Snow Patrol

Formed at Dundee University, the Northern Irish lads signed to Scottish independent label Jeepster in 1997, releasing albums Songs For Polar Bears (1998) and When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up (2001) to critical acclaim but, when the deal went sour in 2001, they faced a desperate future. After signing to Polydor, however, new producer Jacknife Lee helped turn that desperation into a more mainstream sound. Third album Final Straw (2003) peaked at No 3 with singles Run, Chocolate and Spitting Games all charting. Eyes Open (2003) was their first UK No 1 album and when Chasing Cars was featured in TV hospital drama Grey's Anatomy, the US fell under their spell too. 2008 album A Hundred Million Suns revealed a more romantic side with lead single Take Back The City telling of Gary Lightbody's love of Belfast. Greatest Hits album Up To Now (2009) provided a retrospective of the band's 15-year career.