Last month Chris Martin of the British band Coldplay reportedly got stuck in an elevator in Brisbane, Australia. That the man who sang "Fix You" and "Don't Panic" might have had "A Rush of Blood to the Head" while trapped in a faulty lift for two hours is the stuff of tabloid headlines. But any symbolic significance seen in the episode would be misplaced. After all, the vertiginous rise of Coldplay over the last few years has been nothing short of unstoppable, with only Martin himself apparently able to alter the future fortunes of the band.

 

Surprisingly, though, the British quartet have yet to officially tour Japan. This apparent oversight will finally be addressed with dates in Japan next week, the last leg of their 16-month Twisted Logic world tour. Although Coldplay have given isolated performances at Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic, this tour looks set to give a major boost to the band's popularity in Japan, a nation that has been a little slower in picking up on the worldwide wave of popularity that made the band's third release, X&Y the best-selling album in the world in 2005.

 

To commemorate the tour, a special edition of X&Y has been released in Japan with six bonus tracks and four videos, including "Speed of Sound" and "The Hardest Part."

 

With more than 9 million copies sold worldwide, X&Y is already set to overtake the sales of Coldplay's sophomore release, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and shows that whatever X&Y might signify, Coldplay have the formula to appeal to a wide audience of millions, both male and female--as well as sales figures that would keep any company's share price buoyant.

 

But if there's no doubting Coldplay are popular, where does the appeal of the band lie?

 

Diehard fans and detractors alike can surely agree that Coldplay have almost perfected the art--or should that be science?--of the pop song.

 

Dreamy emotional pop rock that makes maximum use of the minimum of elements is what Coldplay excels at. Enough of a rock feel to have some credibility, but nothing too intense to frighten off the faint-hearted. Guitarist Jon Buckland makes much use of the ringing effect-tinged note, like the Edge in classic '80s U2, while Chris Martin is not unlike an English Bono, with a more fragile and heart-opening delivery and a higher top end. Martin's keyboard playing adds a slightly unfashionable element that helps give the band a characteristic feel with very simple but stylish piano riffs.

 

Lyrically, meanwhile, their emotional themes expressing hopes and fears, pain, and joy, dreams and doubts have a heart-on-the-sleeve feel and can be related to by just about anyone. If Coldplay have a particular resonance for the modern male, then it also reaches the hearts of women looking for that modern male...

 

In a promotional video interview with record company Toshiba-EMI, Martin describes the album's general themes and concept.

 

"X&Y: it has a meaning, but it doesn't have a meaning. X&Y symbolizes to us the answers we give to things that we really have no idea about. That could be in science, mathematics, or emotional questions, it could be to do with male and female, or equations--in mathematics, whenever you have a very complicated problem that people like me can't understand, we can see that the answer is X + Y. So it's about the great unanswerable questions," Martin said.

 

One question that does have a clear answer, though, is whether Martin is an essential part of the Coldplay equation. Of the band, he is the irreplaceable frontman, pouring his heart out on stage, switching from keys to guitar to mike with ease and comfort. An extreme interpretation might even view him in the same emotional vein as James Blunt or Daniel Powter, but with a band to boot.

 

The success of Coldplay in Japan, though, falls short of both Blunt and Powter. Domestic sales of X&Y have reached 250,000, a comparable level with Oasis, record company Toshiba-EMI says, but still not a true reflection of their startling success on the international stage.

 

In Britain or the United States, Martin's stand on fair trade adds weight to his character. Although he never refers to it in his lyrics, this position somehow adds an extra touch of sincerity to the emotional outpourings of his vocals. But the reference is pretty much lost in Japan, where awareness of fair trade is relatively low.

 

Also, the celebrity synergy Martin enjoys elsewhere for his marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, has less of a buzz factor in Japan. Added to that, if there has been any beneficial publicity generated by the debate about working-class versus middle-class rock, it doesn't reach these shores, where being labeled a "knobhead student" with the looks of a "geography teacher" by Liam Gallagher of Oasis is almost devoid of meaning.

 

That said, X&Y is Coldplay's biggest seller in Japan to date, a sign that the band's success is firmly established on an upward curve that should steepen after their upcoming shows.

 

"We want some kid from Osaka to come and see our concert and feel motivated to form a band," Martin said of playing in Japan.

 

For a band that plans to become the "best band that ever existed," Coldplay also have bold claims to make about their spectacularly lit live shows.

 

Drummer Will Champion said their current show was "amazing" and talked about the importance of the lighting used and the effort that went into planning it.

 

"So often you see bands that are great live, but have a dull live show in terms of lights and whatever," Champion said.

 

True to form, Martin was more forthright: "The first 15 minutes of our concert are going to knock people's heads off."

 

At the end of the day, it's the playing live together that keeps Coldplay together and the hits coming. The records are important, but they are essentially the next best thing.

 

"Those albums are the things that represent us everywhere we can't be. If we could, we'd play live to everyone in their own house, but we can't," Martin said.

 

You can, however, go to see them. They may not be playing live in your front room any time soon, but they will be playing somewhere relatively close to your doorstep. You can then judge for yourself if Coldplay really do live up to their self-proclaimed status as best band in the world.

 

Coldplay will perform July 15, 5:30 p.m. at Intex Osaka in Osaka, (06) 6535-5569; July 17, 7 p.m. at Rainbow Hall in Nagoya, (052) 936-6041; July 18-19, 7 p.m. at Budokan in Kudanshita, Tokyo, (03) 3444-6751.

 

(Jul. 8, 2006)

 

Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp

"Those albums are the things that represent us everywhere we can't be. If we could, we'd play live to everyone in their own house, but we can't," Martin said.

Yes please!!!

 

A interesting article, thanks :nice:

"To commemorate the tour, a special edition of X&Y has been released in Japan with six bonus tracks and four videos, including Speed of Sound and The Hardest Part."

 

Anyone know what the six bonus tracks are?

I believe the six tracks are all the b-sides of all the X&Y singles...

Chris come into my house and sing for me!

Drummer Will Champion said their current show was "amazing" and talked about the importance of the lighting used and the effort that went into planning it.

 

"So often you see bands that are great live, but have a dull live show in terms of lights and whatever," Champion said.

 

So agree with that! visuals are very important. Saw Arctic Monkeys yesterday. May have been because it was during the day but....YAWN!!!!

 

I've seen some pics from Robbie Williams' tour - check dat shit out!!! :shocked2:

 

Now don't get me wrong. The music is the most important thing, but when I've paid a small fortune for a ticket to see a band, I want to get my moneys worth! :wink3: :laugh3:

^^Yeah, that'd be a bit much for Coldplay, though :laugh4:

oh I dunno, I could see Chris running around, climbing right up to the top and bungee jumping off it.....lol maybe not!

^ or even better, Guy, Jonny, or Will! How in character! :p

:laugh4:

Nah, all those lights would be too much for them..."My eyes, my eyes! I can't find my pedals!"