Snow Patrol Gary Lightbody and Nathan Connolly donated plectrums and certificates to the Music Beats Mines project that aims to clear unexploded mines/landmines from conflict zones. The items were auctioned on eBay. Gary Lightbody is featured on a track entitled "The Last Time" from Taylor Swift's 2012 album "Red". Snow Patrol released the 22nd album in the "Late Night Tales" series of mix albums by artists, which has been curated by Lightbody and Simpson. The band covered the INXS song "New Sensation" for the occasion. Lightbody has also spoken of plans to release songs from the Listen... Tanks! project (with Snow Patrol
Gary Lightbody phase ran for two years. He later gave up drinking and now does it "for fun" and credits his bandmates for the turnaround. The song "Disaster Button" ("A Hundred Million Suns") deals with this topic. Though a musician, he cannot read music and has said that he "guesses" his way through chords. He has a baritone vocal range. When at the University of Dundee, Lightbody met Nick DeCosemo, a fellow student, and the two became friends. DeCosemo also moved in Lightbody's Springfield apartment when he moved out of his parents' house. Nick had formed a club night called The Spaceship