Coldplay will perform their first UK live performance of the year on the Friday Night with Jonathan Ross show. The essential details are as follows:

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

Friday 13 June

10:35pm - 11:35pm

BBC1

Celebrity chat show with the irreverent Jonathan Ross. Guests include Atonement star James McAvoy, currently starring in new film Wanted, and world Super Middleweight Champion boxer Joe Calzaghe, with Coldplay performing live in the studio.

More on this here [thanks DefDazz]

Check out the 2008 section of Coldplay.com for a new star.

Hi - we are at the MTV Movie Awards - there is a big fire next door at Universal Studios; we are performing 'Viva La Vida'. We are testing our confetti . Butterflies for the first time.

GB

More on this star here onwards [thanks IneedYou23]

Read the full chronology, including all Prospekt updates, at WikiColdplay

Yeah, we had to look twice too. Coldplay is gonna play your house!

Listen all week to KROQ for your chance to win. Be caller 20 at 800-520-1067, and you'll score tickets to see Coldplay at the Forum on July 15th. Then you'll go into a drawing to have Chris Martin and co. play your living room. Kevin & Bean draw the winner Monday morning at 7:15.

More on this here onwards [thanks kittybitty]

Coldplay performed six songs on Jimmy Kimmel last night - including four from the new era, one of which had never been heard of previously. Here is their setlist:

1. Violet Hill [watch]

2. Viva La Vida [watch]

3. Clocks

4. Mystery Song [watch]

5. Lovers In Japan [watch]

6. Fix You

Don't worry - you haven't missed the TV show - these videos were posted by the audience. Coldplay will be musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 4th (tomorrow). The show airs at 12:05am on ABC. You can see the official show listings here here.

[thanks RAMINI99, alyssa & mayurshikotra]

Earlier tonight on Q Radio Coldplay played an acoustic version of Lovers In Japan, to celebrate the unveiling of the new radio station Q Radio. You can listen to the track here. The lyrics to accompany the song are as follows:

Lovers, keep on the road you're on

Runners, until the race is run

Soldiers, you've got to soldier on

Sometimes even right is wrong

They are turning my head out

To see what I'm all about

Keeping my head down

To see what it feels like now

But I have no doubt

One day, we are gonna get out

Tonight maybe we're gonna run

Dreaming of the Osaka sun

Ohh ohh...

Dreaming of when the morning comes

They are turning my head out

To see what I'm all about

Keeping my head down

To see what it feels like now

But I have no doubt

One day the sun will come out

Ooh...

The big announcement on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show turned out to be Coldplay live on R1 from Brixton Academy in London, later this month - just as they did on 6/6/06 for the release of X&Y.

This will be Coldplay's first UK show since 2005 and your chance to hear their new songs live for the first time. 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. More on the Radio 1 news here onwards [thanks fixed]

Meanwhile, thousands of Coldplay fans tuned in to two exclusive radio interviews on 2nd June, one on KROQ (LA) and one later in the day on Q Music (London).

Download the KROQ interview here or here [thanks zemy101 & iriden]

Download the Q Music interview here or here [thanks LoserJBo & yamfox]

And if that wasn't enough, you can WATCH the performance of 'Viva La Vida' from the MTV Movie awards at Universal Studios here

You can listen to the BBC Radio 1 Music webstream via the Coldplaying toolbar - which you can download here prior to the live Brixton gig. If you have any problems with the toolbar please log them here as soon as possible.

From the official site:

As you may have heard Zane Lowe announce on his show last night, we're very pleased to confirm that our Brixton Academy gig on Monday June 16th will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 1.

The gig will be broadcast at 8.30pm as part of a three hour special from 7-10pm, which will also feature Zane talking to us about the new album.

Chris Martin says Coldplay's duet with Kylie Minogue was axed from their new album because the Australian songbird made them 'too sexy' – something his band aren't ready to be.

Comeback Chris also says the pop princess took control of writing the collaboration, while the band were challenged with the task of designing the singer's outfits. Asked why the band didn't include her duet on new album 'Viva La Vida', Martin tells the new Q Radio station, 'Well it's just too sexy, at this point we cannot be that sexy…'

Despite excluding the work, Martin, heaped praise on 40-something Kylie, saying, 'It's a song called 'Lunar' and Kylie is particularly brilliant on it'. Joking about their work dynamic Martin said, 'She writes most of our stuff and we design most of her outfits'.

Martin insists Kylie's efforts will one day hit the airwaves, saying, ''It will 100% see the light of day and I'm going to tell you exclusively that it will be on a record that we will put out at the end of next year.'

Meanwhile, the singer has waded into the Jay-Z Glastonbury row sparked by Noel Gallagher, calling him and others 'idiots'. 'It's just proof that a great portion of the world are idiots. I don't even know where the controversy started, it probably started from two people on a computer who don't really know what they're talking about.'

You can hear the interview on Q Radio station at 6.30pm available on DAB.

More on this story here [thanks *Mike*]

"Viva La Vida" is the second song to emerge from forthcoming album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" (June 17), an album that The Sun's Gordon Smart's wrote is "as heavy-going as the Bible but as ultimately as rewarding." But the majesty that is Coldplay couldn't prevent a plague like the massive fire Sunday morning at Universal Studios -- the site of the awards -- and the world appeared unchanged when lead singer Chris Marin sat at the end of the stage to herald the end of the song.

But all told, Coldplay handled itself quite well Sunday night, giving a relatively stripped down performance of a rather ornate song. Martin began at the keyboard, but soon drifted from his bandmates -- mainly the booming, irresistible tom-tom drumming of Will Champion. With his hands in the air, Martin swayed to the song's swift-moving strings, turning the song into the arena-charmer it is destined to be.

And give Coldplay for credit for keeping things relatively simple. The orchestral accompaniments were seen only on a backing screen and appeared looped. The band resisted the traditional overblown award show trappings, and instead showed the power of an understated guitar riff and a well-timed church bell.

What did you think of the performance? To you what does Viva La Vida sound like live? You can join the discussions here [thanks bta5857 and everyone else who contributed!]

It's all go on 2nd June - be sure (amongst other things) to listen to Kevin & Bean on KROQ on Monday morning between 7 and 10AM PST, as Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland stop by for crumpets and tea. More on this here.

If you're struggling to keep up with all the Coldplay news and interviews check out the June Coldplay calendar below! [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite & zemy101]

June 2008: Your One-Stop-Shop for Coldplay Info!

You can listen to the KROQ webstream via the Coldplaying toolbar - which you can download here prior to the June 2nd breakfast show. You can manually add the station to your existing toolbar by adding http://provisioning.streamtheworld.com/asx/KROQFMDIALUP.asx via 'Add Stations'. If you have any problems with the toolbar please log them here as soon as possible.

Coldplay have given Q Radio an exclusive taste of their new material but allowing the station the first ever play of an acoustic take on one of their new album tracks.

The track will be given an airing during the June 2nd Q Radio launch programme, QPM, presented by Samanthi who also interviewed Coldplay for the show. Lovers In Japan is one of the standout tracks on the band’s fourth album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends which is released on June 12. Singer Chris Martin said he wanted Q to play the track to wish the station well.

Plus Chris Martin gave us a unique peek at the new album track Life In Technicolor in a completely different form. On Viva La Vida the band are releasing an instrumental version after stripping off the vocals, but they played a section of the track during the interview with the lyrics intact. However Chris’s rendition does lapse into an alternate version when he adds a few bars about blancmange! QPM is on at 6pm and the band’s interview will be at 7pm (both BST).

More on this here [thanks the_escapist]

The Q magazine interview recently released mentioned the name of a great Italian musician and an excellent violinist - David Rossi.

Rossi is currently a member of Goldfrapp and has known Coldplay since their support during the Twisted Logic Tour. Davide Rossi worked on Coldplay's Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends and his work is featured in seven songs of the new album. Violet Hill, first single released by the band on iTunes, features a soundscapes intro-like, which originally was an improvisation that Rossi and keyboard player Jon Hopkins did together during an early session with the band at their studio in London.

Others songs where Rossi's electric violin can be heard are: Life In Technicolor, Lovers In Japan, Cemeteries Of London, 42, Yes and Strawberry Swing (the chunky bass groove, didgeridoo's like that comes a little while after the beginning of the song, is one of the many examples of the sound of his Violectra).

Coldplayzone.it have interviewed Davide Rossi and he tells us about his work on Leftrightleftrightleft and Rainy Day, two tracks which didn't make the album. Read the full interview transcript here [thanks iriden & coldpatrix]

X-Posure (XFM evening show, Mon-Thur) will have an exclusive album playback of Coldplay's new album 'Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends', following the news that Coldplay accepted XFM's invitation, Coldplaying.com can reveal.

For those who don't know, an 'X-posure Album Playback' is when a particularly great or important new record is about to come out, the station invites the band into talk through the new record with a track-by-track rundown.

X-posure is Xfm's showcase for all that's cutting edge. Covering the best singles, live cuts and album tracks that the alternative underground has to offer. X-posure is on air every Monday - Thursday 22:00 - 01:00.

More on this here [thanks fsa].

For those who live outside the UK you can listen to the XFM X-Posure webstream via the Coldplaying toolbar - which you can download here prior to the June 9th album playback. If you have any problems with the toolbar please log them here as soon as possible.

Despite the fact that they’re one of the biggest rock acts on the planet — so much so that they made selling 10 million copies of their last album seem unassuming — Coldplay keep a surprisingly low profile.

Fast-forward about an hour — rehearsals take a long time, after all — and Coldpay are standing onstage, dressed like French Revolutionaries, keyboards and timpani drums scattered around them. Various members of the production crew are prattling about, and since there’s nothing better to do, Martin walks over to one of ‘boards, and begins plinking out the opening notes of PCD’s hit “Don’t Cha,” singing the opening lines in a loving tribute … “Don’t Cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me,” he warbled, as stagehands and producers in headsets giggled and applauded.

More on this here [thanks the_escapist]

The full online New York Times article is now available (we alerted you to a preview yesterday). Here is an excerpt of the full article (full link at bottom):

Over a chai latte he [Chris Martin] discussed one of the central tracks on “Viva la Vida.” The song “42” begins with the classic Coldplay sound — Mr. Martin at the piano, delivering a profound-sounding rhyme in his upper register at a slow tempo — but after about 90 seconds it spirals off into multiple sections.

“That song is kind of a microcosm” of the entire album, he said. “The lyrics in the beginning are very much big themes, but then we go into this kind of silly jam we wrote one day when we were all hypnotized, and then it ends with this big, up-tempo, positive thing. I don’t know if it’s any good, but it definitely captures everything in one place.”

Mr. Dravs said that despite the album’s use of strings, dissonant guitars and Eastern percussion instruments, the key to executing the more ambitious songs was capturing more of the band’s onstage feel. “I was always impressed by the quality of their songwriting, but I thought it would be essential to retain the energy of their live performances,” he said. The one thing Mr. Martin insists never came into the studio was any sense of commercial pressure. The band members got too wrapped up in the business side the last time out, he said, and now (especially in light of the trade press asking things like “Coldplay: Can They Save the Day for EMI?”) they’re trying to keep their heads down.

Read the full article here

A record-label man doubles as an usher, herding a small, lightly shuffling group of music journalists into a listening room. “Sit anywhere,” he says, motioning to nicely stuffed chairs. “You can sit in the back too,” he says, “because we blew out the rear speakers at the last session.”

Coldplay, the band whose colourful hit rhymes with mellow, is now rupturing woofers? While I picture straws breaking camels' backs, the lights go down and the album – with the two-minded title Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends – arrives with the rising swirl of Life in Technicolor, which mixes a strumming acoustic guitar and arpeggiated Baba O'Riley synthesizers. The effect is similar to the instrumental start to U2's Joshua Tree, co-produced by same Brian Eno who co-produced this album.

Eno's influence on the new Coldplay is profound. And by “new Coldplay,” I mean “different Coldplay.” The elegant ballads, airy crooning and life-affirming choruses of the past are not abandoned as much underplayed.

Read the full article here [thanks felicote]

If first impressions are everything, then consider "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" a CD your boom box will absolutely be in love with when it's released next month.

From the eye-popping Eugène Delacroix cover art to the pleading synth-piano of the disc's closing hidden track - "The Escapist" - Coldplay have assembled another existentialist page-turner. Like every other Coldplay record, "Viva la Vida" flits between soaring U2-like guitar riffs and slick power ballads, full of frontman Chris Martin's unafraid questioning. Yet, thanks to avant-garde producer Brian Eno, all of it sounds like something they've never done before.

"Yes" and "Strawberry Swing" saddle country swagger to the band's anthemic vibe, while cascading keys and pulsating drums delineate "Lovers in Japan" the disc's de facto stadium dancer. "42" starts as a straight ballad before brawny lines of the "Speed of Sound"-variety intercede.

Read the full article and song synopsis here

NEW YORK — With its frescoed walls and waiters in white jackets, the Cafe Carlyle is like a Hollywood version of old-school New York sophistication.

It’s not usually a place to go looking for rock stars, but on Monday nights Woody Allen is often there, playing the clarinet with his New Orleans jazz band, and Chris Martin, the singer of the British rock band Coldplay, catches his sets when he can. At a small table just inside the door, between bites of salmon and sips of a Bellini, Martin recalled why he was initially drawn to Allen’s films. “Everyone else was either too optimistic or too pessimistic,” he said. “He seemed to have it just right.”

It makes perfect sense that Chris Martin, 31, is a Woody Allen fan. He is possibly the most self-deprecating lead singer in pop history, saying things like, “I don’t listen to our records because it makes me break out in tears and sweat,” and, “We have a rule that only the four of us can ever be onstage because we don’t want to be upstaged by someone more attractive.” (“He’s always been like that, really,” said Guy Berryman, the band’s bassist.)

Read the full article here

He dreams about them...

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has said that the band are trying to blend Radiohead and Westlife to create the perfect sound. Martin’s revelation came in an interview where he discussed frequently having dreams about other bands. “I dreamt about Radiohead last night and Westlife the night before,” he told the Sun. “Which is the perfect blend of what we’re trying to do musically.”

Martin went on to say that he always dreams about groups that are “never interested in hanging out with us.” “It’s like being at school and the bigger boys don’t want to play with you,” he added.

More on this story here [thanks mimixxx]

Tickets for Coldplay’s winter UK tour have gone on sale this morning (May 30th) and more dates have already been added. The band's UK dates – their first for three years – begin with three nights at the NIA in Birmingham on December 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The tour will also take in shows in Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and London (third date added on 16th December). Due to overwhelming demand a second date in Belfast (19th Dec) has also been added after tickets for the first date at the Odyssey sold out within ten minutes.

Did you manage to get tickets? Still trying to find the best seats or just any seat at all? What do you think about sitting only? Share your thoughts in our Coldplay forums.

Tickets for some concerts are still available (as of writing) with the following UK dates going on sale at 9.30am on Friday May 30th, from gigsandtours.com / 0871 22 00 260 (English shows) or ticketmaster.co.uk / 0871 230 6230 (Glasgow shows). For the Belfast date tickets go on sale on Friday May 30th at 9.30am from wonderlandpromotions.co.uk and ticketmaster.ie.

1/12/08 - Birmingham, NIA [discussion]

2/12/08 - Birmingham, NIA [discussion]

3/12/08 - Birmingham, NIA [discussion] *NEW*

5/12/08 - Glasgow, SECC [discussion]

6/12/08 - Glasgow, SECC [discussion]

7/12/08 - Sheffield, Arena [discussion]

10/12/08 - Liverpool, Echo Arena [discussion]

11/12/08 - Manchester, MEN Arena [discussion]

12/12/08 - Manchester, MEN Arena [discussion]

14/12/08 - London, O2 Arena [discussion]

15/12/08 - London, O2 Arena [discussion]

16/12/08 - London, O2 Arena [discussion] *NEW*

18/12/08 - Belfast, Odyssey Arena [discussion]

19/12/08 - Belfast, Odyssey Arena [discussion] *NEW*

Coldplay have been speaking to Q magazine about public expectations of their forthcoming album, 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends', and their tag as one of the biggest bands in the world.

Frontman Chris Martin believes the band have not yet released anything "that good". He said: "I've just been excited about writing. After the last record I felt like God, I can't believe we've got away with becoming this huge band. And we still haven't done anything I think is that good yet. So it was almost like, We've got the job, now we've got to prove why we've got it."

Martin, who is married to Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, added: "The only thing that makes me remember that we're in a big band is when I remember that I'm married to someone famous. Everything else in the day is exactly the same as it was 11 years ago." The singer was also asked if he felt his fame was mostly related to his marriage to Palrow, saying: "Well it's a different kind of fame, that we do everything to avoid."

Scans have surfaced online here. More on this here [thanks maloudajava1 & tonethestone]

Coldplay adds a date. And then takes one away.

As far as the former goes, Coldplay has now announced plans to perform July 25 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. They have, however, cancelled the gig in Sacramento, which was originally scheduled for July 21 at Arco Arena.

Coldplay will also perform July 24 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose - although coldplay.com lists the San Jose and Oakland dates as currently on sale, Ticketmaster tells a different story. According to the ticket broker, those shows will go on sale 10 a.m. June 14. Check www.ticketmaster.com for more info.

The band will launch its North American trek, in support of the forthcoming album “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends,” July 2 in Washington, DC. “Viva la Vida” was produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs and follows 2005’s “X&Y,” a work that has sold more 10 million copies to date. The set’s first single, “Violet Hill,” is already a substantial hit on modern rock radio.?

There is a 30 second preview clip of a new Coldplay song '42' available online at Q. You can find the links here [thanks sebrat]

Meanwhile, on 4th June Coldplay will perform Violet Hill in german tv at tv total (pro7) on 4th june 08. The show will also be available to watch online the following day at tvtotal.de [thanks s0mmer]

Also on 26th June, Coldplay will perform Violet Hill on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on June 26 (and then of course on 'Today' show on NBC on June 27. No further details as yet. More on this here [thanks ApproximatelyInfinite]

Three years ago Coldplay singer Chris Martin told the Record their fourth album would be "the greatest piece of music ever made".

Thirteen days from now the world will find out as Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends is released on a Thursday no less. The last time a huge Brit band did this was Oasis in 1997.

Viva La Vida was made in the band's new permanent HQ, a former bakery tucked down an alley opposite a north London estate. Brian Eno, the long-time U2 producer and Markus Dravs, who was an engineer on Arcade Fire's Neon Bible were brought in as producers. While it still has the soaring melodies of classic Coldplay the band have stretched themselves musically.

The band also wanted to make a shorter album which has meant they've got another album's worth of songs. Guy Berryman added: "I think one the first goals was to make a short record. The last record, X&Y, was a little bit too long. We have a lot of songs we didn't use. They're very good, they're not B-sides. We're still deciding what we're gonna do with those songs. I'd say there's another album ready to go."

Read the full article here [thanks Jizo]

A reminder that tickets for all UK and some European Coldplay shows officially go on sale tomorrow at 9.30am (local times). U.K. venues on the itinerary include The NIA in Birmingham (December 1-2), Sheffield Arena (December 7), Manchester Evening News Arena (December 11-12), O2 Arena in London (December 14-15) and Odyssey Arena in Belfast (December 18).

Tickets for the following UK dates go on sale at 9.30am on Friday May 30th, from gigsandtours.com / 0871 22 00 260 (English shows) or ticketmaster.co.uk / 0871 230 6230 (Glasgow shows). For the Belfast date tickets go on sale on Friday May 30th at 9.30am from wonderlandpromotions.co.uk and ticketmaster.ie.

1/12/08 - Birmingham, NIA [discussion]

2/12/08 - Birmingham, NIA [discussion]

5/12/08 - Glasgow, SECC [discussion]

6/12/08 - Glasgow, SECC [discussion]

7/12/08 - Sheffield, Arena [discussion]

10/12/08 - Liverpool, Echo Arena [discussion]

11/12/08 - Manchester, MEN Arena [discussion]

12/12/08 - Manchester, MEN Arena [discussion]

14/12/08 - London, O2 Arena [discussion]

15/12/08 - London, O2 Arena [discussion]

18/12/08 - Belfast, Odyssey Arena [discussion]

The band will launch its Euro run September 1 at Zenith in Strasbourg, France, and hit arenas scattered across the continent through early October, with stops in France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands and Belgium.

SEPTEMBER

Tue 02 Germany, Mannheim SAP Arena - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

Fri 12 Germany, Cologne Koln Arena - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

Sun 14 Germany, Hamburg Colorline Arena - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

Mon 15 Germany, Berlin O2 World - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

Fri 26 Germany, Munich Olympiahalle - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

Sun 28 Switzerland, Zurich Hallenstadion - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

OCTOBER

Sat 04 Belgium, Antwerp Sportpalais - on sale Fri 30 May - [ticket link] [discussion]

Coldplay's tour will also feature magic balls. Coldplay will tell you more about those on their website soon!

Coldplay commander Chris Martin pounded the cobbles of north London in full military regalia while filming his band’s latest video.

The quartet shot a promo for forthcoming album Viva La Vida in and around their Chalk Farm HQ. French revolutionary politics and dress feature heavily in Coldplay's new direction. See an image below.

More on this story here [thanks mimixxx]