Snow Patrol live at Mandela Hall, Belfast

As soon as you spot Terry Hooley – the man who released ‘Teenage Kicks’, kids – holding court at the bar, you know you’re in for a classic Belfast rock ‘n’ roll night.
Terry isn’t the only irresponsible adult in the Mandela Hall, with Mr. & Mrs. Lightbody on hand to see what their Gary has been up to this past year.
Having survived Live8 you’d imagine that nothing would phase them, but the word from backstage is that Snow Patrol are über-nervous about debuting their Eyes Open album in front of 500 rabid locals, and the odd stray Brit and Free Stater who’s wangled their way into this supposedly “secret” gig.
The worrying turns out to be needless as Gary, now denuded of his ‘80s hair metal locks, leads the troops through an old song/new song set which reminds you just how awesome the quintet are live.
Despite having to refer to a crib sheet – “We’ve only managed one rehearsal because I’ve been ill”, he says dolefully – Lightbody Jr. tears through newies like ‘Hands Open’, ‘Beginning To Get To Me’ and ‘Headlights’ with the gusto of a man who knows his bank account is about to have a few more zeroes added to it.
While no Final Straw clone, Eyes Open sticks to the tried and tested formula of Gary having his heart spectacularly broken, and then rallying against the injustice of it all in song.
The notable exception is ‘Chasing Cars’ – “The only love song we’ve written that doesn’t have a knife in its back” – which could just be his and the band’s finest four-minutes yet. Yup, we’re talking even greater unit-shifting potential than ‘Run’, which is followed tonight by poptastic new single, ‘You’re All I Love’, and an encore version of ‘Tiny Little Fractures’ that’s ten times more venomous than it is on record.
We’ve been to Valentine’s Day parties before, but none that leave you reveling in such a warm post-coital glow.
Set-list: ‘Wow’, ‘Hands Open’, ‘Chocolate’, ‘Beginning To Get To Me’, ‘Spitting Games’, ‘Headlights’, ‘Grazed Knees’, ‘Chasing Cars’, ‘Shut Your Eyes’, ‘Olive Grove Facing The Sea’, ‘How To Be Dead’, ‘Make This Go On Forever’, ‘Ways & Means’, ‘Run’, ‘You’re All I Have’, ‘Open Your Eyes’ and ‘Tiny Little Fractures’.