Coldplay show their support for CanTeen

CanTeen's Annual Bandanna Challenge will take place from this Friday until October 31. Bandannas will be on sale nationwide for just $4, and there are some fantastic designs to choose from including one designed by new ambassador Scott Dixon; The World’s Fastest New Zealander and newly crowned World Indy Racing Champion.

Alongside Dixon’s bandannas there are also designs from CanTeen Ambassadors Dan Carter and netballer Maria Tutaia, fashion designers Federation, and CanTeeners. Also showing their support is band Coldplay who have gifted their track ‘Fix You’ for use on the TVC.

Read the full article here

Coldplay have been nominated four times at the American Music Awards 2008.

Voting for the awards is done online via ABC.com's American Music Awards website. The AMAs will be held on November 23rd at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. They will be aired live on ABC and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. To vote for Coldplay at these awards click here. Tickets for the event are on sale via Ticketmaster here.

Coldplay are up for:

Artist Of The Year

Favorite Band, Duo Or Group (pop or rock music)

Favorite Artist (alternative rock music)

and

Favorite Album (pop or rock music) for 'Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.'

Read the full details on this here

Further to news last night sourced from a Norwegian website, the artwork for Coldplay's new EP entitled 'Prospekt's March has been officially announced by Coldplay.com. Here's Prospekt's journal entry today:

Tuesday 14 October, 2008

London

This is the artwork for the Prospekt's March EP courtesy of Eugene Delacroix's Battle of Poitiers.

It'll be out in the shops November 21-25 (depending upon where you live). You'll also be able to order it from coldplay.com.

Prospekt

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 14, 2008 - submitted by Julia, Germany

Q. Holadiho Oracle!I read that the personal trainer of Coldplay is "DAN".

Is it the "Scientist-Dan", where they wrote the song about?

The Oracle replies:

There are many Dans in the band's life... Dan the trainer is one, Dan Green their sound engineer is another and then there's Dan Keeling who signed them to Parlophone... who is also the Scientist.

October 14, 2008 - submitted by Stuart, United Kingdom

Q. Has the band got their tickets yet for the forthcoming Depeche Mode tour? If so, any chance of me getting "first dabs" if one of them has a prior engagement?

The Oracle replies:

They're sold out already aren't they? Coldplay's tour manager used to TM for Depeche Mode so I reckon they're good for tickets!

October 14, 2008 - submitted by Nori, Hungary

Q. I've just seen Shaun of the Dead, and I was hoping to find Chris and Jonny among the Z-people, but I didn't succeed. Could you tell me where they appear as zombies? (Sorry if I'm the 5426th one asking this question.)

The Oracle replies:

The part where Shaun is about to go inside the pub for safety with his friends there are zombies outside. Chris and Jonny are in that mob. You can spot them if you concentrate and maybe get handy with the freeze frame on your remote.

There's also a Zombie Aid clip that they're both in playing themselves.

Eight lucky Latin American fans will win a trip to Miami to watch Coldplay's show and twelve more will win a Viva La Vida album CD in a competition courtesy of Warner Brothers Latin America (WBLA).

To enter, visit wbla.com then choose your country, and click on the 'inside the music' icon. Fill the form with your personal information, and then answer approximately 20 Coldplay-related questions. The winners chosen will be the eight people who answer questions correctly in the quickest time. Winners must have a passport and American visa.

Update: There is also a contest at starmedia.com to win a paid trip to Houston to see Coldplay at the Toyota Center on November 18th, including a meet and greet before the show!

More details and discussion on these competitions here [thanks Pris]

See a special Coldplay show in New York - win tickets to Yahoo! taping

Are you a Coldplay fan living in the New York City or New Jersey area? Would you like to come along to a secret and very exclusive taping of a live performance with Coldplay? If so, then the good people at Yahoo! Music and Capitol Records are requesting the pleasure of your company at Nissan Live Sets in NYC, featuring Coldplay. The details are as follows...

Date: Wednesday October 22nd, 2008

Arrival Time: 6.30pm

Location: A super-secret place in NYC!

Yahoo! have 250 pairs of tickets to give away to the show. If you'd like to win a pair, then simply email Invite@YahooLiveSets.com with your name, number and location, before October 15th. If your email is one of the 250 randomly picked winners, we'll contact you to let you know. On the night, you might even get to take part in an on-camera Q&A with the band. Please only enter once. You must be at least 13 years old to attend. Fans under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The prize is just the pair of tickets, not transport or accommodation. This invitation is not transferable unless you ask particularly nicely and get the express permission of Yahoo!. Yahoo! reserves the right to rescind any invitation, at any time, in its sole discretion.

More on this competition here [thanks Christa1]

According to popular Norwegian online record store website platekompaniet.no Coldplay's Prospekt's March EP cover will look like this (below, left). The Viva La Vida (Prospekt's March edition) cover artwork was revealed via Amazon ten days ago (below, right):

The Prospekt's March EP cover features another painting by Eugene Delacroix, a detail that was officially confirmed by Chris Martin on 3rd October. And Davide Rossi (Italian musician and violinist featured on Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends) today exclusively revealed that two tracks on Coldplay's new EP - Rainy Day and Prospekt's March - will feature his violectra. He went on to say that in his opinion the Prospekt's March EP is more beautiful than the Viva La Vida album that preceded it. [thanks Coldpatrix]

More exclusive details on the Prospekt's March cover here [thanks CPRani]

Coldplay: How We Saw the World... Part 1

If you haven't yet seen it, or want to re-live the moment again, you can see Coldplay's 2006 live performance at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, featuring a mix of songs from old favourites Clocks and Yellow to more recent hits Speed of Sound, Fix You and Talk. Tonight at 22:30h on VH1.

Meanwhile, you can mull over the nominees for Best Act Ever at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards 2008. The artists nominated for this heavyweight title are showcased including Coldplay and Metallica. Tomorrow morning at 07:30 on VH1.

Welshman Eugene Francis Jnr will be releasing 'Hobo Occupation' through Legion Records on November 24th, and as if that's not enough to warm the cockles of your heart, he's also going on a UK/EU/US tour with Coldplay and Todd Rundgren respectively. Currently Coldplay's Manchester, Dublin and Belfast support slots and the remaining two dates in London are as yet unknown. More on Eugene Francis Jnr at his MySpace page here

Here's his Coldplay support schedule:

29/11/08 : UK : Arena, Sheffield : with Coldplay

01/12/08 : UK : NIA, Birmingham : with Coldplay

02/12/08 : UK : NIA, Birmingham : with Coldplay

03/12/08 : UK : NIA, Birmingham : with Coldplay

06/12/08 : UK : SECC Hall, Glasgow : with Coldplay

07/12/08 : UK : Echo Arena, Liverpool : with Coldplay

09/12/08 : UK : SECC Hall, Glasgow : with Coldplay

15/12/08 : UK : O2, London : with Coldplay

The Cardiff singer/songwriter became good friends with Coldplay when they studied together at University College London. Francis, who roomed with Coldplay's drummer Will Champion in halls of residence, even holds the distinction of having had Coldplay support his former band, The Fantastic Super Foofs, back in 1996.

More on this exclusive support act news here onwards [thanks Jenjie]

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 13, 2008 - submitted by Sam, New Zealand

Q. Dear Worthy one, I remember in the build up to Viva La Vida, Chris said that on this album is a song that everyone must hear before they die, and went further to say that it would be the greatest song ever. Could you please tell me which song off this album he is talking about? P.s I truely Love Chris and i'm so hopeful that one day Coldplay comes to New Zealand, i reckon the guys would love it here.

The Oracle replies:

Well, what Chris said at the time and what he would say now about it are most likely 2 different things. I think Chris would now probably deem his earlier comments as arrogant rather than accurate or pure self-belief. That said no one in the team has asked which song he was referring to so watch this space...

October 13, 2008 - submitted by mariano, Spain

Q. Do you need a personal trainer in the concerts Id like to help you.

The Oracle replies:

The band already have a personal trainer on tour, his name is Dan.

October 13, 2008 - submitted by vishal, United States of America

Q. Which is the Coldplay music video where people at a dinner party throw food at each other?

The Oracle replies:

It's not a Coldplay video, it's by Travis and the track is called Sing.

Coldplay has twice been nominated to win an awards given by the Spanish music radio station 'Los 40 principales'. Coldplay's nominations are as follows:

1. Best tour in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona).

2. Best international group in foreign language

For the first nomination Coldplay are up against Madonna again, and Amaral and El canto del loco. This nomination also includes the show by Rock'In Rio which took place in Madrid a few months ago. In the second nomination, they are up against four well known artists in Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Madonna and Alicia Keys.

To vote for Coldplay click here. For more information on the awards click here [thanks ColdplayerMálaga]

See a special Coldplay show in New York - win tickets to Yahoo! taping

Are you a Coldplay fan living in the New York City or New Jersey area? Would you like to come along to a secret and very exclusive taping of a live performance with Coldplay? If so, then the good people at Yahoo! Music and Capitol Records are requesting the pleasure of your company at Nissan Live Sets in NYC, featuring Coldplay. The details are as follows...

Date: Wednesday October 22nd, 2008

Arrival Time: 6.30pm

Location: A super-secret place in NYC!

Yahoo! have 250 pairs of tickets to give away to the show. If you'd like to win a pair, then simply email Invite@YahooLiveSets.com with your name, number and location, before October 15th. If your email is one of the 250 randomly picked winners, we'll contact you to let you know. On the night, you might even get to take part in an on-camera Q&A with the band. Please only enter once. You must be at least 13 years old to attend. Fans under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The prize is just the pair of tickets, not transport or accommodation. This invitation is not transferable unless you ask particularly nicely and get the express permission of Yahoo!. Yahoo! reserves the right to rescind any invitation, at any time, in its sole discretion.

More on this competition here [thanks Christa1]

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 10, 2008 - submitted by Rafael, Philippines

Q. Who is Phil Harvey? His name appears in the credits of Viva La Vida as a band member but he’s only credited for “wise words” in X&Y. I don’t seem him in the photos in the sleeves of any of the albums and his name doesn’t even appear in the first two. Is Phil Harvey the Oracle?

The Oracle replies:

Phil met Chris and bonded as best friends at school. Phil subsequently became Coldplay’s first manager. He took a break after the recording of A Rush of Blood… and came back on board after X&Y. He takes a creative role and is a trusted member of the team hence being referred to as the 5th member of the band. But no, he is not I and I am not he.

October 10, 2008 - submitted by Andrea, United States of America

Q. Your webpage doesn’t fit on one screen and doesn’t slide to the left. I can’t see the tour dates. Can you have your webmaster adjust this please? Thanks

The Oracle replies:

Actually Andrea that problem is due to your own computer settings. It’s the same for many people but there’s nothing the Webmaster can do.

October 10, 2008 - submitted by Annie, United States of America

Q. I know this isn’t a coldplay song, but alday i’ve had this song stuck in my head and the only lyrick i remember is “this is the story of a girl, who cried a river and drwn the whole world” i’m pretty sure that’s right. anyway, it would really help if you could tell me the song name and the band who did it. thnx XDD

The Oracle replies:

What you’re looking for is a song by Nine Days called Absolutely (Story of a Girl).

Coldplay last week announced a new show at the Honda Center, Anaheim, and tickets go on sale later today (Saturday Oct 11th) at 10am local time via Live Nation here. The pre-sale has now passed but according to several people the seats behind a password were not as good as expected.

Anaheim will be the penultimate show of the 2nd US leg of the Viva La Vida tour, preceding Phoenix on 26th November. Coldplay last played Anaheim on 6th and 7th February 2006 during the US leg of the Twisted Logic tour, promoting the third album X&Y. The Honda Center, previously known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and colloquially called the The Pond, is an indoor arena in Anaheim, California. Honda later acquired the naming rights to the arena for $60 million over 15 years which changed its name in October 2006.

Who's going? Let us know in the dedicated Anaheim discussion thread here [thanks DanielColdplay22]

Coldplay fans almost have to consider themselves spoiled rotten, given the band's announcement of a new EP just months after its latest, Viva La Vida. They have finally locked in a release date for said EP, Prospekt's March: November 25th.

And that's not all: just two weeks prior, on November 10th, the band will digitally release a four-track version of its Viva La Vida song 'Lost!,' including one remix featuring Jay-Z. Should the collaboration strike you as strange, perhaps you can cast your mind back to when Chris Martin [pictured] guested on the song 'Homecoming' for Kanye West's Graduation album.

Coldplay's new releases can be attributed to an overflow of material the band created with producer Brian Eno while recording Viva La Vida. "The Viva La Vida sessions were incredibly fruitful. They gelled brilliantly with Brian and recorded much more music than they could fit on one album," a spokesman for the band's EMI record label said.

The full track listing for Prospekt's March:

1. "Life in Technicolor II"

2. "Postcards From Far Away"

3. "Glass of Water"

4. "Rainy Day"

5. "Prospekts March/Poppyfields"

6. "Lost +"

7. "Lovers in Japan (Osaka Sun mix)"

8. "Now My Feet Won't Touch the Ground"

And for the Lost! digital release:

1. "Lost!" (album version)

2. "Lost?" (acoustic version)

3. "Lost@" (live at Chicago)

4. "Lost+" (with Jay-Z)

Combined with the 11 tracks off Viva La Vida (released in June), it's turning out to be a heck of a year for the band. In the meantime, Coldplay will launch the second leg of its tour in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, on Oct. 10. Full dates are listed here. And if this isn't enough, apparently the quartet's fifth studio album is due in stores next year. That album will bring another interesting collaboration: a song with pop starlet Kylie Minogue.

More questions answered by The Oracle...

October 8, 2008 - submitted by Israel, United States of America

Q. First off, Coldplay is probably one of the best bands I've heard. Such versatility in their music is unprecedented and unique. Thanks to all the sound/recording engineers who have worked with Coldplay, and making their uniqueness come alive! Now, my question--which comes from my sound/recording engineering studies--is: does Coldplay have a company in charge of running all their sound at every single one of their shows or does Coldplay just deal with the "in-venue" or "in-house" engineers? And is there a way to contact these companies, or engineers?

The Oracle replies:

Actually Coldplay have used the same sound engineer for their live shows since about 1999! His name is Dan Green.

October 8, 2008 - submitted by gabriela, Mexico

Q. Is the handwriting in the blog of "a letter from Chris" actually his handwriting?

The Oracle replies:

Indeed it is.

October 8, 2008 - submitted by Richard, United Kingdom

Q. Hi Oracle, I watched the Live 2003 DVD again the other day and noticed that during Yellow there was an acoustic guitar being played yet none of the guys were playing it. I've also noticed similar extra effects being added throughout other live performances that couldn't have possibly been played by the band.

Am I right in thinking there is a fifth member backstage who plays extra instruments and if so who is this person?

The Oracle replies:

Matt McGinn played the acoustic part on guitar during that tour but generally speaking unless it's a guitar you're hearing, it isn't a 'real' instrument that's being played.

October 8, 2008 - submitted by Imran, Singapore

Q. Oracle,will the guys ever do a Chris Cornell song? Chris' voice sounds kinda similar to the other Chris!

The Oracle replies:

I don't want to offend you Imran but they sound nothing like each other! In fact, the only thing they appear to have in common is that they are both male singer/songwriters/musicians named Chris!

That said Chris M is a fan of

From Coldplay.com - Watch full song on BBC site:

Good afternoon. As mentioned previously, Coldplay are on

Later with Jools Holland on BBC2 in the UK tomorrow night at 11.35pm. But if you go to the show's website now, you can watch a full performance of 42 wherever in the world you live* (which is quite unusual for the BBC). Enjoy.

Anchorman.

* Well, we asked the folks in our LA bureau to try it - and it's definitely working for them

Coldplay returned to the Later studio last night and played a string of tracks from their fourth number one album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.

Setlist:

Violet Hill

Lovers In Japan

42

Viva La Vida (played twice)

Lost!

In a preview for Friday night's show see Coldplay perform 42 here [uK residents only]

Read fan reviews and watch videos (Lost! and Viva La Vida) from the show here and discussion here onwards [thanks laura84, joooooooooooooooooes & RadioMad]

Chris Martin with Coldplaying member Laura84

SAN FRANCISCO - Google is moving ahead with plans to generate more revenues from its video sharing website YouTube in deals with iTunes and Amazon, which will see it sell music direct to surfers who will be able to hit "click to buy" buttons on music videos.

EMI, whose artists include Coldplay and Depeche Mode, and Universal Music, which represents bands such as the Killers, are the first record companies to join the e-commerce programme.

Music will not be the only thing on offer. Computer games giant Electronic Arts has also signed up to push sales of its new 'Spore' game.

YouTube said the programme would be expanded over the next few months to partners across industries including music, film, TV and publishing and also outside the US. The buttons can be added to unauthorised music videos put up by users by using YouTube's content identification and management system.

The Google-owned business hopes to develop an extra revenue stream by taking commission on sales generated by the links. Chad Hurley, co-founder and chief executive of YouTube, said: "YouTube content partners now have the ability to promote and monetize their content in a new and exciting way and create a deeper distribution channel for their content online."

YouTube yesterday introduced a larger format video window for viewing long-format videos.

MTV Networks Africa today announced the contenders for the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain (MAMA). Selected by an independent voting ‘academy’ of 150 music professionals and opinion formers from 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the nominations for the MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain showcase the wealth of musical talent that Africa has to offer, and provide the ultimate vehicle for young Africans to salute the African and international artists that rock their worlds.

The nominations for the inaugural pan-African music awards ceremony were revealed at a VIP soirée at Planet One, Lagos, Nigeria by Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, MTV Networks Africa and Norman Moyo, Chief Marketing Officer, Zain Nigeria, in the presence of nominees D’Banj, Wahu, DJ Cleo and Naeto C.

US, and European artists are represented in three categories with nods to Akon, Rihanna and Alicia Keys for Best R&B, while rappers The Game and Lil Wayne both feature in Best Hip Hop. Prominent in the Best Alternative category are Coldplay, competing against, Buraka Som Sistema (Portugal) and a trio of South African contenders: Goldfish, The Parlotones and Seether.

Heading the nominee list with 5 ‘nods’ from the MAMA nominations academy are Nigerian R&B duo P-Square (Best Group, Best Live Performer, Best R&B, Best Video and Artist of the Year), closely followed by triple nominees D’Banj (Nigeria) and HHP (South Africa), who go head-to-head in the Best Male and Artist of the Year categories. Wahu (Kenya) and Asa (Nigeria) share the honours as the most nominated female artists with two nominations each for Wahu (Best New Act, Best Female) and Asa (Best Female, Artist of the Year).

Topping the country roll of honour with 18 individual nominations is South Africa, closely followed by Nigeria (16 nominations). Kenyan artists scored three nominations: Jua Cali for Best Male and Wahu for Best New Act & Best Female. Ghanaian artists were recognised in two categories: Best Live Performance (Samini) and Best New Act (Kwaw Kese), while Mozambique, Gabon, Tanzania and Uganda all scored one nominee with recognition for Professor Jay (Tanzania), East Africa Bashment Crew (Uganda), Movaizhaleine (Gabon) and Dama do Bling (Mozambique).

The nominees for the 2008 MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain are:

BEST FEMALE

Wahu (Kenya)

Asa (Nigeria)

Dama Do Bling (Mozambique)

Sasha (Nigeria)

Zonke (South Africa)

BEST MALE

Jua Cali (Kenya)

2Face (Nigeria)

D’Banj (Nigeria)

DJ Cleo (South Africa)

HHP (South Africa)

BEST LIVE PERFORMER

Samini (Ghana)

D’Banj (Nigeria)

P-Square (Nigeria)

Cassette (South Africa)

Jozi (South Africa)

BEST GROUP

P-Square (Nigeria)

Freshly Ground (South Africa)

Jozi (South Africa)

The Parlotones (South Africa)

East African Bashment Crew (Uganda)

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Buraka Som Sistema (Portugal)

Goldfish (South Africa)

Seether (South Africa)

The Parlotones (South Africa)

Coldplay (UK)

BEST HIP-HOP

9ice (Nigeria)

HHP (South Africa)

Professor Jay (Tanzania)

Lil Wayne (USA)

The Game (USA)

BEST R&B

P-Square (Nigeria)

Akon (Senegal / USA)

Loyiso (South Africa)

Alicia Keys (USA)

Rihanna (USA)

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Asa (Nigeria)

D’Banj (Nigeria)

P-Square (Nigeria)

HHP (South Africa)

Seether (South Africa)

BEST NEW ACT

Kwaw Kese (Ghana)

Wahu (Kenya)

9ice (Nigeria)

Naeto C (Nigeria)

Da L.E.S. (South Africa)

BEST VIDEO

Movaizhaleine (Gabon) – Nous

Ikechukwu (Nigeria) – Wind Am Well

P-Square (Nigeria) – Roll It

Freshlyground (South Africa) – Pot Belly

Pro Kid (South Africa) – Uthini Ngo Pro

The winners of the MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain will be unveiled at The Velodrome, Abuja, on Saturday, 22 November 2008 and broadcast on MTV base (DStv Channel 322, GTV), partner networks and terrestrial channels RTGA (Democratic Republic of the Congo), TV3 (Ghana), NTV (Kenya), AIT (Nigeria), STV (Nigeria), TBC (Tanzania) and WBS (Uganda), from 29 November 2008.

London, Oct 8 (IANS) After working with Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, Coldplay are eager to work with Beyonce Knowles.

The group has finished working on a song with Minogue, but it won’t feature on their forthcoming ‘Lost’ EP (extended play) because it is not ready for release, reports ananova.com. Guitarist Jonny Buckland said: ‘The Minogue song won’t be on the (forthcoming ‘Lost’) EP as it’s still not finished.’ He added: ‘We’d like to do something with Beyonce too. She’s a fantastic pop diva.’

The band bagged best act and best album trophy at the recently concluded Q Awards.

Coldplay have confirmed thanks to Anchorman via Coldplay.com the release date of both the Prospekt's March EP and the special version of the album containing the EP's eight tracks, which will be called Viva La Vida Prospekt’s March Edition.

The dates are as follows (the EP and the album are released on the same day in each country)...

Wednesday 19th November - Japan, Sweden (digitally on 21st)

Friday 21st November - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Norway, South Africa

Saturday 22nd November - Australia

Monday 24th November - UK, rest of the world

Tuesday 25th November - USA, Canada, Spain

The Lost! digital bundle will still be released on November 10th worldwide. The tracklisting for that is as follows...

1. Lost! (album version)

2. Lost? (acoustic version)

3. Lost@ (live at Chicago)

4. Lost+ (with added Jay-Z)

This fall, Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida' World Tour returns to North America and they have partnered with Oxfam in their fight against many global issues. Here is your chance to join other Coldplay fans in standing up to poverty, hunger, and social injustice.

Bid now on pairs of VIP tickets to the upcoming shows here and read the feedback from previous buyers here [thanks JR1015]

Did you know...

- 40% of the people on our planet--more than 2.5 billion--now live in poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2 a day. They bear the brunt of global crises such as rising food costs and climate change.

- Many poor people spend up to 80% of their income on food, and now food prices are rising? The prices for many staples like bread and soybeans have already doubled in many countries.

- More than 1,000 Oxfam volunteers across America have worked at Coldplay shows, introducing more than 100,000 Coldplay fans to Oxfam’s work?

Climate change hits poor people first and worst: those in developing countries are 20 times more likely to be affected by weather-related disasters?

For more info:

www.coldplay.com

www.oxfamamerica.org/whatyoucando/act_now/music

Terms:

Item can not be resold. Tickets will be left at will call day of show. Seat location will not be determined until show day but will be premium location.

This just in from Coldplay.com:

Good morning. We have a few upcoming television performances to tell our UK-based readers about. They are as follows...

Tonight: Performance on Later with Jools Holland on BBC2 at 10pm (2 songs)

Oct 10th: Performance on Later with Jools Holland on BBC2 at 10.10pm (more than 2 songs)

Nov 13th - Performance of Lost! on 4Music, time tbc (repeated on Channel 4's T4 on Nov 15th and 16th)

Nov 20th - Coldplay Special on 4Music, time tbc (repeated on Channel 4's T4 on Nov 23rd and 28th)

Anchorman

Girls Aloud have responded after Coldplay frontman Chris Martin [pictured] revealed that he had been trying to write the girl group a song, report Gigwise today. In April, Martin was quoted as saying he was “obsessed” with Girls Aloud, adding: “I've been trying to write them a song and I can't come up with anything good enough.”

The girl group have now challenged Martin, who revealed recently that he had worked with Kylie Minogue, to complete the song. “Well he better keep workin on a song, then, hadn't he? Pen a bit harder,” Nicola Roberts told the Observer newspaper.

Martin also spoke about Girls Aloud when the band collected two prizes at the Q Awards in London yesterday. “Well this is fucking awesome. It’s like doing a wedding speech because everyone here is our friend,” he told the audience. “I’ve got so much to say I’ll probably bore your pants off, which would be no bad thing if you were Girls Aloud.”