Coldplay
from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
Coldplay, a London-based band, never intended to become England's favorite rock & roll band when their signature rock melodies ruled the charts throughout 2000. Now, they are considered as one of the world's top bands and achieved great success with their singles, such as Yellow, Speed of Sound and the Grammy-winner "Clocks". The Brit-rock quartet is composed of Chris Martin (vocals/piano/guitars), Jonny Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums), and Guy Berryman (bass).
Contents |
About
It all started in 1996 when they are attending college at the University College of London. Lead guitarist Jonny Buckland and vocalist, Chris Martin had been working on songs since they met, but Will Champion and Guy Berryman hadn't really been around much until bassist, Guy Berryman dropped out of engineering school. The other two stuck with their studies, while pursuing music.
The band was formed on January 8, 1998. They played their first gig at a Cuban Café, a festival for unsigned bands called "In The City" in Manchester. During their gig in Manchester, they have written six songs including Don't Panic and High Speed – which can now be found on their album, Parachutes. They soon released 500 copies of an EP called Safety which was financed by their former manager, Phil, and released the single "Brothers And Sisters" on a small English label called Fierce Panda.
After completing their final examination in Spring 1999, Coldplay landed a recording contract with Parlophone Records. They recorded their third EP entitled The Blue Room, which were released in October with 5000 copies available for the public. This album received a very positive coverage from the music media.
In November 1999, after releasing three EPs without a hit song, Coldplay focused on their debut album, Parachutes. They scored their first top 40 single, Shiver which was released on March 2000 where the single placed at #35 and earned them their first airplay on MTV. More notably, the band released the breakthrough single Yellow that shot #4 on the UK singles chart and soon became a worldwide hit single.
On October 2001, they returned to the studio to record A Rush Of Blood To The Head, which is their second album. It was released on August 2002 where the album was considered generally to be more sophisticated than Parachutes. Their second album became a best-seller and earned them more critical accolades. The popular singles included in this album are, In My Place, The Scientist and Clocks.
Their recent album, X&Y was released on June 6, 2005 designed to be the record that elevates Coldplay to the major leagues. Tracks included are Fix You, Talk and Speed of Sound. According to Chris Martin, the title of the album was based on the ups and downs of his everyday life. There is also a single written for Johnny Cash but wasn't able to record it because he passed away. This album also became Coldplay's first US chart-topper and the best selling album worldwide in 2005 according to IFPI.
Coldplay secured a permanent position in Britain's music industry by writing beautiful, simple songs that gently pulled at the heartstrings of a nation.
Band Members
- Chris Martin -- vocals/piano/guitar
- Will Champion-- drums
- Jonny Buckland -- guitar
- Guy Berryman -- bass
Chris Martin
Coldplay's lead singer, guitarist and pianist, Chris Martin, grew up in a close family from Devon, England. In fact, he still lives at home, where he started playing the piano at an early age. He is the eldest of five kids raised by his mother who’s a teacher and his father, an accountant. He is an over-achiever and self-proclaimed worrier, which is typical of the first-born. He rarely drinks, never smokes, a shy product of boarding school and has been in bands since the age of 15.
Will Champion
Will Champion, loves to play the guitar but was persuaded to become Coldplay's drummer so the band could play their first gig at a Cuban Cafe in Manchester in late 1998. People describe him as calm,reliable and enthusiastic. He never played the drums before but being so musically inclined, he caught on very quickly.
Jonny Buckland
Lead guitarist Jonny Buckland was born in London, but his family relocated to Mold, North Wales when he was just four. Jonny first picked up a guitar at a young age of 11, encouraged by his older brother. When he discovered The Stone Roses he started taking the guitar seriously. They often describe him as shy and nonchalant, but he argues with it, he's just happy to be quiet.
Guy Berryman
Guy Berryman was born in Scotland, but his family later moved to Kent, England. At the tender age of 13, he started playing bass inspired by a love of rare groove and funk records. His teacher parents encouraged him to learn to play a variety of instruments including guitar, bass, piano and the tin whistle.
Awards
| Year | Award | Album | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Brit Awards | Parachutes | Best British Album |
| 2001 | NME Awards | Parachutes | Best Single for "Yellow" |
| 2002 | Grammy Awards | Parachutes | Best Alternative Music Album |
| 2003 | Grammy Awards | A Rush Of Blood To The Head | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for the single "In My Place" |
| 2003 | Grammy Awards | A Rush Of Blood To The Head | Best Alternative Music Album |
| 2003 | Brit Awards | A Rush Of Blood To The Head | Best British Album |
| 2004 | Grammy Awards | A Rush Of Blood To The Head | Record of the Year for the single "Clocks" |
| 2005 | Q Magazine | X&Y | Album of the Year |
| 2005 | MSN Music Download Awards | X&Y | Best Album |
| 2006 | Brit Awards | X&Y | Best British Album |
| 2006 | Juno Awards | X&Y | International Album of the Year |
Nominations
| Year | Award | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mercury Music Prize | Parachutes |
| 2003 | Mercury Music Prize | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2005 | Mercury Music Prize | X&Y |
| 2005 | Q Awards for 'Best Album' | X&Y |
| 2005 | MTV Europe Music Awards for 'Best Album' | X&Y |
| 2006 | Grammy Awards for 'Best Rock Album' | X&Y |
| 2006 | MTV Australia Video Music Awards for 'Album of the Year' | X&Y |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | UK Singles | US Modern Rock | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Brothers & Sisters | 107 | ~ | Brothers & Sisters EP |
| 2000 | Shiver | 35 | 26 | Parachutes |
| 2000 | Yellow | 4 | 6 | Parachutes |
| 2000 | Trouble | 10 | 28 | Parachutes |
| 2001 | Don't Panic | 130 | ~ | Parachutes |
| 2002 | In My Place | 2 | 17 | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2002 | The Scientist | 10 | 18 | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2003 | Clocks | 9 | 9 | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2005 | Speed of Sound | 2 | 5 | X&Y |
| 2005 | Fix You | 4 | 18 | X&Y |
| 2005 | Talk | 10 | 5 | X&Y |
News
Vocalist, Chris Martin hinted that their next album might be a "fast, dark and heavy" affair "with no pianos." He also mentioned that it will be the greatest piece of music ever.
The band already have songs written for the album. Chris added that he just feel so motivated and he still don't think they've written the best song ever.
Tours and Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules.
Announcements
Coldplay has announced that their two upcoming shows in Toronto will be released in DVD. They also announced that five lucky fans will get the chance to film the show themselves and have it footage included on the DVD.
Discography
Coldplay emerged from the late 90's BritPop scene to become one of the worlds most revered rock bands. By the release of their third full-length album they were already being compared to the likes of U2.
Albums
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Singles
| Date | Title | Label | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Brothers and Sisters | Fierce Panda | Brothers & Sisters EP |
| 2000 | Shiver | Parlophone | Parachutes |
| 2000 | Yellow | Parlophone | Parachutes |
| 2000 | Trouble | Parlophone | Parachutes |
| 2002 | In My Place | Parlophone | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2002 | The Scientist | Parlophone | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2003 | Clocks | Parlophone | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2003 | God Put A Smile Upon Your Face | Parlophone | A Rush Of Blood To The Head |
| 2005 | Speed of Sound | EMI, Parlophone, Capitol | X&Y |
| 2005 | Fix You | EMI, Parlophone, Capitol | X&Y |
| 2005 | Talk | EMI, Parlophone, Capitol | X&Y |
Live Releases
 |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Reviews
Trivia
- Actively supports many social and political issues.
- Lead singer, Chris Martin, is a strong democrat.
- Loves to perform at charity concerts.
- The band share the profits equally.
- Chris Martin appears as a zombie in the 2004 horror comedy film Shaun Of the Dead.
- Refuse to sell their songs to be used in product ads, yet allow them to be used in film, televison and promotional spot.
- Before turned into a band, frontman Chris Martin had considered to form a boyband called Pectoralz.
- The band often made silly videos to be put on their official site.
- All personnel are not allowed to use drugs.
- The name "Coldplay" was originally given by a friend who thought that it was too depressing.
- Album Parachutes (2000) was criticized due to its similarity to Radiohead's music.
- Released a new song and music video on their official site due to the birth of frontman's daughter.
