Well it’s a cold winter’s Saturday night in Sydney Australia. Ok not cold enough to be snowing but instead we are treated with another kind of winter wonderland with the music of Snow Patrol. As I walk to Darling Harbour it’s a night of firsts as I have never been to this new venue ICC Darling Harbour theatre before and I have never witnessed the Irish rockers Snow Patrol live before either.

From the opening song “Chocolate” the band had a sonic glow to them that kept shining the entire set. Vocalist Gary Lightbody demanded that everybody stand out of their seats, which the adoring crowd all adhered to apart from the odd disgruntled punter. It became quite clear pretty quickly this wasn’t going to be just any rock show. Instead of just ploughing through the set Gary would stop between songs to explain special ones to him and also read notes that audience members had placed at his feet. One note in particular even involved Gary helping out an audience member with a marriage proposal.

The set itself had everything you could possibly want. Since I really enjoy their newest album Wildness I was happy to hear songs like “Don’t Give In” and “Heal Me” live. From the storytelling in the lyrics to the soothing tone of Gary’s voice coupled with the tightness of the band every song throughout the night was truly captivating. The Irish sense of humour between songs showed the humility of the band also.

A huge highlight from the set came from the anthem track “Run” which lit up the whole audience. As the set neared the end the anticipation in the room had been building to hear the one song that the band have become so known for. So whether you were a Greys Anatomy fan, a hopeless romantic or even walked past the radio in 2006 you couldn’t help falling in love with “Chasing Cars”. As soon as they began the song the crowd sung along in full voice and while I’m sure the band have played it thousands of times it sounded perfect and was played live with the passion a song like that deserves.

However that was not to be the end of the night with the band returning to the stage for an encore of two more songs. Firstly my personal favourite from the new album “what if this is all the love you ever get?” the song made even more heartfelt by only having Gary backed by a keyboard and a dimly lit stage. The rest of the band then returned to stage to play an older favourite “Just say yes”. By this point the front of stage was full of punters who had left their chairs and rushed to stage, getting high fives and hand shakes from the Irish lads. Before leaving the stage Snow Patrol thanked the audience for a memorable night and told us they will return next year. So if they do return I urge you to spend the night with Snow Patrol and just forget the world.

Review – Christian Ross

Photo Gallery – Justin Ross 

 

 

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