Back in the saddle

Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn dismisses rumours of a rivalry with Coldplay, and tells Ed Power how the band overcame writer’s block.

SNOW PATROL feared the worst. It was autumn 2010 and the Northern Ireland arena rockers were working on their new album. But there was a problem: frontman Gary Lightbody had a crippling dose of writer’s block. The question started to be asked: was it all over for a plucky outfit that had defied the odds to become one of the world’s biggest bands?

“Since we started selling records, Gary has always been completely prolific. Suddenly he had dried up completely,” recalls drummer Jonny Quinn. “We thought it might pass after a few weeks. It didn’t. And we wondered, is this it? You didn’t want to put too much pressure on Gary — the more he thought about it, the more he freaked out. It was a tough period for us.”