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It’s been a hectic few weeks for Snow Patrol drummer Jonny Quinn. A whistle-stop tour of radio stations and television network across the US has put his band into promotional overdrive – sharing stages with the likes of The Cure, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers on KROQ and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Back in the UK, Quinn is en route to Chris Evans’ Radio Two show; “I think we’re playing a track off the new album and a Christmas cover,” Quinn says in a rather uncertain Northern Irish dialect.
The incessant promotional run has clearly paid dividends. The band’s fifth album, 'A Hundred Million Suns', is a top ten success in the US and UK, making them one of Britain’s most bankable musical exports. Maverick producer Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee was once again installed on production duties, bringing a sonic sheen to the band’s melodic poise. Quinn explains the recording process: “We alternated between Hansa Studios in Berlin and Grouse Lodge in County Meath. There’s so much history at Hansa Studios with David Bowie, Iggy Pop and U2 recording there. We made (previous album) 'Eyes Open' there so there was no doubt in our minds about returning to the place.”
The time at Grouse Lodge allowed Quinn to get back to basics and, along with guitarist Nathan Connelly, become reacquainted with their instruments. “Nathan and I took lessons again – it was necessary for both of us.” Quinn says. “The thing is you get so used to the playing the same material for two and a half years that you become useless at anything else.”
Although Jacknife Lee is synonymous with creating an all-encompassing widescreen sound for most bands, he did allow Snow Patrol to experiment on a few tracks. Quinn was up for the challenge. “We used a huge plant to create the snare sound on The Golden Floor. We threw all sorts of things into the mix – branches, twigs, and leather sofas, whatever came to hand. We all just acted like a bunch of monkeys on that track.”
Away from the studio antics, Quinn is proud of the final results on 'A Hundred Million Suns'. He says: “Garret always manages to take you out of your comfort zone and push you until you drop. He recorded (breakthrough album) 'Final Straw' with us and we’ve come a long way since then. There’s no doubt we all felt the pressure recording this album because you don’t want to let down the people who’ve put so much faith in you – but we’ve never aspired to be the biggest band in world. Whereas Eyes Open dealt with the breakdown of relationships, this album has a more positive outlook.”
Quinn first met lead singer Gary Lightbody at a club night in Bangor, Northern Ireland. “Gary found out I played drums so I was drafted in – although looking back I think he was more interested in my skills as a driver rather than a drummer,” he says. It would take Snow Patrol almost a decade to make their commercial breakthrough. After being dropped by indie label Jeepster in 2001, Lightbody had to sell a hefty chunk of his record collection to keep the band going. Quinn remembers the moment vividly: “It was a really low point for all of us but we never considered packing it in. I remember one horrendous gig at a pub in High Wycombe…” I interject and tell Quinn I was at the aforementioned pub a few weeks ago, he laughs uncontrollably, “Tell me, have they got a wash basin in the men’s toilet yet?” I reassure him they have.
Quinn continues: “We’d already made Final Straw but no one had heard it yet. We got to this pub and we were taken to the VIP area – the irony was that the VIP area just looked like the rest of the place. A sign saying ‘VIP Area’ had been written on the back of a Walkers Crisp box. They had pole dancers there too and I remember them unscrewing the poles so we could get up on stage. The announcer said, ‘Come on now, give it up for these boys – they’ve come down from Northern Ireland and Scotland to be here.’ That was a real low point for us.”
A few weeks after the disastrous High Wycombe gig, the band released the single 'Run' – propelling them into the indie big league. Even X Factor chanteuse Leona Lewis has given the tune a pop-fuelled reworking. Quinn finds the success of Run rather surreal. “I find it amazing how another artist has taken one of ours songs and made it her own. 'Run' was written during a really dark time for us in just a room with an acoustic guitar. How Leona has made it sound so optimistic is incredible,” he says, proudly. “When we played it at live shows for the first time we used to get a much better reception from our other songs – we really didn’t want to release it as a single.”
The gargantuan success of 'Final Straw' and 'Eyes Open' culminated in a huge homecoming show in front of 30,000 fans at Ward Park, Bangor, in 2007. It was all the more sweet for Quinn. He says: “It was the day I proposed to (Norwegian girlfriend) Marianne. It was a pretty bold statement to make (Quinn scrawled ‘Will you marry me?’ on his drum kit) but I thought I’d give it a go. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing; I managed to cut my hand on a bottle of beer before going on stage, my drum kit was pouring with blood, looking like some bizarre murder scene.” Despite the bloodbath, Quinn got the answer he was looking for and couple wed in Marianne’s native Oslo earlier this year.
Snow Patrol will be back in the UK in February for a series of arena shows and Quinn can’t wait to get back on the road. His predictions for the entertainment between the set list is a little far-fetched though; “We’ll probably have some giraffes walking around and I’ll be playing drums on top of an elephant, maybe we’ll have Dustin Hoffman spinning around in a white suit playing guitar? But seriously, you should know what to expect from us.” I suggest to Quinn that revisiting the infamous pub in High Wycombe could be on the cards. He muses over the idea, before saying: “I’m not so sure about that - although now you’ve told me about the wash basin in the men’s toilet we may consider it.”
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