Featuring thrilling fuses of alternative pop/rock's most intensified marks, Snow Patrol's compositions combine songwriting aptitude with guitar rock's sharpest strains. Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Mark McClelland (bass, keyboards), and John Quinn (drums) embodied the Northern Irish three-piece that started off as a duo. Lightbody and McClelland first got together in Dundee, Scotland, where they were studying, prior to the addition of Quinn, who completed the lineup. Signing to the U.K.'s Jeepster label in 1998, they released their debut album in August of that same year. Songs for Polar Bears turned out to be a huge success across the U.K., where they also discharged their music in several live concerts, gaining a large fan base. The British trio graduated soon after, and decided to move from Dundee to Glasgow in late 2000. When Its All Over We Still Have to Clear Up showed up as their second full-length in April 2001. Producer Chris Lord-Alge signed on for the release of Final Straw, which appeared stateside in April 2004.