The news was shared via Facebook, with the remaining members writing, “Sorry to be the bearer of such sad news but both Jonny Quinn and Paul Wilson have decided to leave Snow Patrol. We are heartbroken they have decided to leave us but we wish them nothing but happiness, success, joy, compassion and everything they want in all their future endeavours.”

The band went on to write individual posts dedicated to Jonny Quinn and Paul Wilson in order to give them a “proper and individual send off.”

Speaking on drummer Jonny Quinn, the band wrote, “Early on it was clear he was more than a drummer.”

They went on to celebrate his 26 years in the band, writing, “His drumming has at times taken on legendary status. His nickname was after all ‘thunderclap’ because he hit the snare drum so hard he was prone to smash right through the drumskin.”

The band shared their gratitude for his time with Snow Patrol, concluding, “We saw the world together, many times. From starting out in the 90s with nothing to what we have become and what we have had the privilege of seeing on tour and in SP’s life together is an honour and one we are all so glad we shared with Jonny.“

In tribute to their bassist Paul Wilson, the band wrote, “He had no fear. It was thrilling to watch.”

They continued, “He played every instrument so bass was maybe a little restrictive for his many talents but we are eternally grateful to him that he did, and did so epically. He has a big beautiful heart and is a deep thinker, and he more than all of us would explore the cities we found ourselves in on tour.”

Having celebrated Wilson’s career with Snow Patrol since 2005, the band concluded, “Thank you for all the awesome times you’ve given us and shared with us Pabs.”

The remaining members, Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly and Johnny McDaid confirmed that their 8th studio album is still set for release next year, despite these changes.

Snow Patrol are set to continue on as a trio and plan to share more information on their upcoming album release in due course. In their initial Facebook post that broke the news, they wrote, “More news of that will come at an appropriate time, for now we want to pay homage and give gratitude for all Jonny and Pablo have given us and shared with us these past decades.”

This news broke just weeks after the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of their breakout album, The Final Straw.

Snow Patrol have released a 20th anniversary special edition re-issue of The Final Straw, available for purchase here.

The series is being done by Irish music magazine Hot Press and all of the covers are on their YouTube channel. Speaking about the event, Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said; “The result is a feast of extraordinary music, brilliantly delivered by artists from all over the island of Ireland. This is a hugely deserved tribute to a brilliant, internationally acclaimed artist from East Belfast. But Rave On, Van Morrison has also turned into a powerful confirmation of the outstanding talent that exists in this extraordinary place on the eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Long may it continue.”

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To mark Van Morrison’s 75th birthday on August 31, Ireland’s @hotpressmagazine has curated musical tributes by 75 exceptional artists, to be broadcast to the world via YouTube, in August and September. Follow the link in the bio to watch the series so far.

A post shared by Van Morrison (@vanmorrisonofficial) on Aug 10, 2020 at 7:18am PDT

The impressive line-up includes Hozier, Imelda May, Una Healy, Glen Hansard and Mary Coughlan to name a few. There was even a contribution from President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. The poet and one-time culture minister took on a spoken word version of Rave On John Donne and changed the words to honour the late American politician and civil-rights leader John Lewis. President Higgins was also joined by Bill Whelan, composer of the Irish dancing show Riverdance.

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Taking the #RaveOnVanMorrison Birthday Celebrations to the next level for the man himself’s big day! We are delighted to be announcing back to back performances on our YouTube tonight from 7pm GMT+1 It’s our absolute honor to have President Michael D. Higgins starting tonight’s proceedings of the impressive line up of showcases we have for you this evening. #VanTheMan @presidentirl

A post shared by Hot Press (@hotpressmagazine) on Aug 31, 2020 at 2:42am PDT

Van Morrison is a Northern-Irish, who shot to fame in the 60’s when he was a part of Northern Irish R&B and rock band, Them. His solo career lead to great hits such as Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance and Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile).  He has received two Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Song Writing and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Rave On, Van Morrison event will run until Sunday September 15th. You can watch all of the covers on the Hot Press YouTube channel, here.

For musical people, the “Your Song” hitmaker has been awarded with the Companion of Honour, the highest acknowledgement in the list. Over five decades, John has exceptionally carved out his career in which he has sold more than 300 million records globally and contributed to 23 charities, one of which is The Elton John AIDS Foundation.

John took to his Twitter, expressing how he is “humbled and honoured” to be regarded with such prestigious accolade. The tweet can be seen below.

I’m humbled and honoured to be among such highly esteemed company in receiving the Companion of Honour.

2019 has turned out to be a truly wonderful year for me and I feel extraordinarily blessed.

Elton xx pic.twitter.com/iam3EItGYH

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) December 27, 2019

Another medalwinner from the musical world is Roger Taylor, the drummer of legendary rock & roll band Queen. The 70-year-old drummer is awarded with Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) because of his contributions to AIDS awareness and The Queen musical We Will Rock You.

Snow Patrol’s lead singer Gary Lightbody also receives an OBE for his service to music and charity. He is among almost 100 people from Northern Ireland who are allocated with the awards. The Lightbody Foundation is one of the artist’s charitable works. The foundation aims to make donations for people, especially the youth, with special educational needs and mental health in Northern Ireland.

The New Year Honours is a part of the British Honours system. At the end of each year, announced are the names of citizens from some of 16 Commonwealth Realms who have done remarkable work in various fields. These people will be honoured with awards in many categories from The Queen.