Snow Patrol to play one-off gig on Bangor seafront

Snow Patrol will give a special performance on August 31, in celebration of lead singer Gary Lightbody being awarded Freedom of the Borough.

The civic ceremony will take place at Bangor Castle the day before, followed by a concert on Bangor seafront on Wednesday evening.

Lightbody thanked the council for the honour.

"I was born and grew up in the Borough, and though I may have wandered for a few years, I made my home back in Bangor again," he said.  "Johnny, Nathan and myself are really looking forward to playing on Bangor seafront for the very first time.

"It’ll be great craic. This town, indeed newly minted city, has always been a part of me and always will be."

The event is organised by Open House Festival in partnership with Ards and North Down Borough Council.

Snow Patrol is to play a special one-off acoustic concert on Bangor seafront to celebrate the Award of Freedom of The Borough to Gary Lightbody, the City of Bangor’s most famous son. 🌟

The concert will take place on the evening of Wednesday 31st August.https://t.co/Onj6d43RaG pic.twitter.com/TtAFijbWth

— ArdsandNorthDown (@ANDborough) July 7, 2022

Lightbody spent his early years in Bangor, a Co Down town, before heading to university in Dundee, where he formed Snow Patrol. He has always maintained strong links with Northern Ireland and supported upcoming artists from the area.

Snow Patrol have played to mass audiences in Bangor’s Ward Park three times in the past fifteen years, in 2007, 2010 and most recently in 2019. However, fans can expect a "much more intimate feel" from this performance.

The new mayor of Ards and North Down, councillor Karen Douglas, who put Lightbody forward to receive the honour back in October 2019, said: "Gary Lightbody is an international name, but he is most loved and appreciated by the people of Bangor and the wider Borough and I’m sure they will join me in extending heartfelt congratulations on receiving this award and grateful thanks for everything he does for our local community.”

She said that the acoustic concert "will no doubt become one of the standout events in our city’s musical history".

Kieran Gilmore, director of Open House, added: “It will be an honour to host Snow Patrol acoustic on our seafront and help Gary Lightbody mark this rare and exceptional honour.”

This marks the first time the Freedom of the Borough will be awarded to an individual and follows the conferment upon health and social care staff in 2018, and the Irish guards in June of this year.

Profits from the event will go towards the re-development of the old Bangor Court House into a non-profit music venue, which is nearing completion.

Tickets for the concert will go on sale at 10am on Friday, July 8. They cost £22.50, including booking fee and charges. The supporting acts will be announced soon.