Buzzing with a tingles of anticipation, tens of thousands of festivals-goers groaned over their morning toast on 19th June 2002 as they discovered the list of headlining acts for that year’s Glastonbury Festival.
There was washed up ‘mocker’ Rod Stewart, Kelly Jones from the Stereophonics, who sounded as if someone had just taken a cheese grater to his throat, and worst of all Coldplay: a miserable collection of middle class students with a singer that moaned whilst hunched over his piano.
In the event, that warm Friday night transpired to be one of the most important in Coldplay’s history. At half past ten, Faithless had waved their goodbyes, having delivered, as expected, a swirling ambient hour long sing-along, and an 80,000 strong crowd in front of the Pyramid Stage was poised for more. Half an hour later, Coldplay emerged from the gloom in a chorus of flashes, strobe lighting and the jarring riff of Politik. Somewhere in the next ninety minutes they became one of Britain’s best bands.
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