Indie-rock band Snow Patrol, formed in Scotland by Northern Irish students, abandoned their rough-edged sound after being dropped by Jeepster. They re-signed to Polydor and became a true major-label band, softening their sound and instantly achieving chart success.
Originally named Shrug, and then Polarbear, Snow Patrol formed in late 1994 when two students at the University of Dundee, Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland, met and became friends. Playing gigs at the university and in pubs around Dundee and Glasgow, it took the release of the EP Starfighter Pilot (released as Polarbear) in 1997 before they began to attract attention. Unfortunately it wasn't the kind of attention they were looking for: an American band called Polar Bear, led by the former bassist of Jane's Addiction, Eric Avery, got in touch, and Polarbear changed their name to Snow Patrol.
Snow Patrol then released the single "Little Hide", followed by "One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed", both released on Jeepster Records. Following heavy promotion, "One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed" achieved minor chart success. Their first two full-lengths followed, 1998's Songs for Polarbears and then When it's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up in 2001.
However, after the release of When it's All Over... Jeepster dropped the band; despite positive reviews they had not been able to sell enough records. Determined not to give up, Snow Patrol added guitarist Nathan Connolly and convinced Polydor (part of the Universal Music Group) to sign them. 2003 saw the UK release of Snow Patrol's breakthrough album, Final Straw, which spawned the chart hits "Run", "Spitting Games", and "Chocolate". In March 2005 founding member Mark McClelland quit the band, claiming that Lightbody was taking too much control to the exclusion of the others.
In May 2006 Snow Patrol released their fourth studio album, Eyes Open. It was a huge commercial success, ultimately achieving multi-platinum status in numerous countries around the world, partly thanks to the hit singles "Chasing Cars", "Open Your Eyes", "Hands Open", and "You're All I Have".
