Coldplay News

Viva La 200,000 seller! Coldplay's new album flew off shop shelves and clocked up huge downloads after being released in the UK earlier today.   The band's eagerly-anticipated fourth album looks certain to be the fastest-selling of the year when figures are announced this weekend. The collection should romp to No.1 on Sunday with sales of around 200,000 — shattering Duffy’s 2008 first-week record of 183,000.   Woolworths reported copies were being snapped up at a rate of 20 every minute. HMV had

Chris Martin has given the Radio 4 interview earlier today a cold shoulder after continual negative questioning by DJ John Wilson about watermelons, 'morbid' music, and accused Chris Martin of telling a sexist joke about Frida Khalo.   Will Champion continued questions on his own until Chris returned to answer the final question abruptly, at which point the interview ends. Coldplay were also due to appear on Radio 2 show this afternoon but the airing of the interview was pulled at short notice.

Despite tabloid reports of Chris Martin struggling in the face of injury, Xfm can confirm that Coldplay's free gig at the Brixton Academy next Monday (June 16) will go ahead.   A report in The Sun newspaper claimed that the Coldplay frontman twisted his knee during rehearsals for next Monday's free gig. Not so, according to Parlophone, Coldplay's record company. A source said: "All is fine - don't believe everything you read!"   It was further confirmed that rehearsals are going ahead as planned

From Coldplay.com:   To celebrate the release of our album in the UK today, we're doing a bunch of BBC radio interviews which we thought you folks might like to know about. First up, we're on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show from 12noon today, which you can listen to online here. Then, we're off to Radio 2 to appear on Steve Wright's show, which you can hear here from 2pm. Finally for today, we'll be on Radio 4's Front Row programme from 7.15pm tonight, here.   Then tomorrow, we're on Steve Lamacq's BBC

Coldplay's new album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends will be beamed through space on Friday (13Jun08) when satellite radio network Sirius plays the album in its entirety as part of its Alt Nation show.   Coldplay bandmembers will introduce each song on the eagerly anticipated new album, which hits stores on 17 June (08), as part of the show, which will be renamed Coldplay Nation for the day. The bandmates will also play songs by artists who have inspired them.   Meanwhile back on plane

A huge reminder that Coldplay kick things off with the UK release of the new album, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, by joining Jo Whiley on her show on BBC Radio 1 from 10am (BST, EST+5) for an exclusive interview on June 12. A special mention to Age Six Racer who will be asking the band a question live on air!   Four days later BBC Radio 1 is to present Coldplay live from Brixton Academy, London. The whole gig will be broadcast live on Radio 1 on a specially extended Zane Lowe show f

Thousands of hours of previously-unreleased music from the likes of Coldplay, The Beach Boys and David Bowie is to be made available to the public.   BBC Worldwide and EMI Music have struck a deal to release the music, stored in an extensive archive of TV and radio recordings, which has been locked away for years at the BBC. The recordings include live radio sessions from Pink Floyd - including songs from their 1967 debut album 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn', when Syd Barrett, was still in the ban

Lucky residents of Canada can enter a competition to win tickets to see Coldplay at Madison Square Garden. Prize includes:   - 2 Tickets to see Coldplay live Monday 23rd June - 2 Airline tickets to New York - 3 Night Acconodation [courtesy of The Time Hote’ from June 21st to 24th - $500 spending money!   So, what are you waiting for - enter here  

On the eve of Coldplay's UK album release, Andy Gill the outspoken Independent 'journalist' who arguably hasn't got enough work to do has launched a scathing attack on the band, calling them "Pompous, mawkish, and unbearably smug".   Brian Eno also features heavily in the scrabblescore-rich article, Gill saying, "One can only wonder how many musclebound oafs were required to carry the cheque that persuaded Eno to produce Coldplay's new album. I mean, given his rarefied cultural tastes, surely it

Speaking to Billboard, Coldplay's manager Dave Holmes has hinted at the tour itinery for the band into 2009.   Following the conclusion of the first North American leg, the group has international touring on tap through early October, after which it begins another round of North American dates. In 2009, Coldplay will play European stadiums and might even play such venues in North America next year "if we can do the business," manager Dave Holmes tells Billboard.   Read the full article at Billbo

Coldplay has been forced to postpone the start of its North American tour by two weeks due to unspecified "production delays which mean that the show simply won't be ready" for its planned June 29 kick-off in Philadelphia.   The itinerary will now begin July 14-15 in Los Angeles; it was to close Aug. 4 in Chicago but will instead wrap that day in Boston. Tickets for the scrapped dates will be valid for the new ones, but refunds are also available at points of purchase. You can discuss the update

Coldplay.com has announced changes to North American tour dates. The report is as follows:   We're very sorry, but unfortunately Coldplay have had to move the dates of some of the previously-announced US shows. The band have experienced some production delays which mean that the show simply won't be ready for June 29. It's very frustrating but they promise you a show worthy of your patience and understanding when they start in mid-July. All tickets remain valid, but refunds will be available fro

Some more reviews of Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends have hit the headlines, days before the album hits the shelves. Here's a Coldplaying recap on the latest ones:   Gigwise have given the new album 4/5, calling the album "A fantastically unexpected and spontaneous comeback...". You can read the full review here.   The Winnipeg Sun gave the album 90% marking and you can read the review here. They said, "On Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay isn't just better; the band

Coldplay's fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, is likely to become the biggest selling album of the year, according to online retailer Play.com.   The entertainment website says it expect the four-piece's new release to achieve its biggest pre-sale order ever. Customers have been snapping up copies of the Brian Eno-produced album at the rate of one every minute during peak times and it looks set to exceed the sales figures of the hugely successful Spirit, by X Factor winner

On Thursday 12th June (10am-12.45pm, weekdays), Coldplay are coming in to the Radio 1 studios to talk about their 'Radio 1 Presents' gig in Brixton Academy on Monday 16th June. In April, Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland personally delivered a copy of the new single, Violet Hill, to Jo, who was the first to play the track.   AS part of the Jo Whiley show they have given you the chance to ask the band anything. Fill out the form here and tell them what you want to know!   Don't forget, four days la

The winners for Coldplay's free gig at Brixton have today been announced. Check your inboxes (assuming you've entered!) to see if you've won. More on the winners' announcement here onwards.   Don't worry if you didn't win tickets, you can hear the gig live on Radio 1 from 8:30-9:30pm on Zane Lowe's show on Monday 16th June 2008. Coldplay will be performing old tracks as well as new material from their latest album Viva La Vida Or Death & All His Friends. You can listen to the BBC Radio 1 Mus

Another Coldplay interview is available and online. This time from Clash Magazine. It starts like this:   The eyes of the world are watching. The airwaves are waiting. It’s been three years since the four mild-mannered stadium lords last came out survey their lot.   But as the glorious summer dawns on 2008, their vast empire has begun to excitedly scurry in preparation of their emergence since the first assertive noises emanated from their self-enforced creative exile. Finally stepping up once m

Anton Corbijn to direct Coldplay's next video   Coldplay are set to work with film director Anton Corbijn, who won a Shockwaves NME Award earlier this year for directing 'Control', the biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.   The band's spokesperson told NME the director and the band will conduct the shoot for forthcoming single 'Viva La Vida', a song from the band's forthcoming album 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends', on a Dutch beach. Corbijn previously directed the video promo

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has compared his group's new album to U2's The Unforgettable Fire.   Martin told The Telegraph that their album Viva La Vida, which is released this Thursday (June 12), is comparable to U2's fourth record. "I always view our albums in terms of U2 albums," he said. Viva La Vida is our Unforgettable Fire in that it's less straightforward, more oblique. It's about sex and death and love and fear and travel and illness. There's light and there's dark."   Despite Coldpl

In an exclusive interview to be broadcast tonight (June 9) on John Kennedy's X-posure show, Coldplay's Chris Martin has revealed why their new album, 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' has two titles.   In a move that faintly echoes Radiohead's strategy to allow fans to decide what to pay for their album, Coldplay have given their fans the choice of two titles to choose from. Explained Chris Martin: "We refer to it just as 'Viva La Vida' but the other bit is if you find it too depressin

Virgin Radio is conducting their first ever poll of Coldplay’s most popular songs.   Vote for your ultimate Coldplay song below and listen to the countdown on Saturday Night Live on Sunday 8 June from 7.00pm (BST). Anthems… album tracks… live favourites… hear which songs the band themselves value the most. Vote using the form on this page. You can click on the album sleeves there to help choose your favourite track. All you have to do is answer the following:   Favourite track #1 Favourite track

Viva La Vida is by far and away your favourite Coldplay track from the new album, results from our latest poll have found. 42 and Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love are also faring well.   You can still vote in the poll here, and it will remain open until long after the album has been released worldwide.  

Coldplay Collaboration with Brian Eno is a triumph, say Sonic State.   Brian Eno produced the new album by Coldplay Viva La Vida along with Arcade Fire producer Marcus Dravs. The album was recorded in an old Bakery between Camden and Primrose Hill near London. A location chosen for its anonymity so that the band was not unduly interrupted by fans during the recording. Here's what Sonic State said about the album on first listen:   Not being the greatest Coldplay followers here at Sonic it would

More Coldplay Viva La Vida interviews have been published online. Take a peek at:   Interview with Chris and Jonny for Transporter - here Interview at the Secret Gig in the Netherlands - here   There will be upcoming interviews with the BBC on 12th and 13th of June on Front Row and Steve Lamacq shows respectively, details of which are here. These are in addition to the live BBC gig and the Jonathan Ross show.   [thanks mimixxx, harml, DefDazz]

Here are videos clips of Coldplay on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, which aired yesterday on cbc.ca/thehour and CBC Television on June 6th at 11pm. A peak of a rare behind the scenes interview with Coldplay in their London studio flat gave George Stroumboulopoulos a tour of the space and discusses the new album and the band. Click on the titles below, which link to the videos.   The Coldplay Tour - George gets a backstage pass to Coldplay’s London studio from none other than Chris Marti