Nathan Connolly (born 20 January 1981) is a Northern Irish musician, who is best known as the
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...
ist and backing vocalist for
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
band
Snow Patrol.
Early life
Connolly, who was born in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, sang for a gospel church choir at Glenmachan, Church of God, Belfast when he was 16, and the experience, he says, is what inspired him to be a musician.
He is a former pupil of
Grosvenor Grammar School
Grosvenor Grammar School (formerly Grosvenor High School) is an 11–18 co-educational controlled grammar school and sixth form in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
History
Grosvenor Grammar School was founded in 1945 as Grosvenor Hi ...
.
Music career
Prior to joining Snow Patrol, Connolly was a member of a band called File Under Easy Listening (or F.U.E.L), who were managed by
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
DJ
Colin Murray
Colin Murray (born Luke Wright on 10 March 1977) is a Northern Irish radio and television presenter. In 2010, he became host of BBC Television's '' Match of the Day 2'' on BBC Two, while still anchoring shows on BBC Radio 5 Live, including '' 5 ...
. The band consisted of Connolly, vocalist Aaron Ditty, Dave Magee and Peter Comfort. Unfortunately, it did not last long; the single "Closure/Dryform" was F.U.E.L.'s first and only release.
While working at the record store
HMV
Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom.
The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, Connolly was introduced to the band
Snow Patrol. He reluctantly agreed to join, despite the fact that the band had no record deal at the time. He jokingly recalls his mother thinking he "was being kidnapped by rock stars."
Connolly became a permanent member of the band near the end of 2002. His recruitment played a large role in shaping the band's new sound. With Connolly as a composer of the band's new material, Snow Patrol garnered a new record deal and released ''
Final Straw
''Final Straw'' is the third studio album and major-label debut by Scottish-Northern Irish rock band Snow Patrol, released on 4 August 2003 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and in 2004 in the United States. The album is notable for bringing t ...
'' in 2003. The album proved to be the band's breakthrough and helped introduce them to a wide audience.
In late 2006, he talked about plans to record a solo album, which he said would be "melodic and tuneful".
In 2013, Connolly formed his own side project called
Little Matador.
More recently Connolly played with
Feeder live at the Isle Of Wight festival on Sunday 12 June 2016.
Equipment
Guitars
*
Gibson Les Paul Custom - Tobacco 1979
* Gibson Les Paul Custom - Ebony (appears in the video for
Take Back the City)
*
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...
Custom - Sunburst 1974
* Fender Telecaster Custom - Blonde 1977
*
Gretsch
Gretsch is an American company that manufactures musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Friedrich Gretsch ...
Countryman - Brown 1962
* Gretsch Duo Jet - Black
*
Fender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar by Fender Musical Instruments characterized by an offset-waist body, a relatively unusual switching system with two separate circuits for lead and rhythm, and a short-scale 24" neck. Owing some roots to t ...
- Sunburst 1965
* Fender Telecaster Custom - Black '72 reissue
* Fender Telecaster Nashville - Sunburst
*
Guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
Acoustic
* Rickenbacker 360 - Jetglo
* Hutchins Memphis - Black
He uses
Jim Dunlop Tortex .60mm picks
Amps
* Diamond Amplification Spitfire I Head with Spitfire 4x12 Cabinet
*
Vox AC30
The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox. It was introduced in 1958 to meet the growing demand for louder amplifiers. Characterised by its "jangly" high-end sound it has become widely recognized by British musicians and others, su ...
(Used at Mandela Hall SG#3)
*
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Islands
* Marshall Islands, an i ...
JCM800 2203 Jubilees
* Marshall 3315 Transistor (Used on Final Straw Tours)
*
Fender Twin Reverb (Also Used on Final Straw Tours)
Effects
Connolly uses a setup that is primarily rack based. His rack consists of the following:
*
TC Electronic
TC Electronic (sometimes stylized as t.c. electronic) is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-pr ...
D Two (for delay)
*TC Electronic G Major (for modulation, pitch shifting and compression)
*TC Electronic M One XL (for reverb and layered delay sounds)
*
Voodoo Labs GCX Audio Switcher
He uses various pedals for his overdrive and boost sounds. They change from time to time, but his consistent setup includes the following:
*
Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer
*
MXR/
Dunlop Micro Amp (for boost)
*
Boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
Super Overdrive
*Boss Blues Driver
He uses a Voodoo Labs Ground Control Pro controller to bring up presets for each of the band's songs, and has the ability to add/remove different pedals and changes in sound.
He also uses a function in the TC Electronic G Major that allows him to switch the channels on his Marshall Jubilee amp heads for his heaviest sounds.
Connolly has a small pedalboard containing his ground control for the rack and various Boss pedals including a TU-2, PS-5, DD3, and RC-2.
Personal life
Connolly lives in
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of North London, approximately from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described by the BBC as one of "a new breed of urban villag ...
, London, nearby bandmate
Jonny Quinn
Jonathan Graham Quinn (born 26 February 1972) is a Northern Irish musician, best known as the drummer for alternative rock band Snow Patrol, and was previously a member of bands like The Mighty Fall, The New Brontes and Disraeli Gears. As drumm ...
.
References
External links
Snow Patrol's Nathan Connolly: 'Guitar Is Just Another Tool To Create A Song'PopGurls Interview: Nathan Connolly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Nathan
Rock guitarists from Northern Ireland
Snow Patrol members
Musicians from Belfast
1981 births
Living people
Ivor Novello Award winners
People educated at Grosvenor Grammar School