As you will know by now, Newcastle and Liverpool have been chosen as the only only two UK cities that Coldplay will play in 2010. The band will play intimate gigs somewhere in Liverpool on 19th December and Newcastle on 20th December to highlight homelessness. Possible venues in Newcastle have been rumoured to include the Tyne Theatre. Meanwhile, in Liverpool, several venues, including Mountford Hall/Stanley Theatre, O2 Academy Liverpool, or the Liverpool Olympia have been suggested on the grapevine. So why those cities anyway?
So why Newcastle? Well, the gigs are to raise money and awareness for Crisis, a charity for single homeless people. Newcastle is home to a Crisis Skylight training and employment centre. This offers practical and creative workshops with formal learning opportunities that lead to qualifications and finding work and which help local people move forward with their lives.
And why Liverpool? Following the success of the centre in Newcastle Crisis have plans to set up a new service in Liverpool by Autumn 2011. Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: "To have the backing of Coldplay brings something unique to Crisis this Christmas. We know that their support and millions of fans will help shine a light on the thousands of hidden homeless people we strive to help year round who are all too often forgotten - particularly at Christmas when we know the pain of homelessness can be particularly acute."
The venues for the gigs will remain under wraps - only fans who manage to get hold of a ticket will be sent a text message and e-mail telling them where to go. The idea behind keeping it a secret is that it gives people a taste of the uncertainty faced by the thousands of homeless people who do not know where they will spend the night.
The Choir with No Name is Britain's first "homeless choir", made up of people who have no permanent home or who have only recently been housed. It was founded on the principle that singing makes you feel good and can help build confidence and provide a social network for people who find themselves on the fringes of society.
What we do know is that hidden gigs tend to be intimate and the location, which has been hand-picked by Coldplay, has a capacity of about 1,000. It's being described as an unusual space and not one of the normal hot spots such as the Newcastle Arena or City Hall. Local celebrities Ant and Dec have offered to compere the evening and a 'homeless choir' will be the supporting act. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Crisis, a charity for homeless people.
New pictures of Coldplay with fans in North London (4th November 2010): [thanks Makayla]
Pictures by Makayla
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