Snow Patrol Singer Prepping Two Side Projects

As Snow Patrol wait for the release of their greatest hits package Up To Now, the singer/guitarist Gary Lightbody is already working on material for two different side projects: Tired Pony and Listen… Tanks!

"Both will be completed by the end of January," Lightbody wrote in a blog post on the band's website on Oct. 13. "I've made similar claims before but this time the studios have been booked."

Lightbody says the Tired Pony venture will see him going to a studio in Portland, Ore. to work.

"In the band so far are Garret [Jacknife] Lee, Richard Colburn, Iain Archer, Miriam Kaufmann and myself," he says. "There are two others but I'm not going to say who they are just yet as I'm too excited about them and they are very busy people so they could be whisked away for one reason or another so I'll bite my happy tongue for now."

Lightbody also says he describes the band's musical direction as not exactly country, something previous reports have suggested.

"Let's just say it's country-tinged so there is no disappointment or confusion when it comes out and doesn't sound like Waylon Jennings or Gram Parsons."

And as for the Listen... Tanks!, Lightbody says that band will only consist of himself and Lee.

"It's taken a mad turn recently (Garret and I have some more of it recorded) and it was mad to begin with so god only knows how that'll turn out."

Snow Patrol are currently wrapping up a U.S. tour before heading back to the U.K., where they'll play 16 more dates, concluding with a three-night stand in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Here are Snow Patrol's tour dates:

Oct. 13 Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Oct. 14 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theater
Oct. 16 Oakland, CA @ The Fox Theater
Oct. 17 San Diego, CA @ Open Air Theatre at San Diego State University
Oct. 19 Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
Oct. 20 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern LG
Nov. 18 Brighton, England @ Brighton Centre
Nov. 20 Bristol, England @ Colston Hall
Nov. 21 Newcastle Upon Tyne, England @ Newcastle City Hall
Nov. 23-25 London, England @ Royal Albert Hall
Nov. 27, 29 Manchester, England @ Palace Theatre
Nov. 30 Glasgow, Scotland @ Clyde Auditorium
Dec. 2-3 Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre
Dec. 4 Killarney, Ireland @ INEC
Dec. 6 Castlebar, Ireland @ Royal Theatre And Event Centre
Dec. 7-9 Belfast, Northern Ireland @ Waterfront Hall Auditorium