Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has revealed that he struggled with writer’s block during the making of their new album.
It the curse of every creative person. Sure, there may be times when projects are completed easily and ideas come tumbling forth like wine from a bottle… but there are also darker moments when the mind goes completely blank.
Snow Patrol retreated to begin work on their sixth studio album last year, with millions of fans snapping at their heels. Flown out to Los Angeles, songwriter Gary Lightbody suddenly found that his creative energies had been sapped.
Speaking to the BBC, the songwriter explained that he was “catatonic” with fright and “couldn’t write a single word” during the initial recording sessions.
“Oh God, I never want to go through that again,” he revealed. “You’ve done the thing that you do every day of your life for 16 years and suddenly it’s removed from you.”
“I just couldn’t write a single word. I was terrified. I couldn’t pick up my laptop, my notepad, or anything, for fear that I was going to sit there and stagnate. I was actually catatonic for most of it,” he added.
Struggling to find a cure, Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody decided to simply force himself through the dry period. “Avoiding writing is the worst possible thing to do – but that’s what I was doing. I was too frightened to even pick a pen up. So writers write: Even though it sounds so prosaic, it’s absolutely true. You do it until it works, and that’s what I did.”
Set to open 2012 with a typically lavish arena tour, Snow Patrol previously confirmed a number of nationwide tour dates.
Starting in Dublin on January 20th, the band will then play three nights in Belfast. Snow Patrol are set to perform in Glasgow, before travelling to Aberdeen, Nottingham, Manchester and more.
Ending with a show in London, the Northern Irish band are set to play London’s O2 Arena on February 10th.
Tickets for all upcoming shows are on sale now.
Snow Patrol are set to play the following shows:
January
20 Dublin O2 Arena
21 Dublin O2 Arena
23 Belfast The Odyssey Arena
24 Belfast The Odyssey Arena
25 Belfast The Odyssey Arena
27 Glasgow SECC
30 Aberdeen AECC
31 Liverpool Echo Arena
February
1 Nottingham Capital FM Arena
3 Manchester MEN Arena
4 Birmingham LG Arena
5 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
7 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
8 Bournemouth BIC
10 London O2 Arena
