Mitsubishi-Electric-Halle, Düsseldorf, Germany7th February 2025
Snow Patrol - “UK & EU Tour 2025” - Support: The Florentinas
SNOW PATROL has announced their eagerly awaited return with a brand-new album. Titled ‘The Forest Is The Path’, this is the Northern Irish band’s first release in six years - since ‘Wildness’ in 2018 - and was released on September 13 via Polydor Records/ Universal Music. The album was co-produced by Fraser T Smith (known for work with Adele, Dave, Stormzy) and the band. Now a trio consisting of Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, and Johnny McDaid, SNOW PATROL offers a glimpse of their extraordinary new album with the lead single ‘The Beginning’ and has also announced a tour through Germany in 2025. As support, they brought THE FLORENTINAS from Ireland.
The Florentinas
Their website says about the band: Formed in early 2019, THE FLORENTINAS comprises Paddy Boyd (vocals), Jacob Kane (bass), Luke Swann (guitar) and Jakob Swann (drums), who met at secondary school in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Their hook-heavy Indie Rock has garnered attention at home and beyond, signing a publishing deal with BMG in 2020. In 2022 they released singles ‘Sandcastles’ and ‘It’s Not In Vain’, both playlisted on Cool FM, Q Radio, RTE 2fm and BBC Radio Ulster. Their first 2023 release, ‘Weatherman’, was played on BBC Radio 1’s Introducing Show, with its follow-up ‘Miami’ featured by Edith Bowman on BBC Radio 2. The band have supported NOTHING BUT THIEVES, THE AMAZONS, STEREOPHONICS and SNOW PATROL, as well as performing at Stendhal Festival, Electric Picnic and Other Voices in 2022. THE FLORENTINAS closed the year by winning the BBC Introducing “Artist of the Year” award at the Northern Ireland Music Prize. THE FLORENTINAS played a sold-out Belfast Empire headline show in May 2023. They ended the summer by supporting THE CORONAS and KODALINE at Custom House Square. https://www.theflorentinas.com / https://www.facebook.com/theflorentinas
Music & Performance
The evening was opened by the up-and-coming Irish Indie Rock band THE FLORENTINAS, who, like SNOW PATROL, hail from Northern Ireland. The band has quickly made a name for themselves with their catchy sound. Their set in Düsseldorf began with the atmospheric ‘Porcelain’, followed by ‘Sandcastles’ and ‘Ghosts’, which immediately captivated the audience. With ‘Eve’ and ‘Miami’, they showcased their ability to blend melancholic melodies with powerful choruses. ‘For You’ added another layer of emotional depth to the set before the band delivered a goosebump-inducing moment with ‘Killer’, a special dedication to SNOW PATROL. They closed their performance with ‘Weatherman’, leaving a lasting impression with its driving rhythms and dynamic guitar riffs. The band already had their own fans in the front row, who drew attention with handmade signs reading “My Favourite Tinas The Florentinas”. After a well-deserved round of applause, the band made way for the evening’s main act after 30 minutes.
Setlist
01. Porcelain
02. Sandcastles
03. Ghosts
04. Eve
05. Miami
06. For You
07. Killer (Song dedicated to Snow Patrol)
08. Weatherman
Snow Patrol
‘The Forest Is The Path’ was written by Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, and Johnny McDaid and features twelve tracks. Fraser T Smith, Will Reynolds, Roy Kerr, and Troy Van Leeuwen (of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) contributed as co-writers on some of the album’s songs. The album and single artwork showcase paintings by Gary Lightbody. ‘The Beginning’ lays the foundation for the band’s eighth studio album, born out of a journey to Somerset. Gary recalls, “On the first day, we wrote ‘The Beginning’ from start to finish.” Johnny adds, “And he recorded the vocals in a single take, right after writing the lyrics. So, the song has this uncanny quality where it feels like you’re looking into someone’s soul.” ‘The Forest Is The Path’ is an album rooted in reflection, self-observation, and introspection. A central theme, Gary notes, is the idea of love seen from the distance of time.
“I haven’t been in a relationship for a very long time - 10 years or more - so for me, love from afar meant the way a relationship settles into your memory from, say, a distance of 10 years. It’s something I hadn’t thought of writing about before. When you’re in love, it’s like standing in the lobby of the Empire State Building. When you break up, you’re on the street outside. You can still see the building, but you’re no longer inside. And 10 years later, you’re in Brooklyn, looking at the Manhattan skyline.” This theme is addressed directly in ‘The Beginning’. “That’s kind of a summation of this album,” Gary continues. “It’s a way of looking at different mistakes, all the pain I caused, from a place where nothing hurts anymore - except the memory when you bring it back to mind. The memory itself is full of pain, but everything around it isn’t. You’re holding this fireball in your hand, but now you’re wearing gloves.” https://snowpatrol.com / https://www.facebook.com/SnowPatrol
Music & Performance
SNOW PATROL delivered a captivating concert at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, immersing fans in a world of melody, emotion, and visual impressions. The band, known for its heartfelt songs for decades, thrilled the audience with a setlist that featured both classics and new material from their latest album, ‘The Forest Is the Path’. The evening began atmospherically with the instrumental intro ‘The Forest Is the Path’, which set the perfect mood with soft sounds and nature footage on the big screen - trees, dense forests, and falling leaves. The band then kicked off the concert with an energetic performance of ‘Take Back the City’, followed by ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Called Out in the Dark’, two songs that immediately lifted the audience’s spirits.
As the evening progressed, emotional ballads alternated with powerful anthems. ‘All’ and ‘Crack the Shutters’ unfolded their full emotional impact before leading into one of the most moving moments of the concert with ‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar’. Since the original version of this song was recorded with Martha Wainwright, the singer appeared in a pre-recorded video on the big screen while the band performed live. The perfect synchronization of visuals and music created an almost magical atmosphere. ‘Run’, one of the band’s biggest hits, was accompanied by a breathtaking sea of lights (mostly cell phones recording the song) in the audience. ‘The Beginning’ and ‘The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)’ added further emotional highlights. ‘Talking About Hope’ and ‘Open Your Eyes’ built up the tension before ‘Make This Go On Forever’ captivated the audience with its intensity.
A particularly memorable highlight was ‘Shut Your Eyes’, where the audience was encouraged to sing along. The fans enthusiastically joined in, filling the hall with a powerful chorus that sent chills down the spine. ‘Heal Me’ and ‘Chasing Cars’ further amplified the atmosphere. The latter was an overwhelming experience - thousands of voices merged into one as fans sang along to every lyric and thousands of hands reached into the air. The emotional weight of this moment was palpable, demonstrating how deeply the song continues to resonate after all these years, accompanied by a fantastic animation featuring footage of bustling city streets. With ‘You’re All I Have’, SNOW PATROL concluded their regular set before returning to the stage for the encore. ‘But I’ll Keep Trying’ and ‘Just Say Yes’ provided a fitting finale to the night. As the ‘Outro (This Is the Sound of Your Voice)’ played, the band bid farewell to thunderous applause.
The show was enhanced by stunning visual effects. Multiple cameras in the security pit and at the FOH captured the event, projecting live images of the band and audience onto the big screen. The entire production was infused with nature-inspired visuals, tying into the concept of the new album. Additionally, the heart featured on the album cover was integrated into some of the videos displayed on the screen. The combination of music, visuals, and audience participation made this concert an unforgettable experience that will linger in the minds of fans for a long time.
Setlist
01. Intro (The Forest Is the Path)
02. Take Back the City
03. Chocolate
04. Called Out in the Dark
05. All
06. Crack the Shutters
07. Set the Fire to the Third Bar
08. Run
09. The Beginning
10. The Lightning Strike (What If This Storm Ends?)
11. Talking About Hope
12. Open Your Eyes
13. Make This Go On Forever
14. Shut Your Eyes
15. Heal Me
16. Chasing Cars
17. You’re All I Have
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18. But I’ll Keep Trying
19. Just Say Yes
20. Outro (This Is the Sound of Your Voice)
All Pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
