hard when you love the artist and all their songs are good (Like me ranking Taylor Swift's songs!). And I had been wondering what to do with my rankings because I don't want to just leave them for nobody to know, but I am a little nervous about people being like "bUt WhY iS tHiS sOnG sO lOw (or hIgH)?" So I figured I would put them here.

Normally, I would put a reason as to why (in my own opinion) a song ranked where it did, but with 29 songs to rank? I'm not going to do that. I'm going to give the ranking, and then I am going to pick a couple songs that I want to highlight at the end. This blog is going to be long enough. So buckle up! Here is my ranking for RED (Taylor's Version)! *note: I'm not putting (Taylor's Version) or (From The Vault) on these songs. They're Taylor's now, and I will prolly discuss my favorite vault songs later*

29. State Of Grace (Acoustic) 28. Run (feat. Ed Sheeran) 27. I Almost Do 26. Treacherous 25. Sad Beautiful Tragic 24. The Lucky One 23. The Moment I Knew 22. Girl At Home 21. Starlight 20. Holy Ground 19. Better Man 18. State Of Grace 17. Come Back...Be Here 16. Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) 15. Forever Winter 14. 22 13. Stay Stay Stay 12. Babe 11. Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran) 10. Red 9. I Bet You Think About Me (feat. Chris Stapleton) 8. Message In A Bottle 7. The Very First Night 6. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 5. Begin Again 4. The Last Time (feat. Gary Lightbody) 3. I Knew You Were Trouble 2. All Too Well 1. All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Songs to Highlight: I have to start off with "Girl At Home". I LOVED the electro pop additions to it, and it made a song that was already a bop a bop even more. Mind you, I had already ranked the original songs from RED, and just added the vault tracks in when listening to them, so that's why "Girl At Home" ranks so low.

Next, I want to talk about "Message In A Bottle" and "The Very First Night." Those songs are actually closer to being tied! I loved their happy feel and was already jamming to them when I was barely a minute into listening to it.

"I Bet You Think About Me" was definitely one song I was not expecting to like so much. I had faded from the country scene not long after RED was released in 2012. Not to mention the high expectations I had for it after hearing Chris Stapleton perform at the CMA awards a couple nights before. But oh my goodness did I love it! The music video that came out on Monday was also hilarious and matched the tone of the song. *note: favorite line is "Oh my god, she's insane, she wrote a song about me"*

I had already really liked "The Last Time" when I heard it before. It ranked at number 3 in my original rankings before the rerecording. But OH MY GOD GARY LIGHTBODY! I had spent the whole song saying that Gary Lightbody's voice sounded amazing! It's one of the songs I have had on repeat this whole week! And the strings at the bridge to the end? LOVE IT!

I think the most anticipated song on RED was "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" and I was also highly anticipating it. The original "All Too Well" was my favorite song of not just the album, but of Taylor's whole discography. After hearing the whole 10 minutes, I had said on my socials that "Only All Too Well could beat All Too Well." This version of All Too Well overtook the original by so much. Not to mention that it was already number 7 of my most listened to tracks of the month literally 3 days after the album was released. I think I have this on repeat too.

Well, that's my ranking of RED (Taylor's Version). All the songs are amazing and I'm so happy she owns them! I may be back on here later to get my Fearless (Taylor's Version), Lover, folklore, and evermore rankings up. So, see you later!

[tassium]

#TAYLOR SWIFT APPRECIATION LIFE

PART 4 - Red

(part 1, part 2, part 3)

Aaaaand we are back! Time for another dive into the discography of Miss @taylorswift​ - this time, with her fourth studio album Red.

This is definitely one of my favorite Taylor albums - I think a lot of swifties will agree with me on that. There’s something so achingly beautiful about so many of the tracks, and I really can’t wait to dive in and listen again - it’s been a while since I listened to this whole album with intent.

Without further ado, let’s get into it, shall we?

1. State of Grace

If ever there has been a perfect way to open an album, I think we’ve found it, ladies and gents. Those drums! That electric guitar! What an introduction! 

And then there’s Taylor’s voice. Good lord, how I love her vocal performance on this track. Everything from how softly she delivers the beginning of the chorus to those belted notes - having listened to all of the first three albums in such short order, it blows me away to think of how much she improved from the beginning.

There’s also a lot of metaphorical writing choices that I really like. There’s something about that line “twin fire signs, four blue eyes” that just gets me every time.

And then. There’s the acoustic version on the deluxe album, and it’s so different but still so beautiful. Her voice starts off so soft, the song as a whole feels like a lullaby with this treatment. There’s something about the gentleness of this version that just hits me square in the chest.

2. Red

I. Love. Taylor’s. Metaphors. I love them! The descriptions in this song are so evocative, like - especially that one about knowing all the words to your old favorite song. That’s probably my favorite of this song’s selection.

The bridge is so cleverly put together, with the instrumentation perfect to back up the words she’s singing, and then... the final chorus, and her soaring vocals, and just... I love this song so much.

3. Treacherous

This is easily one of my favorite tracks on this album. So much of the lyrical content on this album as a whole is brilliantly evocative and paints such a picture, and I think this song is a highlight example of that. It’s like seeing a music video playing out in my head when I listen to this song. And of course it doesn’t hurt that this song is permanently tied to a trip to see a friend whom I was hopelessly in love with at the time (nothing came of it and I got over it, it was just a whole thing in my head). I’m pretty sure it’s played that role for A LOT of people over the years.

4. I Knew You Were Trouble

I love the almost light, almost too treble-y quality to the verses and prechoruses of this track, and then the chorus kicks in the door and the bass drops and takes you right down with it - to the cold hard floor (too much? yeah, I know)

The bridge bit (all of us remember That Performance where everyone freaked out about the pronoun, right?) is a highlight, thought honestly I have to say I think that’s the case because of the way it takes us into that One Note - at least for me, anyway.

5. All Too Well

Ooof, this track. Right in the feels. Given the right circumstances, this song can easily bring me to tears, and has done many, many times. Everything about it, from the lyrical content itself and her delivery of the words to the absolutely brilliant choices in the instrumentation - I haven’t quite figured out how they made such a driving beat in the second verse feel so soft even as the song builds up - it doesn’t really hit you until you get to the bridge--

And what a bridge it is, l o r d. That hurts, man, every time. The second half especially - what a picture and feeling it brings up to imagine feeling like “A crumpled up piece of paper” and what a comparison drawn in “to break me like a promise.”

6. 22

22 is a BOP and I’ll fight for that. She captured so much of what it feels like to be in your early 20s in this song - miserable and magical indeed. This song is so danceable and fun, which of course I can’t ever resist. I wouldn’t say it’s a work of genius or anything, but most of what Taylor does has at least a touch of genius in it - if only in the way that she can build such a good catchy song that gets stuck in everybody’s head.

“who’s taylor swift anyway? ew.” (I love that bit)

7. I Almost Do

When this song first came out, I only knew the feelings in it in an abstract sense, but since listening to this song the last time and this time for this review, Things have Happened and suddenly it’s hitting me a whole lot harder than it ever did before. Ouch.

I absolutely love the wind up into the “I almost do” in the bridge, and the amount of emotion she pours into that section - really, into the song in general. Also, what a closing line. It’s that same trick she’s been doing forever, but it just works so well here.

8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Speaking of absolute BOPS, this track, oh my god. There are so many delightfully vindictive lyrics - “some indie record that’s much cooler than mine” and that LAUGH in the background is a highlight for me every time. This song is so easy to sing and dance along to.

I especially love the way in the build up to the spoken bridge bit, the instrumental sounds like it’s in another room or something, and it gradually becomes clearer as the song keeps building, and then she hits that note - which, can we just talk about the 1989 era performance of this song at the I heart Music awards? because. Heck man.

9. Stay Stay Stay

So I’m not super involved with the swiftie community because honestly, yall are too much for me and I’m a little afraid of it, but... apparently people don’t like this track? And I don’t get it. Because this is so cute and bouncy and I love it to pieces. The wandering bassline and the ukulele usage along with the beat that sounds like someone clapping, and that cute little guitar riff in the instrumental bits? It’s so much fun! And then her little giggle at the end is like. the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.

I’ll admit I’m not as much of a fan of the “no one else is gonna love me when I get mad” line but that’s beside the point.

10. The Last Time

Oh l o r d this track. Way, way up there on my list of favorites, for sure. I can’t pick an absolute favorite on the album but this would definitely be a contender if I tried. I think this track is absolutely stunning - and I love Gary Lightbody’s voice in the first place, so that certainly doesn’t hurt.

Their voices blend so beautifully, and that deep bass drum beat in the background drives the song so well, and I just... really love this song, okay. Probably my favorite thing about it is at the end when they drop out all the instruments entirely and it’s just their voices being allowed to shine. They’re subverting the typical so much by having him sing the high melody, and I love it s o  m u c h.

11. Holy Ground

Another example of great use of instrumentation, the way the drums are so driving, but then they drop out during the first time she’s singing about the holy ground feeling. It really paints a sacred, untouchable feeling onto the remembering of the relationship when it really worked.

I can’t resist doing a little air guitar over the bridge(??) with those ringing chords, which is so much fun, and I’m so glad it’s there. The ending of the song is also beautiful, with those last few words of just her voice. That’s really evocative as well, of the feeling of that “holy ground” relationship being gone.

12. Sad Beautiful Tragic

This song lays this aching feeling all over me from start to feeling. It’s a beautiful piece of music, and the breathy quality to her voice through the verses and early choruses is just stunning. The vocalization in the background is absolutely haunting. Even in the stronger pieces of the song, she manages to hold onto so much of that softness, which is just... something I don’t entirely understand, if I’m honest. There’s something so nostalgic about this track, which I think makes it fitting as the one that leads into the next one...

13. The Lucky One

This song is a bop, okay? The drum work at the beginning of this track pulls me in right from the start. It feels very... vintage, if that makes sense? Like it really works as a throwback to the time period she seems to be trying to invoke. (I’ll even forgive her for mispronouncing foyer)

In the last verse, there’s the addition of guitar that feels like it almost modernizes the song a little bit, which makes sense, since now she’s singing about her arrival on the music scene. It’s just a really excellent use of instruments to build an environment into the song.

14. Everything Has Changed

Definitely another favorite of mine off this album! I’ve been trying to find someone to learn Ed’s part and sing this song with me practically since the album came out.

Their voices blend so well, and I love the choices of harmonies throughout the track. The acoustic guitar lends itself perfectly to a song of this style. One of my favorite parts is definitely the ending lines - “so dust off your highest hopes” - and the way she delivers those lines.

But we definitely need to talk about the music video, because... has there ever been something more adorable than that video? I want the rest of the movie please. 

15. Starlight

Listen. She’s a cute little number, and I love the story behind it, and I almost never skip this track if it comes on my shuffle, but I don’t have all that much to say about it. I do like it, though, it’s a jam.

16. Begin Again

I love the soft guitar opening in this song, and the harmonies that come in that are so close to the melody you almost can’t hear them except for how they fill up the audio so nicely.... beautiful. Honestly, though, this song has such a bittersweet feeling to it. Like, to think of the past relationship she’s thinking about, and what it must have been like... ouch. right in the feels. Then, of course, on the other hand, we have the soft happiness of the Wednesday in a café. <3

Bonus track time!

17. The Moment I Knew

This song is a showstopper of a track - the production on this one is gorgeous but honestly, I don’t have a lot of feelings about it in general. But it’s a beautiful piece of music.

18. Come Back...Be Here

I always forget how much I like this song!!! This is another one with absolutely beautiful production, and Taylor’s performance is stunning. Some of the lyrics in this song are just. Right In The Heart for me. It really captures the hurt of long distance relationships, and it hits me really hard every time.

19. Girl At Home

This is probably my favorite bonus track on Red. This song is a BANGER and I will fight on that. Like. Listen. YES, let’s shame the dudes who cheat on their girls! You know what this song is? Growth. This is taking that trope from the first three albums of going after a guy who already has a girlfriend and flipping it on its head and I love it.

She hits some beautiful notes in this song, though I’ll admit she has better power notes. Also, can we talk about “call a cab, lose my number” because... that is ICONIC.

And with that, another album has gone by. We’ve made it to what I think is really the turning point in Taylor’s style of music, though she really transitioned very smoothly from country into pop overall.

Next up: 1989

[snowpatrolfanclubbrazil]

Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody on depression and the fear his fans would 'run away' The rocker talks to Saeed Saeed ahead of Dubai Jazz Festival and admits he is 'the last person you want to speak to if you want a jazz education'

Many successful artists will tell you it is the years of struggle that are ultimately the most fruitful and rock group Snow Patrol have, perhaps, tasted it more than their peers.

They spent the first ten of their 25 years confined to a small yet dedicated fan-base in their native Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

It was only with the success of their third album, 2003’s brilliant Final Straw, and its dynamic one-two punch of barrelling rocker Splitting Games and the monumental power ballad Run, that the group found international success.

Three years later, the Grammy Awards and years of international arena tours beckoned (including a sell-out Dubai show in 2012) courtesy of their big selling album Eyes Open and the runaway hit Chasing Cars – also known as ‘that Grey's Anatomy song’.

The band’s trajectory may have plateaued somewhat these days, yet they still have enough pull to support the likes of Ed Sheeran in his run of US stadium shows earlier this year.

Affable frontman and guitarist Gary Lightbody likes it this way, he says, as it keeps the ego in check.

“Not that I don’t have one, because if you are on stage playing to thousands of people every night then of course you will get an ego,” he says.

“But it is not a toxic or corrosive one. I think if we had that early success we would have been done as a band by now, because we simply weren’t ready for it. The fact that it took 10 years gave us an appreciation of what it means to be successful and appreciate what I have now.”

The most personal album yet Lightbody says that their UAE return at the Dubai Jazz Festival is part of their first world tour in six years, a period he essentially spent pottering around the house.

“It was kind of daunting to get back on the tour bus and not feeling settled again,” he says.

“I kind of got used to being off the road and living a more sedate life, and I was kind of worried that I wasn’t going to like being on tour. But within the first two minutes of the first show I felt ‘this is what I should have been doing all this time. I remember this.’”

But that’s not to say the years off the road was anything but calm. Idle hands welcome unpleasant thoughts, and Lightbody spent that time battling his depression and addictions.

It all made for last year’s album, Wildness, to be their most personal yet.

Although Lightbody’s lyrics often focused on the nuances of relationships, Snow Patrol’s first album in seven years has the microscope focused on himself.

With tracks such as the U2-ish Don’t Give In, a plea to work through the hardships of depression, and Heal Me, a tribute to a friend who got Lightbody of the booze, Wildness is a testament of survival and, ultimately, hope.

These are all emotional themes that Lightbody wasn’t sure the fans were ready for, especially after being away for so long.

“I didn’t know how it was going to be received,” he says.

“I was wondering if the people would kind of run away from my madness and if people would never speak to me again if I showed them my true self. But then I realised that everybody goes through these things.”

Lightbody is reminded of that that regularly.

Ever since the album’s release, the band has been receiving letters – “actual letters”, he beams – where fans detailed how the album has got them through their own travails.

“It means a lot to me and it definitely changed the way I write now,” he says.

“I don’t necessarily have to write about the darkness all the time but, instead, to just always be completely honest and not be afraid of bearing myself any more. It’s the thing that caused me the most grief in my life, like hiding my depression. It’s just not worth it.”

Hanging out with Ed Sheeran Part of that new open approach to life is Snow Patrol accepting varied touring offers, such as tagging along to Sheeran’s run of massive US shows.

It was a chance for Lightbody to see how the Shape of You singer, one of the most in-demand artists in the world, operates under such circumstances.

“Ed is like you imagine him to be, that’s the best way to describe him. He is extraordinarily friendly and down to earth” Lightbody says.

“I would see this a number of times in that he would go into a room and shake everyone’s hands and say ‘Hello, I am Ed.’ He would chat and spend time with people. He is the same person that I met seven or eight years ago, before his meteoric success.”

s the Dubai Jazz Festival really jazz? Performing in a stadium of 40,000 teenagers is one thing, but headlining a jazz festival is quite another.

While laughingly admitting that he is certainly “the last person you want to speak to if you want a jazz education,” Lightbody says the Dubai event is part of growing trend of such festivals with eclectic line ups, with Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival being a prime example.“But it’s nice to be associated with a jazz festival regardless,” he says.“Matter of fact, I would love to play in a jazz festival if our band was actually jazz. I don’t know, I think we would be booed off the stage. I like to get into these scenarios sometimes. I think it will be fun.”Snow Patrol will perform at the Dubai Jazz Festival on Wednesday, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets begin from Dh350 at www.dubaijazzfest.com

[snowpatrolfanclubbrazil]

"I'LL HAVE to pick a few Northern Ireland-specific people to thank who have probably made more of an outstanding contribution to music than I have," explains Gary Lightbody of his plans for 'saying a few words' when he receives an award for his Outstanding Contribution to Music tonight.

The Snow Patrol frontman will be in Belfast to collect this gong during the NI Music Prize event at The Ulster Hall, the same venue where his band played a sold-out concert in May to mark the release of their long-awaited seventh album, Wildness.

"It's very nice, but it's one of those things where you can't buy into the title," adds the eternally self-deprecating Bangor-born musician on becoming the first ever recipient of the new award.

"The most important thing for anyone who's ever had a successful musical career is to know deep down in their hearts that, really, they were only a small part of it.

"It's really important that you are grateful and that you realise the shoulders that had to be stood on to get to where you are. It will be 25 years next year since Snow Patrol started and it's taken so many people – thousands of people – to get me to where I am right now.

"So to say that I've made an outstanding contribution? Not without the help of thousands of people – no way. But it's a lovely opportunity for me to thank some of them, like the man who is introducing me on the night, Mr Mike Edgar [former BBC Radio Ulster Across The Line presenter and current BBC NI head of entertainment and events].

"There's nobody that's ever made a bigger contribution to northern Irish music than Mike Edgar – he should be getting the award and I should be introducing him!"

The musically progressive Wildness was Snow Patrol's first new material since 2011's Fallen Empires. Although in the end it proved to be a number two hit, the record's long gestation period found singer/guitarist Lightbody – who formed the band in 1994 while studying at the University of Dundee [which awarded him an honorary degree this summer] – battling a protracted period of writer's block as well as attempting to give up drinking in the wake of a health scare.

The frontman admits that embarking on a sober live campaign for Wildness, which has most recently found Snow Patrol opening for their friend Ed Sheeran on his US tour, has proved something of a challenge.

"It's taken me a while to get back to the type of performer that I was – and I'm not even sure I'm all the way back there yet," Lightbody tells me.

"It's taken me a while to regain that invincibility feeling when I'm on stage. [At first] I was having to close my eyes a lot on stage and I still do close my eyes more than I should at this point.

"The six years away from touring was just too long. People say you never forget how to ride a bike but that's not entirely true in this context. It is an accumulative confidence thing.

"We've been on tour since April and it's taken this long to get back up to almost 100 per cent confidence level."

Lightbody adds: "I think it's important that in the future if we take time off in between records – and I'm not saying we will before the next album, because my plan is for us to get into the studio again in January – we would play at least some shows every year.

"It's what The Killers do and I think it's a really good idea: even if they don't have an album out, they're still doing a handful of festivals every summer and a few gigs here and there just to stay sharp."

Happily, it seems that the dreaded writer's block has also been well and truly banished: although the most recent Snow Patrol release was a Mike Crossey remix of key Wildness track What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get? (more variations on the song are due for release shortly), Lightbody and co are already beavering away on new material for the band's eighth album and have even been doing some recording while on tour.

"I'm trying to write more than I have done in the past," confirms the Snow Patrol man, who is also currently working on songs for a new TV show set in the live music scene of late 1990s Dublin, as well as a mooted solo album.

"I've now got a file on my computer called 'SP8' which is filling up nicely. I'm trying to get lots of songs stockpiled, although the problem wasn't ever really melodies, it was more the lyrics which took so long."

Indeed, at one point Lightbody truly believed that he would never write another song, right up until another key song for Wildness, the defiant Don't Give In, suddenly arrived to save the day.

As he explains, prior to this 'hallelujah' moment, the Co Down musician was in something of a panic that was brought to a head by the sage-like words of a certain US punk rock icon.

"I have a long history with Henry Rollins, even though I've never met the man," chuckles Lightbody. "The Rollins Band were the first band I ever saw live, supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers at The Ulster Hall in 1991.

"I read an interview with Henry where he was asked why he doesn't write music any more – he said 'you only get a finite number of songs, and I've had my songs'.

"I was in the middle of a very prolonged period of writer's block when I read that and I thought 'oh f***, I've had my f***ing songs'. For weeks, maybe months after that, those words were ringing in my ears.

"But one day I picked up my guitar and started strumming. Then I started singing and the words 'don't give in' and 'don't you dare quit so easy' came out, followed by that line about 'give all you've got on the sword' that doesn't quite make any sense – but it made so much sense to me right at that moment.

"It all just came out in a flow: I wrote the song, then I went to Garrett ['Jacknife' Lee, regular Snow Patrol producer] and we finished it.

"It all came together in a couple of days – and that was the moment when I realised 'ah, they're not done – I've more songs in me'."

:: NI Music Prize, tonight, The Ulster Hall. Tickets via Waterfront.co.uk. Snow Patrol play SSE Arena on December 7 (sold out) and 8 and 3 Arena Dublin on December 11. Tickets via Ticketmaster.ie

[snowpatrolfanclubbrazil]

Johnny McDaid opens up about Snow Patrol's return, his pride in Gary Lightbody's honesty about depression - and the world's obsession with his wedding to actress Courteney Cox. By Claire Williamson

Johnny McDaid hasn't forgotten his roots. He's currently touring America with Snow Patrol and has worked with some of the world's most famous names in music, but the Londonderry man admits that no matter where in the world he goes, his "heart has never left home".

The 42-year-old guitarist, pianist, vocalist and songwriter has many strings to his bow. Over the past few years he has been part of award-winning songwriting teams, working on record-breaking hits such as Ed Sheeran's Shape Of You and Pink's What About Us.

For Johnny, his songwriting is an outlet that creates another energy that he brings back to Snow Patrol. "It's a huge part of who I am as a person too," he says. "I'm really grateful that I get to work with some of the most amazing artists ever and make music with them. I never want to stop doing that."

But he says the moment it all "makes sense" is when he goes on stage with his Snow Patrol bandmates, with whom he shares a bond they call a brotherhood. And performing huge hits like Chasing Cars and Run live together is all the sweeter now for the band after their seven-year hiatus.

He says: "All the years of getting ready and making a record are worth it when we walk on stage together. It all kind of slots together and makes sense."

Snow Patrol have been supporting Sheeran on his stadium tour of North America while also doing some of their own shows before embarking on their headlining dates in the UK and Ireland throughout December and January.

"The appetite for the band and the way that people are engaging with the new songs is amazing," says Johnny. "It means everything. For us, that is the world. It all makes sense when you have the interaction between you and the people listening to your music. It's always been about the people that listen to our music, and without that there is nothing."

Johnny says nothing compares to hearing the crowds sing along to their songs, whether it's at home or away, the old classics or the new tracks.

Their long-awaited return has, however, also made headlines due to frontman Gary Lightbody's honesty about his battle with alcohol and depression - something which he says was a factor when it came to his writer's block. Ultimately, though, coming through those hard times proved inspiration, with those themes explored in the band's seventh album Wildness.

In a series of soul-baring interviews Gary revealed the harrowing details of his addiction. He told the Belfast Telegraph how a health scare in 2016 - when infections ravaged his ears, eyes and sinuses - proved a major wake-up call: "I knew I had to change my lifestyle, which up to that point had revolved around booze, and I just stopped drinking."

Johnny praises his friend for his bravery and strength, calling him an inspiration.

"I'm immensely proud of him. Just as a human being, the courage it takes to face yourself and face your demons - because we all have them - but what Gary has done is he's faced them very publicly. And he's faced them in a way that allows people to resonate with them and to see that they are not on their own. He's really encouraging us to talk amongst ourselves and inspiring us to be better versions of ourselves."

He adds: "That sort of bravery and the way that he does it is beautiful and inspiring. He has approached it with a lightness and a joy that can be missed if we don't bring that up too. There is as much joy as there is exploring darkness."

Describing Gary as one of his heroes, he says that he and the rest of the band are like brothers. To be fair, they do go back rather a long way together now, first getting together as students at university in Scotland in 1994. Their big break came in 2003 thanks to a deal with Polydor and the release of their album Final Straw, which set them firmly on a course to stardom.

Reflecting on their friendship, Johnny says now: "Gary's also a great friend - and a great shoulder to lean on. When we talk about this record (Wildness), when he is writing these songs and words, it's easy to look at it as if he was leaning on us the whole time, that's not the case, we were leaning on Gary too and we lean on him because he is an incredibly strong being.

"He's able to take a lot, he does a lot and gives a lot and in that he's an inspiration."

Johnny's frankness when we chat is all the more remarkable given that the band are generally quite private and prefer to let their music do the talking.

But he says that he understands why there is a curiosity about their personal lives - something he has experienced many times.

He laughs as he talks about the number of times it's been reported that he's gotten married this year to fiancee Courteney Cox, who starred in Friends and has 13-year-old daughter Coco with her ex-husband David Arquette.

Johnny and Courteney (53) started dating in 2013 and announced their engagement on Twitter in 2014. Since then there has been huge speculation about when - and where - they might wed.

"I think people are curious," says Johnny good-naturedly. "I'm often approached from a perspective of people thinking they know something when they don't.

"But often it's just funny. I think I've gotten married 15 times in the last year. There is a missing part of that equation, I'm on tour at the moment and Courteney is in LA.

So it would be really difficult for me to get married unless I do it by proxy or over Skype or something.

"It is a bit bizarre but it comes with the territory. I expect the curiosity but I also respect my relationship and my love."

And it clearly is a love-match. Johnny speaks in poetic language about his relationship with the American actress. He says: "If you've ever been in love you know that love, it doesn't change when it is analysed or if it's public, it's still love, and it has what all relationships have - challenges and joys.

"It covers a spectrum, when you tend to be analysed publicly, people focus on the parts of the relationship that are difficult or are fantastical. And there is a lot of normality about it because we are just normal people and do the things everybody else does and it isn't that startling."

As we turn our attention to Snow Patrol's homecoming gigs, his mind turns to his family. He is very close to all of them and regrets that due to his hectic work schedule he doesn't get to see them as much as he would like.

"Family is so important to me. I'm really close to my family, so I miss them a lot, I love them very much," he says.

"I really look forward to getting to see them. Oddly, the times I do get to see them now is when they come to shows. I take any chance I can to see my family - I'm definitely a family person."

He poignantly adds: "My heart has never left home. I'm really rooted there no matter where I am in the world there is always a piece of me that's there and a piece of there that's with me. I'm grateful for that."

And it's not just his family that brings out his pride. Johnny is also patriotic about Northern Ireland and feels there is an onus on us all to spread the good news about it.

"I'm so proud of home. Something that stands out positively is the openness of our generation and generations coming up in Northern Ireland, to be open to change and to transformation and peace.

"Which is just so good to see from a distance having grown up there, just watching the progress and if we could focus on that for a minute instead of focusing on the stuff that isn't working."

He adds: "It's all of our jobs to remind each other and to remind people that aren't there, that there's so much good going on and so much potential for more."

Unsurprisingly the band is looking forward to their big return home at the SSE Arena in December - and it's something they can't stop talking about.

"It's like a big light in the calendar," adds Johnny. "We talk about it all the time, coming home for us is such a thrill. What a thing to do just before Christmas - we absolutely can't wait!"

Snow Patrol play Belfast's SSE Arena on Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8 before heading to the 3Arena in Dublin on Tuesday December 11. Tickets on sale now.

Win concert tickets and meet the band

Visit the Belfast Telegraph website at the link below to enter a money can't buy competition for the ultimate Snow Patrol fan.

It includes: Two great seats for Saturday December 8, a special back-stage tour where you will also get up close and on to the stage for a band-eye view, and a backstage meet and greet with photo opportunities with the band.

Visit: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/competitions/snowpatrolwin

Belfast Telegraph

[snowpatrolfanclubbrazil]

Gary Lightbody shifts uncomfortably in his seat as he recalls the lowest moment of his life. It's 18 years ago now, but the pain - and shame - of that episode are clearly still fresh in his mind. Well, at least some parts of it.

He's all too aware that he could have died that night. Indeed, as he lay at the bottom of a steep flight of concrete steps, head cracked open and drenched in blood, his Snow Patrol colleague Jonny Quinn was convinced the band's lead singer had played his last gig.

Wildness: Gary Lightbody discusses new Snow Patrol album

"I'd been on a bender for three days," says the 41-year-old, running a hand though that trademark mane of unruly black hair.

"I'd gone to a club in Glasgow. I was way, way too drunk and went tumbling down the stairs. Jonny, who'd just arrived, looked over the balcony and saw me lying there with the blood oozing out of my head. He thought I was dead."

We're sitting in The Dark Horse bar in Belfast, across from one of the Bangor man's favourite former haunts, the Duke of York. But today the frontman of one of the world's biggest rock groups is sipping peppermint tea because alcohol is no longer on the menu.

Rocker's honesty over drink and drugs an example to all

He's been sober for two years, the legacy of a major health scare that compelled him to turn his life around.

He's also really excited about Wildness - "the album I'm most proud of" - which is released today as the band's first studio recording in seven years.

The benders have been replaced by martial arts and meditation. But you get the impression that the old demons which sent him careering down those unforgiving steps in 2000 - several years before Snow Patrol hit the big time - are still lurking in the background.

He shows me the two replacement teeth in his lower jaw, a constant reminder of the night he was rushed to a Glasgow hospital's emergency department after that life-threatening fall.

Album review: Snow Patrol - Wildness

But it's what happened afterwards that remains a source of recurring shame for the charismatic singer-songwriter.

"I was out of control," he says. "Apparently, they put me in a wheelchair and I rode off on it, shouting... I was a giant ass, running all over the place.

"Initially, none of the nurses would talk to me the following day, but I couldn't really remember what had happened the previous night.

"Looking at myself in the mirror that day was, literally, a sobering experience. That was the first time I quit the booze."

But not the last. The Scottish incident (Gary studied English Literature at the University of Dundee) prompted a dry spell lasting "a couple of months" as he recuperated at the home of his parents, Jack and Lynne. "They're always happy to see me, but they weren't happy with how I looked," he says.

Temptation soon came knocking again, however, and was invited in, accompanied by drugs and depression.

People who don't suffer from mental health issues will probably never understand how a gifted, fabulously wealthy man could be depressed about anything. But it clearly doesn't work that way.

As a teenager growing up in - and keen to escape from - a Troubles-torn Northern Ireland, ex-Campbell College pupil Gary suffered from bouts of anxiety.

Then there was that seven-year period following Snow Patrol's student-days formation in 1994 when commercial success eluded them despite building up a decent fan base and releasing a well-received debut album, Songs for Polarbears (the band was briefly called Polarbear), in 1998.

"I thought we were going to be big from the start - and then when we weren't, I started thinking, 'Maybe this is never going to happen',"Gary says.

"I had too much ego at the beginning. Over time, that gets drilled out of you.

"Looking back, I'm grateful that we were allowed a gestation period because I think I'd have been absolutely insufferable.

"I wanted too much at the beginning - I wanted world domination. I don't think I was over-confident and I certainly wasn't cool. It was more like I was charged with this energy that was probably no real use to me."

Gary insists that he doesn't regret those booze-addled early years in Scotland, where at times he felt grateful just to have roof over his head. Indeed, even the notorious Glasgow incident gave him fresh songwriting impetus.

Independent label Jeepster Records, however, gave up on Snow Patrol after their second album, When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up, failed to take off in 2001.

But then came a deal with Polydor, the 2003 release of Final Straw and its epic, haunting break-out single Run - and tangible success at last for a fully focused Gary, who refrained from indulgence during the album-promoting tour that put him, Jonny, Nathan Connolly, Paul Wilson and Johnny McDaid firmly on the road to mega-stardom.

The multi-platinum Final Straw was followed up by the even bigger Eyes Open (2006) - which spawned Chasing Cars, one of the most air-played songs in music history - and world-wide, sell-out stadium gigs.

It might surprise some fans, however, that Gary doesn't regard Chasing Cars as one of the best things he's ever done.

"There are better songs on Eyes Open - and better ones on our new album," he insists.

"But it's a beautiful thing and a privilege to have songs such as Chasing Cars and Run that are in people's consciousness. Those songs have taken us around the world many times and we're honoured to have them."

Subsequent album releases - A Hundred Million Suns (2008) and Fallen Empires (2012) - sold well but failed to emulate the monster success of Eyes Open, and the group's leader retreated to Santa Monica, California, and started drinking heavily again.

Gary, who lives in Bangor, says he felt "incapacitated" by depression back then.

In his darkest hours, he even thought about "not existing" any more, but he didn't go as far as to "think how to get there".

"The most important thing for anybody going through mental health problems is to talk about it," he says.

"People have said I've given them the confidence to speak up about their own problems, which makes me happy. It's the thing that I found the hardest, and it hamstrung me against recovery for such a long time.

"People were always complimenting me for being an honest songwriter - and I was, about love etc - but the inner life I was living was not something that I was able to share until now."

The health scare of 2016 - when infections ravaged his ears, eyes and both sinuses - was a major wake-up call: "I knew I had to change my lifestyle, which up to that point had revolved around booze, and I just stopped drinking."

I tell him that he looks fit and healthy.

"I feel it too," he replies.

"I'm a lean 180 pounds (12.8 stone) at the moment. I was up to 200 (pounds) before I quit drinking. It looked like my neck and my face were the same width."

He's been sober for almost two years, but he admits the first steps were really difficult.

"It was hard to be around other people drinking, so I avoided it and tended not to be very social in the first year or so," Gary says.

Any lapses?

"No, none," he replies - but stops short of saying he has banished the demon drink for ever.

"That was my problem in the past - I'd say, 'Never again', but if you've got chaotic tendencies like I have - the self-sabotaging, which has been a theme of my life - and you say you're never going to do something again, chances are you're absolutely going to do it again."

He reveals that he abstained for 12 months four years ago.

"I always said I was going to go off it for a year, And I did," he says.

"It was the year between two Grammy Awards ceremonies. The first one (2014) I'd been nominated along with Taylor Swift, and the following year I was there with Ed Sheeran, who'd been nominated along with my bandmate Johnny McDaid.

"Between those two nights I was sober, but on those two nights I definitely wasn't."

He says his life has changed "immeasurably" since he quit booze (he'd already weaned himself off drugs years before).

"It's calmer, there's less darkness, more energy... all the things you get from quitting," he adds, stressing that he's highly unlikely to do drugs (such as cocaine and ecstasy) again either.

"They were part of my life but not anymore - they didn't do me any favours," he says.

"People need to make their own choices in life, but if anyone ever asked me if drugs are a good idea, I'd say no."

So, how has going from penniless student to mega-rich global rock star changed him?

"It's made me realise that it doesn't actually matter what you have, it's who you are," he says.

"Fame, fortune, none of it matters. I know that I'm a good person."

He's extremely close to his family and "crazy" about younger sister Sarah's 10-year-old daughter, Honey - "the apple of all our eyes". But will he settle down?

Gary's last serious relationship was "nearly 10 years ago" and he's certainly not proud of past indiscretions.

"It's behaviour that I'm still ashamed of," he says. "If I could go back, I wouldn't have cheated on girlfriends."

His Snow Patrol colleague Johnny has clearly settled. Will Gary be attending his forthcoming wedding to actress and former Friends star Courteney Cox in Malibu later in the summer?

"If I'm invited," he says, adding: "Courteney's lovely". Incidentally, the long gap between Fallen Empires and Wildness had nothing to do with writer's block, as some Snow Patrol fans may have feared.

"I was writing with other people and for films and TV," Gary says. "But when it came to Snow Patrol, and it was about my life, I didn't have anything to say - or maybe I was scared of saying it."

In the end, he wrote a staggering 600 songs for the album. Only 10 made the cut.

They include Soon, about his 80-year-old father's battle with dementia, and A Youth Written in Fire, which deals with "alcoholism and recovery".

Wildness could well propel Gary and Snow Patrol back into the music stratosphere but, for him, few highs could match the Ward Park homecoming concerts of 2007 and 2010.

"2010 was the biggest gig ever in Northern Ireland... and still is," he says proudly.

"To play in our own back garden, so to speak, where I played football as a kid and where Jonny Quinn learned how to ride a bike was an extraordinary thing."

Don't bet against a similar gig next year for Snow Patrol's 25th anniversary.

Gary admits he's already planning "some big shows for the 25th year" and then another album. The fans' patience is about to be rewarded.

Belfast Telegraph