Long Live Life

ROTFL The Chris/ Guy relationship has been one of the most speculated for a while now. Indeed Guy does look very bored with the whole thing - it just looks like he's not having fun anymore, and there's that YouTube clip where he leaves stage and for a whole song. I guess it's wrong of us speculate about people we don't actually know. We think we do, but all we have to go on is how they come across to us - i.e. their public persona. It may be very different to who they are as people - after all , they are performers. Having said that, my vote goes to Chris in a fight between the two. He's not someone I'd want to be in conflict with, because he's such an immensley driven individual he could easily overpower someone stronger than him through sheer willpopwer. Guy comes across as rather prissy and I don't think he'd stand a chance in a fight with Chris. He'd be too worried about messing up his hair. ;)

I'd like to see something really different - just as VLV (song) was when it came out! "Coldplay don't do strings!" "Well they do now, and its amazing!" I'd like to see some sort of dabble with rock-opera, kind of like Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Chris has the voice to pull it off, and Will & co are more than capable of harmonising in the chorus.

Great News! Some great news! Finally some newsworthy Coldplay news! I enjoyed last year's with Muse headlining (and who can forget them playing with U2's The Edge?) and the PSB performing VLV. This looks set to be a great year for Glastonbury (2 of my favourite bands again - Coldplay and U2)

In Hollywood the term is known as 'bearding'.

The news is shocking but should have remained private. Tabloids have no respect for people's private lives. It appears however to be not a valid news story, the house is on the market: his parents are downsizing http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Rock-star-s-early-home-sale/article-2579015-detail/article.html is it any wonder Chris hates the tabloids?

Must be the antique shop then! :)

Many of us has speculated that the "Guy's Old Photos" competition is the artwork for Apparatjik - but here are some other suggestions! - The background for his antiques shop. He no longer wants a rock and roll lifestyle and is opening an antiques shop in the Cotswolds. It will sell Four Candles and be situated in the town of Chipping Norton - both for its track record for hosting antiques shops for retired celebrities, and so he can have a natter with Jeremy Clarkeson about fast cars. Who will be Mrs. Overall? :) (see: Acorn Antiques!) - More seriously - none of us have considered that the artwork for LP5 will be done by Guy given his love of photography. We all know EMI are looking to cut costs and what better way for Guy to express his creative side for the next album by designing the cover and artwork? Could this be what he is up to? Looking for old, wartime-era photographs may just fit the background of the White Rose movement Chris mentioned.

ok move it!

I agree with everything you say. Chris is phenomenally intelligent and a fanstastic songwriter. The question was - why does background matter so much in the UK still, when it clearly does not in the US? And secondly, is it true great musicians are being turned away for not having a good CV - on a subject matter completely unrelated to music? We get so much wrong in the UK; judging people based on pre-conceived ideas based on their backgroud and class is one of them.

A recent BBC article asks if UK Pop has gone too "posh": http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9373000/9373158.stm "The majority of pop musicians are now privately educated, or went to stage school, according to Word magazine. Does the rise of Lily Allen, Florence Welch, Chris Martin and the like spell the end of working class pop?" Pete Watermann ('80s pop producer) says : "This has been a gripe I've had for over 20 years, and particularly right now. It's never been worse," he says. "The major companies dominate and they see a CV and if you haven't got 96 O levels you ain't getting a job." Even James Blunt's mother (bless!) has got in on the story, complaining of the abuse her son receives in the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12308068 In an e-mail to the programme, Mrs Blount said: "I was most interested to hear Pete Waterman's thoughts on public school rock stars. "His attitude is reflected by most of the critics in the UK. My son James Blunt, who is hugely appreciated worldwide, receives harsh criticism here and we have, rather sadly, been aware that it is because of his background. "We are relieved that on the whole James's fanbase take no notice of the critics." She went on to say that his latest album, Stay the Night, "is doing so well around the world". This story illustrates that even in the 21st century, the UK is still obsessed with class and backgrounds. This affects people's attitudes towards Coldplay too - there are many in the UK out there who don't like them because of their "middle class" background or perceived "poshness" (anyone who knows them properly knows how grounded the band are). What about Pete Watermann's remarks? Is what he is saying about the music industry true though about qualifications on CVs being a pre-requisite nowadays to being seen by a record label? Or is he just talking rubbish?

Yes.. a teenager not Chris after all http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12302362 At least the US authorities gave him an opportunity to remove it... I suspect in the UK they would have just gone for prosecution

Up until last December I would have dismissed this as the collective Coldplaying "let's beat up on Guy" syndrome! Then at TOTP I saw his sulky performance first hand: his storming off without saying hi to anyone (unlike the other 3) and his not bowing to the audience either. The "bad vibes" Chris was referring to? And whilst Chris has proved himself more than capable of fighting on a number of occassions, the mind boggles to think of Guy doing so!

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12283835 :)

Tux & Trainers? LOL - I can just see it now, rather like David Tennant as the 10th Doctor Who:

Nerves makes for bad singing? When Chris gets it right, he's right up there with best all time singers! His voice is amazing. Increasingly though live Chris seems very nervous and his voice does suffer. I was really suprised with the take they used on TOTP Christmas special - where I thought the take they used sounded awful (very nervous, often out of key). I never thought I'd write this but Gary Barlow is consistently good live, far more than Chris.

Doesn't have to be electronic for space-inspired. Operatic or electric guitar is just as space-inspired.

Remember back in 2010 when Chris asked Roadie 42 to build him a "solar system": http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=619 Have we missed a trick here? Chris mentioned a concept album - and I remember around that time there was speculation this was for inspiration for the next album Chris has always showed an interest in science- "The Speed of Sound", "The Scientist" obvious track titles (but not much science) I know, but we know he has a keen interest in science-fiction - he's often been spotted in his Back To The Future T-shirt, and I remember reading a few years ago that Chris was a Doctor Who fan as well. More recently the Oracle did answer a question on it: http://www.coldplay.com/mobile/oracledetail.php?id=1854&page=0 So could the next album be space related (and operatic?) Or would it be seen as too Muse-y? I think a Coldplay space-inspired album could be great!

Crisis gig – Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool 19th December, 2010 Coldplay played Liverpool in the first of two intimate 'hidden gigs' that they are performing over Christmas to raise money for homeless charity Crisis and highlight the plight of homeless people especially at Christmas No new songs were played (except for Christmas Lights) - you can see the setlist below. Gary Barlow (Take That) and Peter Kay joined Coldplay on the stage for a rendition of Back For Good: Crisis Gig – Tyne Theatre, Newcastle 20th December, 2010 Coldplay played in Newcastle for the second of two intimate 'hidden gigs' that they are performing over Christmas to raise money for homeless charity Crisis and highlight the plight of homeless people especially at Christmas. No new songs were played (except for Christmas Lights again) - you can see the setlist below. Coldplay added Lovers In Japan to the setlist and removed the previous night's Back For Good (since Gary Barlow wasn't there). Setlist Yellow Lost! God Put A Smile Upon Your Face Cemeteries of London Trouble Glass Of Water Til Kingdom Come Shiver In My Place Lovers In Japan Death And All His Friends Clocks Viva La Vida Fix You ------------ Politik The Scientist Christmas Lights Coldplay’s December gigs raise £250,000 for charity 22nd December, 2010 Ticket sales for Coldplays December charity gigs during December raised nearly £250,000 for the homelessness charity Crisis, it has been announced today. Coldplay played two Crisis Hidden Gigs earlier this week on December 19 and 20 and tickets for the concerts in Liverpool and Newcastle sold out within eight minutes. Coldplay agreed to play their only live British performances of 2010 in aid of Crisis, as a step to raising awareness of the situation facing thousands of homeless people hidden out of sight on floors or sofas, in substandard bed and breakfasts, and hostels. Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: "The incredible £238,645 raised by Coldplay fans will help us to support the thousands of hidden homeless people, who are all too often forgotten, especially at Christmas which can be a particularly lonely and isolating time." The Coldplay hidden gigs took place on December 19 and 20 respectively. The band’s appearances at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre and The Journal Tyne Arena in Newcastle, included special guest appearances from Peter Kay, Gary Barlow and Ant and Dec. The gigs also featured Coldplay’s first live performance of their Christmas single, Christmas Lights. Chris Martin snubs aftershow party to dine with homeless choir 23rd December 2010 The following story indicates why I love the band – they have always been genuine in helping good causes, and did so before they became famous. Much of the negative press about Chris and the band regarding his charity work is without any basis – anyone who knows him always say how much he cares deeply for others and how un-starry he is. This story illustrates it perfectly: Chris Martin snubbed an after-show party following a Coldplay charity gig on Monday night, instead choosing to dine with a group of homeless singers, it has been revealed. The band played the show at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool last Sunday to raise awareness of men and women living on the streets in Britain. They performed with a choir made up of the homeless - and Chris chose to eat with them after the concert rather than attend the official after-show meal. A source tells Britain's Daily Star, "Chris had a load of homeless people singing in a choir for his gig and he thought they were so amazing he wanted to hang out with them after. He went backstage, snubbed his celeb dinner and ordered 12 giant pizzas and 25 bags of chips for them all to eat. His security were desperately trying to get him to leave and go back to his dressing room, but he was having none of it." I’ll finish the review of December not with my own words but with those of someone I met on the boat trip for the filming of the Christmas Lights video. As with all Coldplay’s music, I’ve met some really great people at their gigs and Coldplay related events. The boat trip was no exception. This post is not only my vote for post of the year, but sums up the true spirit of Christmas, and also why I love the band Coldplay: (it is in response to the following quote from Luke Lewis from NME) “"Christmasiness" is a precious and evanescent thing. People spend the whole of December stumbling round in a mulled wine-blurred trance, saying to each other: "Do you feel Christmassy yet?" "I don't know, do you?" What Christmassiness most definitely isn't, is a commodity that can be hammered into the ground for weeks on end. It's a fleeting thing, to be savoured for a few days, max. Preferably when you've finished work/uni/school and you're back home, sprawled on the sofa, watching Scrooged. Any earlier than December 20 and you're ruining it.” Happy New Year everyone!

December proved to be arguably the busiest month of 2010 for Coldplay and its fans with the release of a new single, Christmas Lights: the first since Strawberry Swing, back in September 2009; two live ‘secret’ gigs for the charity Crisis; a performance on the BBC’s Top of the Pops Christmas special; an Oscar nomination shortlist for Chris; and a New Years Eve gig in Las Vegas. Chris & Jonny Give Radio Interviews: 1st December 2010 To launch the release of Christmas lights at 8pm, Chris and Jonny gave interviews with BBC radio 1 and XFM. From the Radio 1 interview: Coldplay have said there were "bad vibes" within the band as they concluded their 2009 Viva La Vida world tour. Speaking to Radio 1's Zane Lowe lead singer Chris Martin said: "When we came back from America last time we had some bad stuff happening in our group." He went on to add that the band are currently working on songs for their as yet untitled fifth album in 2011. "We're going for it. We regard this as our last big shot," he said. "We had a lot of songs and we cut a lot of songs. It's quite brutal - especially if you're the person which brings the songs. Now we're close to what the album might be." Chris Martin and guitarist Johnny Buckland were speaking as they released new single Christmas Lights on iTunes (1 December). Talking about the song Martin said: "We had to pluck up a lot of courage but the problem is that we really like it so that's why we had to put it out. "Not to be arrogant - it's not our worst song." Chris Martin joked that the song was the "end of our career". [ame= ] [/ame] Christmas Lights gets its Worldwide Release to Positive Reviews: 2nd December 2010 Digesting the reviews from the release of Christmas Lights the following day: The Telegraph were the first media source to review the new single. They positively wrote: "But the big one is surely Coldplay’s much anticipated return with “Christmas Lights” (which will be released on iTunes today at 8pm). If anyone can craft an old fashioned Christmas anthem, it’s Chris Martin, and he is taking no prisoners. Like The Killers offering, the mood is caught between doubt and reverie, but when the chorus gets going it brings to mind the ageless folkiness of Paul McCartney’s Mull Of Kintyre. “May all your troubles soon be gone,” sings Martin, to ringing pianos and swooning strings... “Oh Christmas lights, keep shining on.” It may be formulaic and sentimental, but it has a real warmth and spirit to it, a kind of log fire singalong quality that makes it first real contender for Christmas classic status that I have heard in many years. It is, in keeping with the spirit of the age, a strictly non secular Christmas record. The band perform in a theatre, beneath the Latin inscription, Credo Elvem Etiam Vivere… which translates as I Believe Elvis Lives. The American Songwriter website wrote: While a recent study shows that the least amount of breakups occur on Christmas, a December 25 split is the subject of Coldplay’s new holiday song. “Christmas Lights” follows a freshly-single narrator remembering the reason for the season by going to Oxford Street, London’s largest shopping district. Spoiler alert: there is no solace to be found in shop windows, because “when you’re still waiting for the snow to fall, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all.” The video features the band performing in front of a vaguely Méliès/Smashing Pumpkins/The Mighty Boosh-like backdrop of the moon. Violin-playing Elvis impersonators sashay across a velvet-curtained stage, and the morose lyrics are counterbalanced by large quantities of confetti, balloons, and pyrotechnics. Considering that Martin sings “Got all kinds of poison in my blood,” we can only hope that Santa doesn’t bring young Apple and Moses any toys with lead-based paints. Meanwhile, Just Jared, the website that was one of the first to capture photos of Coldplay recording the video and also the people on the Erasmus boat, said: "We adore everything about this video — from the colorful piano to the the “waves” and the balloons to fireworks! 'Still waiting for the snow to fall,” Chris Martin croons. “It doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all.'" Coldplay and Nokia Help Raise Money for Crisis with Secret Gigs 3rd December 2010 Nokia offered fans the opportunity to win tickets to see Coldplay live in Liverpool on 19th December, and Newcastle on 20th December, by raising money for homeless charity Crisis: Nokia and Crisis are challenging you this Christmas to rally your friends and family to raise money for Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people and in return, Nokia will award the top 12 fundraisers with a pair of tickets to see Coldplay at one of the sold out Crisis Hidden Gigs in either Liverpool on the 19th December or Newcastle on the 20th December. All proceeds raised will go to Crisis. You have 11 days from Friday, 3rd December 2010 to raise as much money as you can for Crisis through the Virgin Money Giving event page and work your Christmas socks off to get into the top 12 fundraisers by the closing date on Monday, 13th December. Coldplay Perform Christmas Lights on Top of the Pops, BBC Studios, London 8th December 2010 Coldplay topped the bill for this year's Christmas Top Of The Pops with a one-off performance of their festive single, Christmas Lights, which was broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day. The BBC audience included Coldplayers from the forum who were lucky enough not only to get tickets but to listen to Coldplay performing Christmas Lights four times. Here are some of their reviews...

Here is the video of the Newcastle gig - VLV: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5YmaGUFi4E]YouTube - Viva La Vida Coldplay Crisis Gig Newcastle December 2010[/ame] Listen to the words "word" (nervous), "eyes" and "dice " - out of tune/ strained. "Held the key..." sounds really strained too.

Angie Great review for the month of March. You get my vote for best photoblog of the year with the story of meeting the band and the mini cars travelling with you (and the story behind them).

I was suprised watching TOTP that they used what I thought was the worst take of the 4 for Chris' singing for Christmas lights......he seemed nervous and out of tune for a lot of the song. Then I took a look at the live performances in Liverpool and Newcastle. In Newcastle in particular I thought the same, very nervous and much different to his studio voice. I had thought that his voice had gone towards the end of the VLV tour as VLV (the song) in particular he always sounded the same. Is Chris just nervous having been in the studio so long, or is something going on with his voice? I hope it's the former

Jacket Guy was the one wearing a military Jacket - that looked Viva-esque (but more like something from the Disney Parade than Viva La Viva) Not a reference to Guy Berryman! :)

Pot and kettles spring to mind here Pete. I remember you arranging a meet in London a while back and then failing to show up yourself. It's a bit rich you had nothing but bitchiness towards Coldplay's HQ and then did something far worse on here IMO

Sounds like Chris has excellent taste to me! :P