WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Performers often scalp tickets to their own performances, using TicketsNow.com and StubHub.com as outlets, says Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor in a blog posting. Maybe its a way of Coldplay getting one over on the ticket scalpers?

With the face value of tickets for the best seats so much less than what high rollers and avid fans are willing to pay, performers have to choose between letting scalpers reap the profits of their work or cashing in themselves, said industrial rocker Reznor in a blog posting on Sunday.

"The venue, the promoter, the ticketing agency and often the artist camp (artist, management and agent) take tickets from the pool of available seats and feed them directly to the re-seller," wrote Reznor, who has a long history of battling the music industry."I am not saying every one of the above entities all do this, nor am I saying they do it for all shows but this is a very common practice," wrote Reznor. "StubHub.com is an example of a re-seller/scalper. So is TicketsNow.com."

Reselling may disappear and the face value of tickets go up if U.S. Justice Department antitrust officials allow the planned merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation Inc, Reznor predicted.

"My guess as to what will eventually happen if/when Live Nation and TicketMaster merges is that they'll move to an auction or market-based pricing scheme -- which will simply mean it will cost a lot more to get a good seat for a hot show," he wrote. "They will simply become the scalper."

Critics of the Ticketmaster-Live Nation deal say a merger would give the new company excessive clout in the music industry. Ticketmaster Chief Executive Irving Azoff and Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino argue that the merger is needed because of economic woes in the music industry, partially caused by widespread piracy.

Reznor said he opposed the practice of performers giving tickets to resellers. He also said he would try to deter scalpers by printing the name of purchasers on pre-sale tickets sold to Nine Inch Nails fans.

The issue of how ticket resellers acquire their tickets has been a hot one since Bruce Springsteen fans signed on to Ticketmaster in February to buy concert tickets only to be told that they had sold out within minutes. They were directed to Ticketmaster subsidiary TicketsNow, which had considerably more expensive tickets.

More discussion on this article at the Coldplay Live forum here [thanks Breakfast_of_CHAMPION]

Three times a charm. And that charm has ensured Coldplay will receive a very warm welcome for their third performance in Singapore on Monday, reports The Jakarta Post.

Back in 2001, Coldplay, then an up-and-coming alternative rock group, paired up with Scottish quartet Travis for their first Singapore gig to promote their debut album Parachute. Playing to a modestly sized audience, the young band - Chris Martin on vocals, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion - gave a memorable performance.

Five years later, the band's "Twisted Logic" tour swung by our neighbor's shore for the second time. Having by then recorded three albums including A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and X&Y (2005), the band's concert featured much more snazzy elements including laser shows, a sleek stage set with fancy visual designs projected on a digital screen stretched across the stage background, and a shower of big yellow balls bouncing above the sea of fans. Quite a number of Indonesian A-list musicians and celebrities were spotted in the audience.

Read the full article in the Singapore concert discussion thread here. The show is two day away folks!

Say what you like about Coldplay - the band knows how to control atmosphere. They have the rare and awe-inspiring ability to change how you feel, and change how an entire room feels.

It had been six long years - and two chart topping albums - since Coldplay last came for a meet-and-greet in New Zealand so it was only fitting the band put on a proper show at the Vector Arena. From the hypnotic laser show that accompanied Clocks early in the night, to the pulsing, blaze of strobe lights that capped off Politik, the band treated us to all their best bells and whistles.

Martin pulled out his best dance moves - like the erratic jerking of a puppet in knots - and even drummer Will Champion gave a little something extra in the form of an original bluegrass ditty he wrote some years back. They played the new hits and the old favourites. But Coldplay's greatest skill is playing the crowd, which they did with such deft precision it left no doubt as to why this band are so big.

Read the full review article at the Coldplay Live forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

Forget about the faux French Revolution uniforms. Flag away accusations they make "music for bedwetters". And ignore all that gossip about the Hollywood marriage, the macrobiotic diet and naming your kids after fruit.

When Coldplay take to the stage, something epic happens. Singles you've dismissed as radio-friendly fodder become foot-stomping classics. Songs thought of as straight U2 ripoffs turn into surprisingly grunty rock numbers. And you'll find yourself singing along to previously ropey ballads, as the British rock act bend them into stirring singalongs, warming your heart like a nice hot cup of cocoa.

Even frontman Chris Martin stops being an annoying celebrity do-gooder when he plays live, endearing himself to the crowd with his tailor-made lyrics, self-deprecating humour and overwhelming energy. Thanks to his rafter-raising voice and deft piano skills, you can even forgive Martin when he dances around like a drunk teddy bear, pretending he's been shot.

Read the full review article at the Coldplay forum here onwards.

Photos: http://www.stuff.co.nz

Coldplay fans are expected to flock to Auckland's Vector Arena on Wednesday night for the first of two concerts by the Grammy award-winning band.

Coldplay are in New Zealand as part of their Viva la Vida world tour in support of their new album of the same name. Its first two singles, Violet Hill and Viva la Vida were both in the top three of New Zealand's airplay chart. The first time Coldplay was in New Zealand was at the Big Day Out in 2001. In 2006 thousands of Kiwi fans lobbied a national music station to get New Zealand included in the band's last world tour but the country missed out.

Discussion threads for the New Zealand shows are here (18th) and here (19th). If you have only just heard, Dom Harvey of Auckland's The Edge FM will be interviewing Coldplay's Will & Guy in Auckland later - tweet him your questions on behalf of Coldplaying.com!

Dreamy US popsters Mercury Rev are supporting Coldplay on their current tour across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. Coldplay.com called up frontman Jonathan Donahue to find out how they're getting on. Here is the interview:

Hello Jonathan. How's the tour going?

It's going really, really well. Obviously the shows are all sold out and they've had really enthusiastic crowds, but we're having the time of our lives as well. We're being treated really well by everybody and we're having a great time.

Presumably Mercury Rev have played a few support tours in their two decades together. How does this one compare?

It's different in a lot of ways. I don't think we've played with another band as large as Coldplay. And maybe there's also a musical bond in terms of the inspiration that we've in some way imparted to Coldplay themselves. And it's a weird feedback route because they certainly inspire us these days with their music. I was having hot chocolate with Chris today and we were speaking about the feedback loop of music as a whole, of one band influencing another, and then it coming right back and influencing them again. It's really quite special to see in person.

How did you come to be involved in this tour?

Well, I think our band is quite well-liked by the members of Coldplay. I guess they drew quite a bit of inspiration from Deserter's Songs, our fourth record, in the late '90s. So, I think our name just wound up rising to the surface, as it were.

Had you played with them before?

No, this is the first time.

Had you met them?

No, I don't think we had. They may have seen us play, but I haven't met them. Although we do know quite a few of their crew.

You're touring around five countries with them; is it quite weird when you first meet a band that you're going to be spending so much time with?

Well, it certainly helped when we hit it off really well, like we all have. It would really be hell if you didn't get on. They seem to be very well-grounded individuals. Y'know, a lot of opening bands can be treated very poorly.

How so?

There can just be a great disconnect between them and the headline band, or they're affected by internal turbulence within the headline band itself. But there has been none of that with Coldplay. This has been a pleasurable experience, to say the least. But it actually has been quite a while since we've supported anyone else. I think the last time might've been Nick Cave about four years ago.

Have you played Australia much before?

This is our fifth time here, so we've been here quite a bit, playing various size places from theatres to clubs. But I think there's a lot of people here each night who may have only heard of us by name only and maybe only then sort of fleetingly. So this may be their first introduction to the world of Mercury Rev.

Do you approach support shows differently to headline sets?

Yeah, you have to throw your best ball! But again Coldplay's been really generous, we get a 40-minute set and we've been taking a little bit from each record, especially four or five of the past records.

You're quite a few shows into the tour now, how have the gigs been going?

By and large it's been going really, really well. Each one has been a little bit different, but we've been getting a solidly endearing and enthusiastic response.

Do you play your most well-known songs?

Well, certainly some nights there's Holes in there and Goddess On A Highway and things like that. Our songs are longer than most bands, so we're getting 7-8 in a 40-minute set.

How many songs do you have rehearsed up and ready to go?

Jeez, maybe 25 or 30. We did nine weeks of touring in the fall, where we'd do our own 100-minute sets. We certainly have an awful lot of material to choose from.

Have you noticed any hardcore Mercury Rev fans at the Coldplay shows?

Oh yeah, they make themselves known by singing along and shouting for songs. It's nice to see them sprinkled out there in the nether reaches of some of these big domes.

And they'll probably have bought their tickets before it was announced that you were supporting.

Yeah, I think there must be an overlap there. When you hear songs like Car Wash Hair being yelled out from the upper deck, you know that person must be into both bands.

Have you managed to do some sightseeing in Australia?

Oh yes. We've been doing a lot, particularly in Sydney. It's quite unusual to get this many days in each city and we've always been a band that loves to get out. We don't really sit very well at the hotel; things get very messy, self-destructive and expensive! So the boys have been going to a lot of art museums or the zoos, the aquariums, the gardens, just getting the full experience. To us, that's what touring is about; not just the show, but the whole thing.

Getting to see a place properly must be so much nicer that turning up, playing the gig and leaving.

Absolutely. That happens a lot more than you'd want it to, but when there's an opportunity, we always get out and about. And that's why we play all around the world, as well. We play in very far away places that most bands won't go to for the simple reason that it's a chance for us to go there. Life is short, so you don't know when you'll be back to a place. Or if.

Are you a big souvenir buyer?

Well, I have a definite shopping streak in me, a mile wide, and it's for shoes. Some of the boys bought some more cultural things, but this is my fifth time here, so I've already bought enough koala bears to make most people at home quite sick.

Have you bought any shoes on this trip?

I did, yep. Some men's dress shoes by small designers here in Australia. That was what I did yesterday on our day off. And we went to Bondi Beach. Somebody saw a big stingray and one of our guys got sucked out to the sea and almost had to be rescued by the lifeguard. A lot of interesting things happened. Some of the guys tried their hand at surfing, but they didn't do very well at all. In fact, they downright sucked.

It sounds like you're having a lot of fun.

Oh yeah, really good. And last night we did a DJ set along to the film Lucifer Rising, by Kenneth Anger. That was really interesting and different.

So, you're off to New Zealand next week, then Singapore, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. Have you been to those places before?

We've been to New Zealand and Singapore, but not Hong Kong or Abu Dhabi. Get a load of this; in New Zealand the eight of us are renting a catamaran to go out on the open ocean, alone. Do you think that's a good idea?

Is it something you have experience in?

Um, no. It sounds like some sort of weird Gilligan's Island meets Open Water thing. I don't know what to make of it, but I can't back down now. I'm sort of the default leader of the group, and the captain can't pull out of it. But I'm just picturing myself floating in open water, hanging onto a jug of orange juice from the rider three days before.

How long will this expedition last?

Well, it started out like a three hour tour, then it went to "Let's do eight hours!" and then suddenly it was "Let's go overnight!". And that's where we're at now. I think it could go Lord of the Flies pretty quickly. We could get stranded and start eating the fat ones.

Do you have similar plans for Singapore and Hong Kong?

I've heard some of the boys are going to have their own adventures eating Peking Duck and other local delicacies. But I'm a vegetarian, so I won't be doing that.

And then in Abu Dhabi, you're playing in a palace.

I know! We have never played a show in the Arab world, so I have no idea what to expect. I'm guessing there will quite a lot of British or American expatriates there, but I really don't know. Maybe it will be locals too.

It must be nice to be having new experiences 20 years into your band's career.

Yeah, that is the momentum at this point, new experiences; just like playing to an arena of 14,000 people a night who may never have heard of you. It can be daunting at times, but as long as you go into it without any expectations, it's generally really rewarding.

And anyone who enjoys your set can currently go onto your website and download a whole album, Strange Attractor, for free.

Yeah, one of the two records we released in the fall is up there for free, at mercuryrev.com.

They also have the option of paying for the other one, Snowflake Midnight.

They do indeed. It's done well in the end-of-the-year polls in things like Uncut and Mojo, so we're on a pretty good roll at the moment. We're very grateful.

Have you been watching Coldplay's sets on this tour?

Yeah, I think I've seen 3 or 4 in their entirety and parts of others.

How have they been?

I've thoroughly enjoyed them, top to bottom. The set's very exuberant; there's points that it's very exhilarating and there's points it's quite sentimental and all these things combine to leave one feeling uplifted at the end, in a really heartfelt, sincere way. I think that's why there's so many nights that are sold out.

Finally, what is your favourite Coldplay song?

I'm going to say Trouble. They're not playing on this tour, but I have heard it at soundchecks. It also should be mentioned that Jonny knows more Welsh than I do. There was a moment there where I thought I had him, but, no, I don't.

Do you have Welsh heritage too?

No. I just enjoyed the language, so for a while I tried to speak it. But Jonny completely overwhelmed me.

For more information on Mercury Rev, head over to mercuryrev.com

A national campaign to convince Coldplay to let a local band open for them has been running for a month with no sign of letting up - Coldplay are yet to respond according to Juliana Down, via PRNewswire.

When Juliana Down, an independent rock band in the UAE, contacted the promoter's for Coldplay's Abu Dhabi show to take place on the 28th of March, they were under the impression that a local support act slot would naturally be created for home grown talent. They were sadly mistaken. Upon contacting the local promoter, the general manager commented that:

"It would be my preference to support local and regional bands but in the end it is not [the local promoter] who dictates who or if a band will play the opening slot."

Upon the realization that there in fact was no slot for any local band, a campaign on Facebook was launched. Local support was also supplied from nearly all local newspapers with the latest being an award for a community report written in the Gulf News.

Several individuals close to Coldplay including representatives from their record label and their official online website have been contacted and almost everyone has expressed that it is ultimately Chris Martin and Co.'s decision.

"It is important for the local music scene that opportunities like this are made accessible to local acts, otherwise our fledgling scene will not go anywhere at all. We believe that Chris and Co., based upon the way they are portrayed, would care enough about making a difference at any given opportunity to make this happen if they knew about the campaign," Saleh Hamed, campaign coordinator commented.

Over 120,000 people have attended the Sound Relief fundraising concerts in Sydney and Melbourne to help aid victims of devastating fires and floods in Australia, reports the NME.

In Sydney, Coldplay played their earliest festival slot in years, kicking off the event just after midday as the temperature edged toward 30 degrees. The band opened with 2000 hit 'Yellow', unleashing a cache of giant yellow balls and confetti into the crowd. Frontman Chris Martin acknowledged how much the day meant to Australians, and said he was honoured that the crowd and organisers had let “foreign bands” be part of the event.

Coldplay’s 40-minute set included ‘Clocks’ and ‘Viva La Vida’, as well as a surprise guest appearance by Aussie hero John Farnham, who joined the band for a rendition of his 1986 hit ‘You’re The Voice’ – which Martin jokingly introduced as “Australia’s national anthem”.

The group – currently on a national tour of the country – finished their seven-song set with ‘Fix You’, which culminated in Martin running into the crowd to sing, but then getting stuck behind a security fence and unable to get back to the stage.

After several attempts to jump the fence, Martin was finally able to get back to the front of the stadium to complete the song.

The rain is lashing as I stand ankle-deep in mud, along with more than 100,000 other bedraggled souls, at Glastonbury Festival in the UK. As Coldplay rip into their tender tear-jerker "Fix You", an extraordinary thing happens: people all around me start weeping. Everywhere I look people are singing along with tears streaming down their faces. Couples clutch each other in a "they're playing our song" kind of way. One young woman lies on her back in the cold, grey mud and bellows out the lyrics to the stars, or perhaps to God.

"Yeah, it's crazy, man!" Chris Martin, Coldplay's lead singer, tells me over the phone from London. "Sometimes there might be thousands of people having a deeply emotional reaction to my songs, but meanwhile I'm just thinking about how not to fall over on stage or how much sweat is pouring off me. I'm usually thinking very silly things as I sing."

Read the full article and discussion at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

Getting the biggest bands in the country to play Sound Relief was always going to be enough to draw big crowds, report The Age. But when the show's co-promoters Michael Gudinski and Michael Chugg realised that two of the biggest rock bands in the world, Kings of Leon and Coldplay, would both be in the country on March 13 to play arena shows in Melbourne and Sydney, the stars had aligned in more ways than one.

The stage was set for the clash for the heavyweight rock world championship. Before Kings of Leon strutted onto the MCG stage for its highly anticipated early afternoon set, footage of Coldplay's Sydney sun-drenched show was broadcast on the MCG's big screens.

Coldplay certainly took early honours with singer Chris Martin stalking the stage to wring every last bit of emotion out of songs such as Yellow, until he collapsed on the floor. He also won points for humour. "We never thought we'd be the 15th support act for the Bee Gees," Martin joked.

In contrast, Kings of Leon were more low key. Frontman Caleb Followill delivered songs in his raspy growl from the one position. It didn't help that the band had decided against playing its biggest hit, Sex on Fire, deeming it inappropriate (whether that was because of its incendiary title or its references to STDs remained unclear).

At a press conference before its set, the band also suggested that every time it played an outdoor stadium, it seemed to rain. Those words were prophetic when the heavens opened as soon as it struck its first notes. Victory, then, to Coldplay, though they lost some points for inviting John Farnham on stage to belt out what Martin playfully referred to as "the Australian national anthem", You're the Voice.

Source: theage.com.au

Coldplay have opened Sydney's Sound Relief concert, with singer Chris Martin making an extraordinary dash through the crowd.

After a six song set, which included a duet with John Farnham, Martin leapt off the stage and ran half the length of the Sydney Cricket Ground to greet fans at the back of the event.

Martin embraced a number of fans, high fived people as he was running along and briefly took refuge on one side of the stadium, before returning into the crowd and clambering back on to the stage. He then managed to finish singing the lyrics to the Coldplay song Fix You.

Previous to that song Martin welcomed Australian singing legend Farnham onto stage for a rendition of You're The Voice. "Ladies and gentleman, please welcome to sing the Australian national anthem, John Farnham,'' said Martin, with a laugh before playing backup music to You're The Voice.

In what was an unusual sight for the UK rock band, the SCG was less than half full when they took the stage at 12.20pm, but many fans sprinted across the ground when they heard the first song being played by the band.

The group started with a brief instrumental, which led into their classic hit Yellow. While many fans were jammed in towards the front of the stage to get a close-up view of Martin and his bandmates, others took a more casual approach - setting up picnic rugs at the back of the SCG's grassy area.

At the end of thier set, the band sent their best wishes to the victims of the Victorian bushfires and the Queensland floods. The concert event, which is being held simultaneously in Sydney and Melbourne, is expected to stretch for at least 10 hours with groups including Wolfmother, Jet and Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb due to perform on stage.

Gibb is the headliner of the Sydney event and will appear on stage alongside Olivia Newtown John. In Melbourne Kylie Minogue is due to appear and Midnight Oil will make the headline performance this evening, with Federal MP Peter Garrett back on stage as frontman.

The proceeds for the Sydney Sound Relief concert will be split between Victorian bushfire victims and those affected by devastating floods in Queensland. The Melbourne event is being staged entirely for bushfire victims, given the horrific losses suffered there through bushfires.

You probably saw it coming: Coldplay hitting the stage with all guns, or at least sparklers, blazing. Not just because they are one of the world's biggest rock bands; more because of their faintly ridiculous home-made garb.

It's all military jackets and multicoloured frayed sashes, which, along with current fourth album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, appears to take at least some influence from the Spanish Civil War.

The Brit four-piece's self-confidence knows no bounds in terms of song choice as well as their look. They follow the opening pair, both defining songs from the new album - including an explosive Violet Hill - with a run of signature epic rock ballads you would have expected to hear in the encore. In Your Place is stadium pop par excellence and the ever sublime Yellow even comes with an amusing, impromptu couple of lines from Farnsy's You're The Voice.

Read the full review article at the Coldplay Live forum here [thanks miumiu]

Coldplay really have become the biggest band in the world. The colossal commercial success of their latest release, 2008’s Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, means they can charge $140 a ticket and still be able to sell out stadium shows with their legion of fiercely loyal followers – and that’s exactly what they’re doing this week. Returning for their first Australian visit since 2006’s Twisted Logic tour, the British supergroup are playing five packed-out shows at Sydney’s Acer Arena, beginning last night and ending on Sunday, to a 20 000 strong crowd each night.

But with growing popularity comes a wider fan base and, as last night’s show proved, Coldplay’s followers now include glitter-clad 12-year-olds pushing in front of annoyed punters in a vain attempt to find their mothers, and teenage girls chattering incessantly about all the unholy things they would do to singer Chris Martin. Irritating but not obnoxious – until the heckling began.

Read the full review article here

Coldplay and Kings of Leon will be playing in Auckland within a week of each other and while they've been here before, having them in town is the noughties equivalent of hosting the Beatles and the Rolling Stones back to back.

Or at least seeing the contenders in the race to be "the next U2" – that is, if U2 ever give up being the next U2. To mark the double header, here's a recap of how the British outfit has gone from left-field beginnings to mainstream heavyweight…

2000 – In the beginning

Friends from university in London, Coldplay (who dallied with the band names "Pectoralz" and "Starfish" before pinching the title from another varsity mate) burst into the new millennium with debut album Parachutes in 2000. Though their first single Shiver only made small ripples, its follow up Yellow became an international hit, soaring the British charts (where it peaked at #4) and making the album an instant best-seller. Parachutes went seven times platinum in Britain, earned rave reviews and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

2001 – Local introductions

Coldplay made their first New Zealand appearance at the 2001 Big Day out, playing a mid-afternoon slot, following a preview showcase at Galatos the night before, when their sound suited the intimate surrounds. But their BDO set didn't impress quite as much, as Herald reviewers noted: "The not-quite act of the day: Pleasant though Coldplay were in their sunstruck afternoon slot, the act was not one to make you go home and play their splendid album again."

The band returned to New Zealand just seven months later to play a bold and confident show at the St James Theatre in Auckland on August 11, 2001. The set included new songs from the yet-to-be-recorded second album.

2002 – The follow up

With one hit album behind them, Coldplay cemented their golden reputation in 2002 with the release of A Rush of Blood to the Head, which debuted at number one on the UK charts. The record spawned four hit singles, including The Scientist and Clocks, and sold 83,000 copies in New Zealand. It remains their highest selling album here.

2003 – Celebrity

Many may struggle to name the full band line up, but frontman Christ Martin became a household name when he married Hollywood A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow. The couple married in a private ceremony in 2003 and have since had two children, Apple and Moses.

2005 – Backlash

With two multi-platinum albums, four Grammy Awards and their first Rolling Stone cover (August 2005), it seemed Coldplay could do no wrong. But their third album X&Y saw a backlash. The album still sold more than 8 million copies worldwide – including 75,000 copies in New Zealand – but critics felt the record was over-produced and fell short of its predecessors. The world also seemed to be growing tired of Martin's wholesome image and bitching about Coldplay became a new industry pastime. Among the most notable examples was a piece by Richard Perry in the New York Times in which he labelled them: "The most insufferable band of the decade."

Source: nzherald.co.nz

There is nothing more life affirming for a music fan than falling in love with one of their favourite bands all over again. And about 18,000 Coldplay fans staged an infectious love-in for the all-conquering rock band at their opening Sydney concert at the Acer Arena last night.

While the self-deprecating band - which frontman Chris Martin refers to as soft rock - may insist they remain U2s understudy, Coldplay have put the Irish super group on notice that their crown can be taken. The British group, the biggest selling act in the world last year, achieved the almost impossible feat of making a cavernous arena an intimate gathering of mates.

There is no disconnect between rock star and fan. Martin keeps them as involved in the concert as he and his three band mates are. His energy levels, his yoga-honed flexibility, and his soaring voice were captivating. The Coldplay frontman is a force of nature.

But so are his band mates. Guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion were also beaming with the exhilaration of playing to the converted who at times swelled in voice so loudly they almost drowned them out. The set was perfectly structured, a fusion of old and new from the song that started it all, Yellow, through to the title track hit of their fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.

Coldplay cheekily also hinted at one of the big moments expected at their Sound Relief performance on Saturday with a chorus of John Farnham's You're the Voice. The crowd karaoke which raised the roof was another moment. And the deluge of paper butterflies which rained on the adoring audience during Lovers In Japan was another. You really just had to be there.

Coldplay perform at Acer Arena tonight and Saturday and Sunday. But fans who will also be fronting up to Sound Relief at the SCG on Saturday are urged to get there early to not miss the bands opening slot at 12:15pm. There are limited tickets still available for both benefit concert and Coldplay's final show in Sydney.

More on this Sydney review at the Coldplay Live forum here [thanks jenjie]

Pictures: The Daily Telegraph

There are many things Coldplay's frontman, Chris Martin, is uncomfortable discussing in interviews. Rumours of a rivalry with fellow supergroup U2 and his marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow are two.

Yesterday, it was whispers the band have been secretly rehearsing with John Farnham for a duet at the Sydney Sound Relief Concert on Saturday. Last week Coldplay's drummer, Will Champion, let slip that he had been learning Farnham songs, with the band seguing into the chorus of You're The Voice at a concert in Melbourne.

In Sydney yesterday for three gigs at Acer Arena, Martin squirmed when asked to confirm or deny the collaboration. "Perhaps … I only said perhaps, so that is all I am going to say," Martin said, before letting slip that the band had been too busy with rehearsals for sightseeing. Because we are not doing anything special at it, we have to do extra rehearsals," he quickly corrected.

Read the full article plus a new picture at the Coldplay forum here

Coldplay in Sydney - 10th March 2009

Coldplay.com have caught up with drummer Will Champion in Australia in the latest of their exclusive online interviews. In it, he discusses the possibility of a South American tour, the Brits, Grammys, and the latest studio sessions without Chris Martin including fruitful new experimentations. Read the interview below. More discussion on this interview is at the Coldplay forum here [thanks mimixxx]

Hello Will, how are you?

I'm good, thanks.

We hear you're joining us direct from a game of cricket.

That is true. It's nice to be in a country where you can play cricket without it being frowned upon. Especially 'cos we've toured so much in America where they don't really care for the sport.

Was it a competitive game?

No, just a knockabout in the car park.

Are you having a good tour?

Yeah, very good. It's been really nice to play several shows in each city - especially for the crew, not having to pack up after every gig. Some people imagine that Australia is a fairly small place, but it's the size of America from coast to coast. So, the distances between each gig requires that it's all a bit more spread out, because the gear's got to travel so far. But that's worked out well for us.

After Oz, it's off to New Zealand then back home via Singapore, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi.

That's right. I haven't seen the venue we're playing at in Abu Dhabi, but my father-in-law lived over there when they were building it. Apparently it's some kind of palace. That one should be particularly interesting.

So, did you enjoy the Grammy and Brit awards last month?

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. A lot of travelling too, though. We went around the world in the space of about 10 days. And then we came straight out to Australia. It's been a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest. But the Grammys were great. It was fantastic to see performers like Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Jay-Z and Kanye.

And you won some awards.

We did. We won three Grammys, which was amazing.

Did you expect to win any?

Not at all. I don't think you can ever go to these things with expectations, because, as was shown with the Brits, you can't win everything! Awards are a bit like icing, it's not by any means the reason one gets into music or why one tries hard to make an album; you do it for its own sake. But it is nice when you win them. Equally, though, one mustn't feel like it's only a successful album if it wins an award. There are billions of amazing records that have never even been nominated for anything.

So, by not giving you any awards, the Brits were just doing their bit to keep your feet on the ground.

Exactly! It was from one extreme to the other. And that's fine. It's very easy to get upset if you don't win them, but one mustn't put too much stock in them when you win or when you lose. Otherwise it's like reading reviews - you just can't hang your feelings about your own music on what other people think.

And Brits night was still a cracker, with the War Child show afterwards.

Yeah, that was brilliant. We had so much fun. I think there was a lot of goodwill between all the bands and also the people in the audience. It was just a really nice, fun time.

The encore with Coldplay, the Killers, Bono and Gary Barlow was quite a moment.

Yeah! I'm not sure that we'll see that happening again. Especially not now that Chris and Bono are enemies. Ha ha!

Ah yes. It sounds like the Coldplay camp have taken Bono's recent comments in the spirit they were intended.

Well, the call Chris got from Bono put paid to what the press were trying to turn it into. He was just trying to make a funny joke. But, yeah, the whole War Child show was just wonderful. And it was totally amazing to get a chance to play two of the great songs of the last 15 years in the encore.

Did you rehearse it?

We did, a couple of times. Chris had started playing Back For Good after The Scientist in some of the shows, so we kind of knew the form for that one already. But Gary Barlow was brilliant. He's such a consummate professional, with an extraordinary voice. He's also totally level-headed and lovely.

Talking of charity shows, you've got the Sound Relief gig in Sydney this weekend.

Yeah. Two gigs in one day - we're gonna feel like the Beatles in their Hamburg era. But it should be great. It's obviously an incredibly worthy cause. We've just been in Victoria where most of the fires happened, and it was shocking to hear the stories. In many ways, Australia is a very brutal country in terms of the climate. It was 45 degrees in Melbourne two days before we got there. Totally crazy. Actually, do you know who else is playing?

Wolfmother, Architecture In Helsinki, Jet, You Am I...

Oh, I love You Am I! They're really big in Oz and when I first went to university my friend had just come back from travelling there and he switched me onto them. They've got some amazing songs. There's an album called Hourly, Daily which is just brilliant. They're a really, really good live band too.

Now, looking at your schedule for the rest of the year, it all seems rather busy. Does it not ever get tiring being a jet-setting rock musician?

Of course, but you get used to it. I don't think any of us want to look back and think that if we'd worked a little bit harder we could've done a bit better or pushed ourselves further. The live experience is a tangible way of connecting with the people that listen to your music and I think that's really important. I think we feel like this record has gone so well and we need to capitalise on that momentum. We just want to keep going, getting to as many places as possible. Equally, we're mindful of burning ourselves out. But we've got our heads tightly screwed on these days. It's just about having the right schedule and staying in the right places. It's taken us 12 years, but I think we know how to do it now.

The South American fans are particularly keen to see you again. Is there a chance of that?

We certainly want to try and get there before the end of the year. But it's still up in the air, to be honest.

So there's a possibility?

Yeah, a definite possibility. I really hope we make it.

And what about recording? How did your time in the studio without Chris work out?

Well, it was a Brian [Eno] thing. He said he felt like if you're always starting a song from the same point, there's only so much variation you can get. So, I think he wanted the three of us to explore things without really having a song to work to; maybe just a lyric or a fragment of a demo that Chris had done. And even if those experiments were totally useless, some little aspect of it might fit when the time comes to really start recording properly. I think it was just an exercise in trying to push us into doing new things, which we mightn't do if we had a fully-fledged song on our hands.

Were the results good?

Yeah, it was actually very fruitful. We started off making rules for creating songs, forcing ourselves to think about the process of making music. They made you make decisions that you would never normally make. I don't think anyone has done more work or research on the process of making music than Brian. Trying to actually impose structure and process on songs yields very interesting and different results.

Is that the first time the band have been in the studio without Chris there?

No, when we were recording the last record I spent a week with Markus on the drums, and we had two weeks where we were just rehearsing the backing tracks, while Chris went off and did some vocals with Rik. So, yeah, we've done it before. Sometimes it works and sometimes it needs all four of us there.

And what's this with a view to? Is there some sort of plan about releasing something?

No, that's one thing that there isn't. There's no imposing of any deadline or anything like that. We don't even know what it is that we want to make. It's a very strange time for the way people listen to music. It's getting more and more fragmented, with people buying single songs rather than albums. In many ways, it's going back to the way it was originally, where people would release singles and then an album was a collection of singles. We want to do something totally revolutionary, that hasn't been done before. We're writing with a view towards that. But what that is, we don't yet know.

Sounds quite exciting.

Definitely. I think we feel like the normal model of album, tour, album, tour is starting to become more and more irrelevant. But we're throwing ourselves fully into this tour until the end of the year and then we'll see what happens after that.

Are there any songs finished?

I wouldn't say finished, no. But there are certainly lots and lots of ideas going round.

Finally, let's talk about your beloved Southampton FC. They're not doing very well, are they?

Well you say that Mr Anchorman, but we won three in a row before we lost to Birmingham this weekend. So, from reading our last rites a few weeks ago, when I thought this was the season we'd finally go down again, we've had a mini-resurgence and it's all looking a bit brighter. I think Charlton are pretty much down. Then it's two from Norwich, Southampton, Barnsley, Blackpool and Forest. It could be interesting.

Do you think they'll stay up?

If you'd asked me two weeks ago, I'd have said definitely not. Now, I feel like there's a chance. For my entire life we've been the masters of avoiding relegation. So, fingers crossed, we can avoid it again.

Coldplay's Chris Martin has applauded U2 for their latest album. The star claimed that No Line On The Horizon is "f***ing brilliant" and admitted that he listens to it before going on stage, reports the Daily Star.

Martin, who was recently labelled a "w***er" by Bono, went on to deny that Coldplay are trying to emulate U2's style. "We never started any rivalry, because we are fully aware that we are a number six band. We are not even number two. We are always very thrilled when someone even bothers to compare us, because we are 23 years behind them and they are in a way different league," he said. "It's like comparing a high jumper with an astronaut. We are doing all right, but they have gone a lot further and a lot higher."

U2 recently matched the success of the Rolling Stones and Madonna after securing their tenth UK number one album.

It has taken the music industry a while to catch up with changing consumer behaviour. EMI has taken longer than most. The decline of the old album model and the rise of the iPod culture hastened its takeover by Guy Hands’s Terra Firma in 2007. Last week Hands wrote off half the £2.3 billion he invested, accepting that he is likely to make a loss on the deal.

Still, Leoni-Sceti, used to selling Cillit Bang stain remover and Airwick air freshener during his 16 years at Reckitt Benckiser, believes he is reconfiguring EMI for the MySpace generation and this involves more than chasing after illegal downloaders.

This means more work for artists. All but the biggest bands such as Coldplay will have to rethink the tradition of producing a 12-track album every second year. “Kids have an attention span that lasts a split-second,” said Leoni-Sceti. “As an act, if you do not keep that relationship going on a weekly basis you lose a bunch of them, who go somewhere else and forget about you.”

Read the full recent EMI articles, including news of Terra Firma's write-offs of the EMI purchase at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

There is an unmistakable thread of optimism running through Coldplay's music. Even their most melancholy moments tend to be more about hope than strife. That seems to echo the sentiments of the members as they gathered to play the first of two nights at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre last night.

What's the best part of being in Coldplay? "Every part is great, even the s--- bits," singer Chris Martin chirps, chattering backstage before last night's gig. Even when everyone is slagging you off."

Bass guitarist Guy Berryman agrees. "If you read something negative sometimes you agree with it and you make the change," he said. "Or if you read something you don't agree with it just makes you angry and you push yourself even further."

Read the full article and discussion at the Coldplay forum here onwards.

When Coldplay's Chris Martin bounded on to the stage at a packed Rod Laver Arena this week, rest assured of two things: he was utterly in his element and his breath was minty fresh, writes the Herald Sun, in the latest Australian Coldplay interview.

As the British quartet has morphed in the past decade from charming indie rockers to world-beating arena act, the singer has picked up a Rain Man-like list of rituals he ticks off before every show, one of which is cleaning his teeth.

"For me, there are about 18 things that have to be done before I can go on stage, but they are all too ridiculous to repeat," Martin says. "I have to brush my teeth before I go on stage, otherwise I don't feel like I am smart enough."

Read the new interview article including talk of Coldplay's next album at the Coldplay forum here

Take40.com have reviewed Coldplay's recent shows in Melbourne and taken some stunning photos. Here is an excerpt of their review:

The last time I saw Coldplay was on the band's 'X&Y' tour a couple of years ago, when the 4 British men turned Rod Laver Arena into a spectacle of lights, video and effects that left me dazzled. The one disadvantage of putting on such an amazing light show, however, is that often the actual band playing the music can take somewhat of a back seat.

This time Coldplay went the other way. This time the music was the main attraction. The venue was the same, but the show was very different - an intimate gig in an arena... Seem unlikely? Chris Martin and co. pulled it off.

Read the full article and see some brilliant photos of Coldplay in action at the Take40.com website.

It is certainly ironic that a Coldplay gig should carry a ‘once in a lifetime’ feel to it, writes fasterlouder.com.au. Yet, looking across a capacity Rod Laver Arena during what may quite possibly be the best live show on earth, you do start to wonder for just how many people has a Coldplay show been one of the best nights of their life?

How many have felt like they’ve shared an intimate moment with Chris Martin as his big blue’s did, by chance, stare back into theirs? A Coldplay gig does not feature or two highlights, but a series of truly special moments created by both the band and its audience. The thought that they are able to replicate that all around the world for months on end is staggering. I will, however, endeavour to describe merely one of those many spectacular nights.

Read the full article at the Coldplay Live forum here

With thanks to some poorly placed words on the BBC last week, Bono generated a Coldplay vs U2 rivalry not seen since the days of Oasis vs Robbie Williams. That all begs the question. How good are Coldplay and where do they sit in a world of U2 and Radiohead?

The answer is they are all good. We don’t have to pick one because we have them all. Coldplay are about 100 shows into the Viva La Vida tour already so Australia got them at the well-oiled stage. Everything about this show was perfection. Visually the band have paid attention to representing the music with the right mood and they do have to budget to carry that off. The yellow balloons during ‘Yellow’, the lasers through ‘Clocks’, the video backdrop during ‘Lovers In Japan’ all kept the feel of the show at a different pace. Also their B and C stage parts gave different parts of the audience a close-up view at various times.

Read the full Melbourne review at Undercover here

Meanwhile, Coldplay say

hiii

from Melbourne. Read more to see the pictures.

They've sold millions of albums, packed out the world's biggest concert venues, and in Chris Martin they have one of the most recognisable front men in rock.

But Coldplay claim they're only just getting started. According to drummer Will Champion - on the phone from his snowed-in London home - Coldplay are about to do something 'really spectacular'. "We've worked very hard to get where we are, and we feel like there's a great big opportunity to do something really different," he said.

But, after all that, what else could they possibly hope to achieve? For all his bold talk, Champion doesn't really know. "We're not quite sure what it is but we get the feeling that there's something big we could achieve," he says. "The first three records were fun to record and tour, and the last record, Viva La Vida, is the start of something new. It's definitely a beginning."

More on this article at the Coldplay forum here