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Bono may have jokingly called Chris Martin a "wanker" this week, but Martin responded in the most emphatic way possible last night as he led Coldplay through an outstanding night of modern rock, reports theage.com.au.   Playing the first of three shows at Rod Laver Arena on their first tour in almost three years, the band are more than 100 shows into a world tour and have their 90-minute arena extravaganza down pat. The multi-stage performance features two catwalks and umpteen multimedia tricks.

It's easy to see why Coldplay have become the world's biggest band in less than a decade. Quite simply they've got brilliant songs and plenty of them - a knack for timeless melodies first displayed on Yellow which stretches to triumphant anthem Viva la Vida - the soundtrack to pop music in 2008. reports news.com.au.   It's harder to see why Chris Martin has such a problem with his own band; his constant self-criticism is instantly negated by the euphoric reaction that greeted Coldplay at last ni

It appears Bono was right. Chris Martin is a wanker. However, had chance happened any other way, the wanker could have been Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman or Will Champion instead, reports Undercover.com.au.   At tonight’s Coldplay show at Rod Laver Arena, Martin told the story of how his wankerness was set more than a decade ago. “13 years ago we met and decided to become soft rock stars,” he told the Melbourne crowd. “At our first band meeting we had to decide who the lead singer would be and I

Some bands just know. They know they’re good. There’s no need to shout about it because every note they play shows you.   Coldplay kicked off their Australian tour with two shows in Perth at the weekend carrying the attitude of kings. They weren’t remotely arrogant, simply owning an undeniable understanding that they wear the rock’n’roll crown and put on a mighty show to prove it.   Coldplay couldn’t have found better backing singers if they tried — the all-ages massed Perth choir of 18,000 wa

On the same day that the biggest band in the world, U2, released its new album, Coldplay were in Perth showing why its the No.1 contender for the heavyweight crown.   Friday was the first show of the band’s Australian tour, which comes to Melbourne this week, and the British quartet thrilled the packed house with a no-nonsense, high-energy rock show that featured hits from their four mega-selling albums, drawing heavily from the Grammy-winning Viva La Vida, the world’s best-selling album last ye

Someone should tell Bono that there is no battle for the title of best band in the world: the fight has already been won. Dressed, rather aptly, as war-ravaged French revolutionaries, Coldplay proved on Friday night that they are indeed the worthy victors.   Not only have the English quartet outsold every other band this century, they have also developed into one of the most, if not the most, exciting live bands in the world. Kicking off their Australian tour in Perth on Friday night, the band w

Decked out in French revolutionary garb in keeping with the theme of 2008's Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, the band were nothing short of brilliant.   While on the other side of the world Bono was busy verbally bashing his biggest rival, Martin and co were doing what they do best. With an abundance of energy and enthusiasm they charmed the 17,000 fans who were singing and clapping along.   You could almost forget your were in the soulless vacuum that is the Burswood Dome, such was

Australian media reports are starting to appear reviewing Coldplay's concert tonight at Perth's Burswood Dome. Fairly predictable speel, but worth a read before the proper reviews come in, nonetheless:   Coldplay kicked off their Viva tour of Australia before 17,000 fans at Perth's Burswood Dome last night. At the first of two concerts in the west before moving on to Melbourne, the British band still had plenty of their old favourites to complement hits off their Viva La Vida album.   Led by vo

For a band trading in supposedly inoffensive rock music, Coldplay have an extraordinary capacity to offend. There's the malarkey that goes with Chris Martin, the lively, idiosyncratic, tabloid-magnet frontman who is married to Gwyneth Paltrow. Then there's Coldplay's music. In a genre demanding risk and ingenuity, Coldplay have frequently been laden by rock critics and fans alike with the dreaded "safe" tag.   The band's biggest crime, according to naysayers, is they sell records. Tens of millio

Chris Martin and Gary Barlow have been fighting over who writes the best songs, according to online reports today. The Coldplay frontman has struck up a friendship with the Take That singer since they performed together at a charity concert in London last week, and the duo have been debating which of them is most talented.   A source said: "It was all on jest as they've developed a surprisingly strong friendship despite being from very different pop and rock worlds. Each has racked up plenty of

Wednesday's War Child gig, celebrating 15 years of the rock-affiliated charity, makes no secret of its allegiances, reports The Guardian Online. The audience is packed in long beforehand but proceedings don't start until 11pm, giving joint headliners Coldplay and The Killers plenty of time to digest their ceremony dinner across town before heading for Shepherds Bush.   The pay-off is the gig's status as the unofficial Brits aftershow, and a rumour mill buzzing with speculation about who else wil

Music fans were this week warned of an explosion in the number of fraudulent gig ticket websites, with fears growing that the number of people likely to be ripped off this year may well exceed the estimated 30,000 people fleeced in 2008.   Guardian Money can reveal that some of the sites offering tickets to events such as this year's Reading, Leeds and V Festivals are identical to scam websites that left many people out of pocket last year - yet the authorities seem powerless to act. When the au

Pity poor Coldplay! Not a single Brit award, despite all those nominations, writes the Telegraph today. Still, to distract themselves from their catalogue of failure, they headlined this late-night gig which simultaneously marked the 15th anniversary of the War Child charity while boosting brand awareness for the newly-named O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, now part of the O2/Live Nation juggernaut.   They took the stage after a rousing introduction from Al "Pub Landlord" Murray, who declared them "pr

With Coldplay and The Killers nominated in a total of five categories at this year’s Brits, it seemed inconceivable that, between them, the two bands wouldn’t emerge from Earls Court with one or two trophies.   And with that in mind, what better way to celebrate than to join forces in aid of War Child and triumphantly bash out a few tunes? In the end, both bands emerged empty-handed. If you had to guess which of the two groups might be most affronted by the perceived ignominy, chances are you w

The “Countdown To Coldplay” is almost over, and with just ten days until the first Australian concert date, performing to 17,000 fans at Perth’s Burswood Dome, Coldplay have today announced that at their request, American rock band Mercury Rev will be joining the ‘Viva La Vida’ tour of Australia.   Mercury Rev, veterans of the American rock scene, formed in Buffalo, New York in the late 1980’s and have surprised and enlightened listeners for over a decade and a half with their maverick musical

Following last weekend's star-studded ceremony, you can now download a set of high quality Coldplay Grammy pictures here. If you've been on another planet or in prison this past week you can see all the other pictures in the Coldplaying Gallery. Meanwhile, here is another Grammy article published today featuring Coldplay, which suggests that their awards wins will help them shake off their 'insecurities':   Maybe winning three awards at the recent Grammy awards will make Coldplay feel a little

The Brit Awards 2009 - ITV1, 8pm   The Brit Awards ceremony is rarely dull but this year’s effort has plenty of work to do to rival previous ones, report the Times Online. The presenting team of Kylie Minogue with Gavin and Stacey’s Mathew Horne and James Corden should provide the requisite mix of glamour and humour, while the Pet Shop Boys are promising a spectacular performance to celebrate already being chosen as the winners in the Outstanding Contribution to Music category.   Coldplay and D

As a trusted and ultra-professional news-source, MusicRadar has tried its very best to stay completely neutral whilst reporting the ongoing lawsuit between Joe Satriani and Coldplay. But of course, being music-lovers, each MusicRadar staff member has their own opinion on the case, making for much debate in the office. Here, then, are the opinions of the team, aired in public for the first time.   What I do believe is any similarity is probably coincidence. When Coldplay used a riff from Kraftwer

One of the most intriguing musical bromances to develop in recent years has been that between Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and hip hop royalty. Who would have thought the skinny white boy singing Yellow in 2000 would one day be keeping company with Jay-Z and Kanye West on the charts and at their A-list parties?   Martin appreciates the creative opportunities his band's success has afforded him. But he jokes he wouldn't have the wife, the kids or the life he has now if it weren't for pop stard

IT'S standing room only for egos at the Grammy Awards, the shindig that celebrates music's great, good and middle of the road in the US, report the Australian.   That is, of course, if you show up, which two of this year's event's biggest stars, Chris Brown and his squeeze Rihanna, failed to do, even though they were scheduled to perform to millions of television viewers and to the large, star-studded audience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.   Front and centre on Monday, however, was Cold

If you haven't yet seen Coldplay's '60 Minutes' slot that aired just before the weekend's Grammy Awards, you can see via YouTube in two parts at the Coldplay forum here. Meanwhile, below is another review of the programme, courtesy of the MinnPost:   I admit to watching an unusual "60 Minutes" story that immediately followed the riveting interview Sunday with the pilot who landed the plane in the Hudson River. I couldn’t believe that the hard-hitting news show was running something on a rock ban

There are plenty of Coldplay Grammy reviews and its virtually impossible to print them all, so we'll bring to you some of the best (or intriguing) ones. Here's Washington City Paper blog:   I’m pretty much happy to ignore this year’s Grammys completely: Kokayi didn’t win, Stevie Wonder suffered the indignity of sharing a stage with the Jonas Brothers, and I won’t even get started on the bizarre Chris Brown/Rihanna incident that took place the night before the ceremony. But there’s one moment of

The Times Online have written an article entitled: LA Notebook - The mystery of Coldplay's publicity strategy. I still don't think they like Coldplay. Here is an excerpt from their article:   Chris Martin, of Coldplay, is a right old plonker, isn't he? There he was, in an interview with 60 Minutes after the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, explaining a sign on his studio wall that reads: “ALWAYS KEEP MYSTERY - not many interviews.” It wasn't clear if Martin had planned to reveal this edict (one of

Every Grammy Awards show promises a certain measure of unpredictability, but tonight's could be one for the ages. Rapper M.I.A. is due - both to perform live and to deliver her baby - while the show's leading nominee is erratic New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne. He has eight nods, while Coldplay are next with seven and Kanye West, Jay-Z and Ne-Yo have six apiece.   And this year's Grammys boast some unique collaborative performances. McCartney will have Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl drumming behin

Boston Herald is the latest media source to preview the 60 Minutes programme that will feature Coldplay's Chris Martin talking about the band from the comforts of the London studio, The Bakery. The feature on Coldplay will air in the US at 7pm ET/PT on CBS, in the hour preceding the Grammy Awards telecast. Here's their article:   Chris Martin of Coldplay fame broke Band Rule No. 6 when he allowed “60 Minutes” cameras and reporter Steve Kroft a rare, exclusive interview and peek into the band’s p