THERE’S news of snow – so that must mean Christmas!

One of the biggest bands around, Snow Patrol, becomes the first to the start line to announce a ‘best of…’ album in the run up to Christmas …….

But not only does this 30 track double album have the best of everything by the band, there are also three new tracks to make it even more tempting.

And there’s great news for local fans - they are appearing at the Colston Hall, Bristol on November 20 (tickets on sale now 24-hour hotline 0871 2200 260) as part of a 12-date special ‘tour of the album’.

‘Up To Now’ is a collection of the band’s best-loved songs and is out on November 9 on Fiction.

One of the biggest and boldest bands of the past decade, Snow patrol have over 15 years released five studio albums. The part Irish, part Scottish five piece – singer songwriter Gary Lightbody, bassist Paul Wilson, guitarist Nathan Connolly, Jonny Quinn on drums and keyboardist Tom Simpson – have sketched heart-bruised ballads (Set Down Your Glass) and arm-around-your-best-mate festival anthems (Run); radio hits (Chasing Cars) and moments of painful introspection (You Could Be Happy).

All of these have been gathered together for ‘Up To Now’ - a 30 track, double album of singles, cover versions, rarities, album tracks and a handful of new songs as well as compositions by the Reindeer Section – an indie supergroup featuring members of Scotland’s guitar elite - Belle and Sebastian, Idlewild and Teenage Fanclub among many others – and co-ordinated by Lightbody.

“It’s a portrait of us as a band, warts and all” says Lightbody. “We’ve climbed a hill and now we’re looking back and taking in the view for a bit. It’s nice to show people that we didn’t just arrive overnight.”

From their formation in Scotland in 1994, the band’s hard-earned rise has seen them become one of the world’s biggest bands, culminating in them selling over ten million copies of their last three albums (2003’s ‘Final Straw’, ‘Eyes Open’ – released in 2006 – and last year’s ‘A Hundred Million Suns’), taking in Grammy, BRIT, BMI, Meteor and Ivor Novello nominations and awards along the way.

‘Up To Now’ will be available on a two disc CD featuring 30 tracks, and a three disc digipack with an additional DVD which offers two exclusive documentaries, The Lightning Strike animated film and previously unseen live footage.

A limited edition heavyweight box will also be made available on a strictly limited run. Each box will be numbered and wrapped in cloth and the first 100 boxes sold will be signed by all band members. The box is a veritable treasure trove for fans, containing the two disc CD, three heavyweight LPs, two DVDs, a lithograph print by Bradley Quinn and an LP-sized booklet. The box is available now to pre-order at www.snowpatrol.com .

The ‘Up To Now’ tracklisting is: CD1: Chocolate, Chasing Cars, Crack The Shutters, Set The Fire To The Third Bar, Crazy In Love, Just Say Yes, Batten Down The Hatch, You’re All I Have, Hands Open, Cartwheels, The Planets Bend Between Us (2009 Version), Ask Me How I Am, On-Off, Making Enemies, Run (Live at the Union Chapel).

CD2: Take Back the City, Shut Your Eyes, An Olive Grove Facing The Sea (2009 Version), Run, Give Me Strength, Signal Fire, Spitting Games, Open Your Eyes, Dark Roman Wine, Fifteen Minutes Old, You Are My Joy, Golden Floor, Starfighter Pilot, PPP, Chasing Cars (Live at the Union Chapel).

‘Just Say Yes’, one of three new tracks on the album, will be released as a single on November 2 on Fiction.

Following the album release, the band embark on ‘Snow Patrol Reworked’, a live celebration of highlights from the Snow Patrol songbook, specially reworked and reinvented. The tour offers a chance to look back to the early days of their career as well as giving fans the opportunity to hear their work interpreted in a brand new way. The shows will see Snow Patrol joined by other musicians and surprise guests and will feature, amongst other things, a four-piece string quartet, brass section, harpist, additional percussion, lap steel guitar and a choir. Each ticket to the Reworked tour comes with a free download of the incredible ‘Lightning Strike’, the epic trilogy that closed ‘A Hundred Million Suns’.

Dates: NOVEMBER 18, BRIGHTON 0844 847 1515.

NOVEMBER 20, BRISTOL COLSTON HALL 0117 922 3686.

NOVEMBER 21, NEWCASTLE CITY HALL 0191 261 2606.

NOVEMBER 23,24,25 LONDON ROYAL ALBERT HALL 0845 401 5028/ 0844 844 0444/ 020 7734 8932.

NVEMBER 27, 29 MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE 844 847 2328.

NOVEMBER 30 GLASGOW CLYDE AUDITORIUM 08444 999 990.

DECEMBER 7,8,9 BELFAST WATERFRONT HALL02890 33 44 55 TICKETS ON SALE NOW. 24 HOUR TICKET HOTLINE: 0871 2200 260 www.gigsandtours.com , www.gigsinscotland.com , www.snowpatrol.com ‘Up to Now’ will be released on November 9 on Fiction, preceded by new single ‘Just Say Yes’ on November 2.