12 Coldplay Months of 2013: February (where Dave Holmes eats his hat)

[Coeurli]

With the cancellation of the Latin American tour at the very end of January, February could have only been a month of mourning for many many Coldplay fans, but a few cool things happened that month!

 

Feb 1st: Clocks voted BBC 6 Music's Greatest Hit

Will: “Our manager said ‘I’ll eat my hat if that is a hit’”

 

Clocks isn’t only one of Coldplay’s biggest hits and the winner of the 2004 Record of the Year Grammy award. It is also radio 6 Music’s listeners’ Greatest Hit of the last decade!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the station, 6 Music launched a poll for everyone to vote for the greatest hit of the last 10 years, which cast 100 000 votes.

On Coldplay’s top spot, DJ Steve Lamacq, supporter and friend of the band from the start, commented: “It’s a good result for Coldplay, who were clearly one of the biggest bands of the decade”. An interview with a “blown-away” Will followed the announcement. On how the song came together and its incredible success, our favourite drummer said: “This was a first successful attempt at writing a song where a melodic hook was the key to the song rather than a big swooping chorus or choral singalong. We've used the same technique on a couple of other songs. Our manager was talking about releasing it as a single and, I'll quote him, he said 'I'll eat my hat if that is a hit'... and here we are!”

 

The Top 10 was:

10: Radiohead – There There

9: British Sea Power – Remember Me

8: Johnny Cash – Hurt

7: The Flaming Lips – Do You Realize??

6: The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

5: The Killers – Mr Brightside

4: The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio

3: Elbow – One Day like This

2: Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

1: Coldplay – Clocks

 

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Feb 13: Release of the first issue of the Mylo Xyloto comic

 

 

The first issue of Coldplay’s six-part comic, inspired by Mylo Xyloto and published by Bongo Comics, was released this month. Chris and Phil worked with Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda) to tell the story behind the album. It tells the story of Mylo Xyloto, “a young Silencer on the front lines of a war against sound and color in the world of Silencia.”

The comic got mixed reviews from the fans and critics, as you can see in the detailed thread which started around Comic Con 2012.

 

 

February 18: In My Place video competition for Oxfam announced

 

First leaked by NME, the new collaboration project between Oxfam and Coldplay was later officially announced. As a part of Oxfam’s awareness campaign regarding land grabs, Coldplay fans were invited to participate in the making of a video for an acoustic version of In My Place, through a competition that was to be closed a month later. The concept was to capture a daily activity in an unusual place. Matt Whitecross, who had directed several Coldplay videos including Christmas Lights and Paradise, had the final cut.

 

 

February 20: Coldplay win Best British Live Act at the BRITs

Will: “This is absolutely extraordinary”

 

After winning their seventh BRIT award in 2012 for Best British Group, the band was nominated in two categories for this year’s BRITs. While they lost to Adele (Skyfall) in the British Single of the Year category, Coldplay did win their 8th BRIT award that night as Best Live Act, against some quite tough competition, that notably included Mumford & Sons, Muse and the Rolling Stones! Will and Jonny were there to take the prize. In his speech, Will thanked the creative team - including Jason Regler aka Mr Xylobands- , the crew and all the fans who went to the concerts this tour.

 

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Look at those cuties:

 

Noodles for LP6

In their post-award interview with Jo Whiley, Will & Jonny reacted to their win, saying: “It is just brilliant to win this one because we did put an awful lot of effort in and it’s an amazing thing that so many people take the trouble to buy tickets and queue up, and every night is filled with people who are so willing to have a great evening. That for us was such a wonderful thing to be part of. We’re so happy to win it.”

They also revealed that they were back to the studio. However, nothing appeared to be concrete just yet. Will said: “Me and Jonny have been going into the studio just noodling; we go in and noodle for an hour and then go get a cup of tea or coffee! But no… there’s rumblings.”

To Jo’s proposition to go acoustic for LP6, Will answered: “Yeah, that might be nice, actually. There’s only so far you can go without becoming pompous and a bit overblown, so we’ll tread that line very carefully. Reset. Recalibrate.”

 

You tease!

 

 

Feb 14: Coldplay saddened by closure of the Bull and Gate

 

What was NOT cool, on the other hand, was to learn about the upcoming closure of the Bull & Gate live music stage in Camden, London. It is in that very pub that Coldplay performed for one of the first times ever as a band, in 1999, and got noticed by NME. The band expressed their sadness in an email to Camden’s New Journal, saying that gig “changed [their] lives forever” and that they “will always be grateful”. The Bull and Gate, famous Camden pub that has seen many bands such as Blur in the beginning of their career, was bought by the brewery chain Young a few years ago. They decided to turn the back of the pub into more space for serving food, as they didn’t see it as a “viable” option to do both in the same place, according to a Young’s spokeswoman. Steve Lamacq commented that such closure is representative of the slow decline of the Camden scene.

 

The setlist of Coldplay’s gig on April 1st 1999 was:

Brothers & Sisters

Bigger Stronger

Ode to Deodorant

Careful where you stand

Shiver

 

(ohmy what a setlist :dazzled: )

 

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Finally, to go back to nicer things, those pictures taken around Feb 12 were very very nice :dazzled:

Our favourite lead singer jogging in the streets of London with trainer Dan :dazzled:

[nancyk58]

^ Great review, Celine. 10/10. :thumbsup:

 

As to the poll - it was difficult for me to choose between the 2 first options, but then I decided to vote for their award.

[suzanafg]

Very nicely written and entertaining to read! Well done and thank, you Céline :)

[Texasluvsjonny]

why isn't Trainer Dan's legs on that poll? :whip:

[Coeurli]

Thank you guys, I'm glad you enjoyed the review :D

 

And you're right Angie, how silly of me to have forgotten the jogging pics in the poll :lol: