Playing the major (and minor) keys of Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol are one of the biggest bands in the world. They are one of the most popular bands in the world. Yet they don’t feature on my iTunes and I knew nothing about them when I was offered the chance to interview their keyboard player, Tom Simpson. Time to indulge in some online fact finding.

You have to understand how intimidating it is to interview a member of something like Snow Patrol, especially when you know little about then apart from they wrote that song ‘Run’ which Leona Lewis sang. You have preconceptions in your head that they are going to be cocky, rude and totally self centred and I am very lucky that Tom Simpson was none of the above.

When I called, having spoken to his agent, a lilting Scottish voice came onto the line. “I’m really sorry,” he joked. “I was up really late last night. I need a coffee-or five-before I’m right again. I might not be equipped to answer your questions!”

Tom is one of the lesser known members of Snow Patrol, compared to front man Gary Lightbody, but has been playing with the band since the very beginning.

“I’m actually not a new member, or a recent member. I have been in the band from the beginning and have always been treated as a member so when I was announced as keyboard player in 2005 it just made it official.“

However, keyboard playing is only a skill Tom has picked up recently. Originally a DJ on the Dundee club scene, he started off scratching records with Snow Patrol.

“I didn’t really start playing the piano about five years ago.” he says. When we used to tour I used to have a turn table and I used to sit and scratch and sometimes play synths with my finger and it was just noisemaking to be honest so really I just had to up my game.”

In 2006, Tom started to be classically trained on the piano, and instrument he had only learned from necessity.

“It was hard learning a new instrument but it depends on how much you want to do something. If you want to do something, you’ll do it and see it through. If you don’t really want to learn, it is always going to be a struggle. I took quite well to it. If you want something, you’re going to be prepared to put the work in.”

Snow Patrol released a new compilation album on November 6 titled Up to Now. The band joked that it isn’t a greatest hits album because they don’t have any great hits, more of just a collection of their songs from the past 15 years since they began. The band members all had a say in the way songs went onto the album.

“It was quite funny. A lot of songs get left in the dust so it was quite illuminating to us to go back and listen to the older stuff. I had to go back and listen to the records to learn the songs. It was bizarre. And they were very badly recorded.” Up to Now consists of mainly Snow Patrol hits, some re-recordings of older songs and some covers.

“I’ve always been a fan of Shut Your Eyes. Oh, wait, I don’t even know if that is on the record. Oh, Jesus I should be more prepared! I haven’t ever got a copy of the record in front of me. There is an interesting version of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love on it which was a bit of a laugh to make. It’s got Adrian Lowe from Radio 1 rapping Jay-Z’s part, which was really funny. We also have a DJ mix on there which is pretty exciting. Snow Patrol are classified as alternative rock, but each of the members comes from a unique musical background, whether it is indie or rock.

“It’s kind of weird for me to come from a totally different background from the others. My influences are from early 90’s hip-hop like Public Enemy and I love soul-funk music. People are usually dumbfounded by that answer. But it doesn’t matter where you start; it’s where you end up. I wanted to get into playing music, not just sitting and listening to someone else do it. It’s quite bizarre where you can end up.”

I had to ask Tom the question how he feels about Leona Lewis’ version of ‘Run’ which has been a massive hit both in the UK and America.

“She did a cover version of the song, you know. I would be annoyed if she said it was her song. It’s OK, there are definitely more notes in the song than there were when we released it. It was only a minor hit for us in the UK so hopefully people will go back to the original when they hear her version. But yeah, it’s all right, she has a good voice. She did her thing with it and I don’t really have problem with it. To be honest, I think I’ve only heard it once. But I would never put down anyone’s singing, I’ve got a terrible voice.”

Snow Patrol are embarking on a new venture, a Reworked tour which includes new versions of the bands songs with new instruments added.

“That’s where I’m going when I get off the phone. I’ll be jumping on a tube and heading down to the studio. We’ve got a lot of new sounds for the new tour, got some brass, some strings, and there is a lot of musicians in the room moving around different instruments, which is a completely different experience from our usual recording sessions. There have been some very magical moments in studio recently.”

“You have to understand, I am not allowed to go near the orchestral instruments. I can’t play any of them. But I have been playing the vibraphone which is different. There is plenty of space to hit so it’s been fun. It’s great to hear old songs sounding completely different. I think this tour is going to be a great one because it’s totally different from anything we’ve done as a band before, which means our fans are in for something completely new.”

Snow Patrol’s compilation album Up To Now is out now