Coldplay unveil Princess of China artwork and single details

Coldplay have unveiled the artwork for their latest single, Princess of China, along with providing more details concerning the upcoming release. From the official website...

Good afternoon. As many of you will know, the fourth single to be taken from Mylo Xyloto will be Princess Of China, featuring Rihanna. In the UK, the single will be available as a digital bundle, featuring a remix by the Invisible Men, from 4 June. The song has been added to the playlists of the big UK radio stations from this week and the video, which was directed by Adria Petty and Alan Bibby, is due to premiere soon.

In addition, a behind the scenes film from the Princess of China video shoot has emerged online. Originally posted by VEVO, the film has recently been taken down. But you can watch a re-uploaded version below.

'Radiohead are better than us' says Jonny Buckland in interview with the New Zealand Herald

From nzherald.co.nz

As Coldplay prepare to bring their world tour to Auckland, Scott Kara catches up with guitarist Jonny Buckland to talk about life in one of the world's biggest bands.

It's taken a few years to get used to it but Coldplay are now feeling entirely comfortable being one of the world's biggest bands.

"Generally, we're much more at ease with ourselves and with what we do than we ever have been," says guitarist Jonny Buckland on the phone from New York where they are about to play Radio City Music Hall as part of an extended global jaunt which brings them to New Zealand in November.

And, he adds with a satisfied and cheeky chuckle: "We're less likely to listen to the people who don't like us anymore."

These days there is no denying their pulling power as one of music's few stadium-sized drawcards. Not only are they playing bigger shows than ever, but they have collaborated with the likes of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, and R&B superstar Rihanna features on Princess of China off latest album Mylo Xyloto.

They may have had humble musical beginnings, and grew out of the Britrock movement of the 90s, but Coldplay went on to supersede bands such as Radiohead, and become a global music phenomenon.

Still, ask Buckland who is the better band out of Radiohead and Coldplay he is adamant: "Radiohead.

No, I mean really, they are. They are great."

Which is hardly surprising considering along with U2 and Scottish band Travis, the Thom Yorke-led group were a big influence on Coldplay around the time Buckland started the band with frontman Chris Martin in London in 1996.

The recently acquired confidence that he talks about also comes through on Mylo, which includes singles Every Teardrop is a Waterfalland Paradise, and is the backbone of the current stadium tour.

"The idea was to make the most visual album we'd ever made, to think of it visually, so every song had a place and almost filmic quality. So it is more of a sort of conceptual album, and all that sort of rubbish," he laughs.

And when it came time to take Mylo on the road the band wanted to make the shows as "interactive" as possible (see sidebar for concert details).

"'Interactive' is a horrible word," says Buckland, "but when you go to see it, it feels like you are part of something. You're not just going to look at four idiots up on stage, you really feel like you're stepping into something, like you're in something."

Coldplay return to New Zealand for their fourth visit - they were last here in March 2009 for two shows at Vector Arena - on November 10 for what is likely to be the biggest show of the summer.

They started touring in June last year and haven't let up since, with a constant stream of dates throughout this year.

"It does seem a little bit scary when you first look at it," says Buckland. "But once you start doing it it's great because we genuinely love touring, travelling, and playing - you know, it's a good life."

However, rewind to the mid-2000s and it was not as rosy as it is today.

As Coldplay became the new U2, Chris Martin became the new Bono - a rock star given to good causes and living a seemingly perfect life with his movie star missus and kids.

Also around this time, all was not well in the Coldplay ranks.

Though the polite London chaps were not exactly throwing instruments at each other in the recording studio, they were not having much fun making music.

Following 2002's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and songs such as In My Place and Clocks, they were contenders for the world's biggest band, but, come time to record follow-up X&Y, they were at a loss.

"It was the hardest album to make," remembers Buckland. "We didn't really enjoy being in the studio. We were really happy with some of the songs that came out of it, but we didn't really quite know what we wanted to be."

And X&Y was no match for their previous records. Still, with songs like the rousing Speed of Sound and the tenderness of Fix You, they survived the backlash and the album went on to sell more than 8 million copies - 75,000 of those in New Zealand.

However, the real turning point for the band came when they set up their own studio to record next album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends.

"We hadn't had our own space since playing in my bedroom in 1996," laughs Buckland. This meant they could experiment more, which was something Coldplay had never done. It turned out that they were quite good at it, and the multi-part songs and lush sonic scope of Viva La Vida showed a very different side to the band.

Though it is their least successful record to date it is their most ambitious and intriguing.

"We found our love of music again when we made that record," Buckland says. "We'd just try stuff, not worry about how much it was costing, and enjoyed being in the band again."

Martin came out the other side too, and these days his boundless energy, endearing goofiness, distinct voice, and hunched piano-hammering make him one of music's best frontmen.

The concert at Mt Smart Stadium will be their biggest New Zealand concert to date (see sidebar for the band's past NZ shows).

Following in the footsteps of U2, who played two nights at Mt Smart in 2010, it also marks Coldplay's return to the same venue where they played a mid-afternoon slot at the 2001 Big Day Out following the release of their debut album Parachutes which featured breakthrough single Yellow.

Back then, Coldplay were a quaint little band who struggled to make themselves heard at the rowdy Auckland festival.

"We've done an awful lot since then," ponders Buckland. "All our lives have changed completely. But the one constant is that we have each other and our relationship is still kind of the same really."

Buckland and Martin met each other and formed a band at University College in London, bass player Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion came on board a little later, and over the last 15 years they have grown up together.

"It's great because when ever things are bad there is always someone to pick you up. And whenever you get too full of yourself there is someone to bring you down. We just rely on each other."

The band's popularity took off with Yellow, and Parachutes was an enchanting and quietly uplifting album.

"We wanted to make, I suppose, very simple music in a way," says Buckland. "And with lots of space, and like Neil Young on Harvest, or something like that."

Then came Rush of Blood, the band's most popular record and arguably their best which set in stone the classic Coldplay sound. "We had been out on tour and realised we needed some louder songs," laughs Buckland. "So after touring, part of A Rush of Blood came from wanting to play the guitars a bit harder and hit the drums a bit harder."

And they did, with songs like Clocks, an anthem that escalates and spirals beautifully.

But possibly the album's most memorable moment is still ebbing, plaintive ballad The Scientist.

Fast forward to Mylo, and though they still sounded like Coldplay, Buckland says with producer and ambient music master Brian Eno on board again, they wanted to take their music even further.

"We thought we'd got somewhere with Viva where we thought 'it's good but we can push this further' and we went straight to work after we'd finished it on Mylo.

"We really enjoyed experimenting, spending weeks and weeks playing music without any expectation of finishing songs. Just trying new sounds, and listening to different stuff; we kind of felt free to go anywhere we wanted with it."

See the light with Coldplay

It may not be as large in scale as U2's last shows at Mt Smart Stadium, with the 360-degree staging and audience configuration, but Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto stage show will be a grand affair, with lights galore.

And you, the fans, will be a key part of the show. Every member of the audience is given a special LCD wristband on entry. The wristbands feature a plastic box with the Coldplay logo, which lights up during the concert to complete the show's state-of-art lighting display.

"We met this inventor last year who invented these lights that everyone can wear," says guitarist Jonny Buckland. "So the light show goes everywhere and we just want the show to be this very involving thing."

Judging by accounts from overseas shows, the band perform a number of tracks on a catwalk adjacent to the main stage and, similar to theViva La Vida tour from 2009, they also play on a pop-up stage at the back of each venue.

Rihanna also makes a guest appearance for her duet with Chris Martin on Princess of China, but don't get too excited, because she's beamed into the venue via video screen.

And the set-list - though it may change once they get to New Zealand in November - is generally around 20 songs, consisting of a mix of their best-known tracks and a handful off Mylo Xyloto, including a finale of Every Teardrop is a Waterfall from that album.

Past Coldplay shows in New Zealand

January 19, 2001
Intimate gig the night before Big Day Out at small Auckland venue Galatos.

January 20, 2001
Mid-afternoon set at the Big Day Out. "Pleasant though Coldplay were, the act was not one to make you go home and play their splendid album again," is how Herald reviewers described it.

August 11, 2001
St James, Auckland
"By the time they got to the multiple encores ... Coldplay left the clear impression that they are a far better, far more confident and exciting band than the one-album-wonder their earlier visit might have suggested."

July 24, 2003
Auckland Showgrounds
"Frontman Chris Martin seemed genuinely ecstatic to be here, flinging himself around the stage like a skittish puppet, and later hunching so low over the piano he almost disappeared into it. At one point he hammered the keys so passionately he had to have his hand bandaged."

March 18 and 19, 2009
Vector Arena
The band ran from the main stage to the back of the arena and into the grandstand - where they played songs including a cover of the Monkees' I'm A Believer - the sell-out audience beamed as the band showed they weren't too cool to get among them. "You can't come all the way to NZ without coming to the back of the room," said Martin. "After a 97-hour flight, you want to meet everyone."

Coldplay unveil teasers of the forthcoming Princess of China video

Coldplay, via their official Facebook page, have unveiled drawings which provide us with some idea as to scenes which are likely to feature in the forthcoming Princess of China video (see below).

We had previously been given an insight into how the video might look after the video footage of Rihanna emerged on the internet (see end of page). It was confirmed by the Oracle that this was by no means the full official video, but instead footage to be used by the band whilst playing Princess of China during shows on the tour.

Roadie #42 - Blog #170 - R42 reports back from the Hollywood Bowl and American Idol

From Coldplay.com

I’ve got to admit, there just *are* some venues in the world where you just can’t help thinking “This is fucking cool”. I tend to rebel against the more obvious prestige ones, but sometimes everyone raves about how good something is because - well, because it really is that good.

Of course those of you familiar with the Coldplay story (or more likely, familiar with the Live 2003 DVD) will know that Coldplay have played here before. It’s kind of inevitable then, that I’d sit up at the back during the load-in day and reflect on how nine years has changed things.

My memories of the Rush of Blood tour are of constantly feeling like things were getting bigger. Every few weeks we’d be looking out at an audience the size of which was difficult to comprehend. The band are now at a point where they could doubtless get bigger, but not really at anything like the exponential rate of growth we experienced back then.

This feeling can’t help but be heightened by re-visiting venues that now feel quite familiar. There’s nothing like flying thousands of miles and walking into a venue thinking “oh yeah, when we were here the time before last, I had to go out and buy shoes at that place two blocks away” to make you wonder if perhaps you’ve been doing this just a little too long…

When we came to do American Idol though (squashed in-between the second and third shows at Hollywood Bowl) it began to dawn on me. It’s all tied to something I mentioned a blog or two ago. When you’re doing TV shows, you can’t see or really even imagine the true magnitude of the audience. We’ve done bigger and bigger TV shows on this campaign each few months - it just hasn’t necessarily felt like it…

The final of X-Factor, in the UK was a massive deal. On the day though, it was an arena that we’d played in before - and one that felt much smaller due to the huge set, at that. American Idol was a moderately sized TV studio and we were barely even there half a day. Personally speaking, I wasn’t even *in* the studio for more than ten minutes total in the whole day.

All of the touring and video gear for Idol (which my rig ended up being a part of) was set up outside, in the parking lot under the glorious California sunshine. I didn’t even see the crowd in the studio, let alone the 22 million watching at home. I remember at Live 8, being told that the crowd in attendance on the day in London was approaching a quarter of a million. I remember standing on the front edge of the stage just before things got underway, looking out and trying to take it in.

I thought to myself if I could imagine the same number of people as were in front of me being to my left, right and behind me too, I could get a mental picture of what being in a crowd of a million would look like. Inevitably, the cliched truth that “once a crowd gets past a certain size, it doesn’t really look that much different” made it a pointless exercise.

What I’m trying to get at, is that imagining an audience of 22 million is pretty much beyond the scope of my imagination - particularly when the day’s filming essentially consisted of standing in a parking lot looking at a tiny screen for half an hour and then going back to the hotel.

Despite this though, the band’s penetration and profile has continued to rise just as it did back when we were at the Hollywood Bowl the first time. Maybe it felt more exciting to me back then because I’d always dreamed of big tours, huge crowds, trucks, lights and all the associated touring-circus that successful bands meant. Perhaps if I’d dreamt of Hollywood studios and broadcast infrastructure, this would all feel different. I’ve a suspicion though that no matter what, it’s pretty much impossible for a crowd of folks in front of you cheering to not make an immediate and tangible impression.

I remember as a crew, we were mostly new to touring at that level when we first visited the Bowl in 2003. We would scoff at what we saw as unnecessary “bigness”. American crews (who *were* used to touring at that level) would often be a particular source of amusement. We’d often point and laugh at massively oversized flight-cases, everyone bustling around with a radio on and “needlessly complicated” gear setups.

Now of course, we roll in with flight-cases the size of which would’ve horrified us back then. We all wear radios (well ok, *I* still rarely do, but only because I know I’ll lose it inside a day). Our setup is now sprawling enough to have had us shaking our heads into a neck-brace ten years ago.

We’ve all finally learnt that the people we laughed at were doing it that way for a reason: because it just makes sense at this level - it lets you do a better job.

To put it another way, you can dig over a field with a shovel, but after your first one, you’ll probably start thinking about a tractor.

Which brings me back to being at the Hollywood Bowl just shy of ten years later. The band in 2003 were stripped down and very reluctant to indulge in “gimmicks”. There was a feeling that purity and authenticity were very important, that big production and “showbiz” were to be disapproved of - a bit like having a workbox the size of a freezer, or always having a radio on…

But we’ve all dug a good few acres since then.

Putting on a show, of course, is still about getting the songs across - communicating an emotion, being true to the music. All of that though, is served well by using every tool at your disposal to enhance the impact. The emotions transmitted from the stage aren’t masked by a production that makes people gasp. If it’s done the right way, the emotions are heightened and the gasps made deeper - the memories taken home made stronger.

I forget who it was that was standing looking across the stage with me on the first afternoon shaking their heads. “We’ve really got a lot of stuff now, compared to back then” was the thrust of the conversation.

“Yes, but imagine if we’d come along ten years later with exactly the same setup, the band in the same clothes, playing exactly the same kind of songs. What kind of progress would that be? We’d have been better giving up in 2003 and leaving it at that”.

I’m glad I’m still here. And I’m glad that things are evolving. What they’ve become and what they’re now capable of I couldn’t have even imagined back then. I can’t tell you which is better between then and now. Possibly because both are very special indeed…

R42

Emirates Stadium Coldplay show to be broadcast live on Absolute Radio

Absolute Radio have announced this morning on the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show that Coldplay's first date at the Emirates Stadium, on June 1st, will be broadcast on the station.

Geoff Lloyd's Hometime Show will be backstage to bring Coldplay fans the live and uninterrupted stream.

Absolute will be giving away tickets for the concert throughout this week.

The radio station celebrated the news by playing a rare recording of God Put A Smile Upon Your Face/Talk live from Munich in 2008 and by holding a phone-in Coldplay karaoke in which a number of so-called Coldplay fans struggled their way through the hits on air!

Fore more information visit Absolute Radio

Rita Ora describes Coldplay support slot as "a huge opportunity"

From Capital FM

The 'R.I.P.' star promises to put on a big show when she joins the band on the road this summer.

Rita Ora has said it feels like a "huge opportunity" to be supporting Coldplay on their upcoming UK tour.

The 'R.I.P.' singer, who is currently at number one on the Vodafone Big Top 40, said she couldn't wait to join the band at select dates this summer.

She told Capital FM: "First I'm thinking how am I going to play at all those arenas because they're huge. I'm so excited. I'm happy to even be a part of it."

Rita said that she was looking forward to making an impression on Coldplay's fans, adding: "It's such a huge, huge opportunity. I'm going to have so much fun with it and definitely put a show on."

The European leg of Coldplay's world tour will also see them supported by the likes of Charli XCX, Robyn and Marina and the Diamonds.

Listen to Rita Ora speaking to Capital FM by clicking here.

Chris Martin a 'big influence' on new Tinie Tempah album according to rapper

From NME.com

Tinie Tempah has given an update on his progress in recording his second studio album and has revealed that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has been "a big influence" on the record.

Speaking about the album in this week's NME, the rapper said that his new record has a "progressive quality" and features a number of high-profile guests.

Asked if Dizzee Rascal and the Coldplay feature on the follow-up to 'Disc-Overy', Tinie replied: "Everybody who I've said before and who you've mentioned I've been in with, whether they've vocal-ed something or listened to something or even mentored. Chris Martin has been quite an influence on this album."

Then asked if the record sounded at all like Coldplay, the rapper said: "It's definitely a lot more progressive in the quality of the sound. I've been listening to Lykke Li and Lana Del Rey, the dynamics of the sound, how big and anthemic it gets."

Coldplay play emotional tribute to Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch with 'Fight For Your Right' cover

Coldplay have paid tribute to the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch by performing a piano cover of their song '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)'.

Chris Martin, who added an extra lyric to the end of the song to include the line "We're sending all our love to the Beastie Boys", sang the track at a show at the Hollywood Bowl yesterday (May 4). He has now joined the likes of Jay-Z, Green Day, Eminem and The Strokes in paying tribute to the rapper, who passed away at the age of 47.

Chris Martin reveals 10 year battle with tinnitus

According to the Daily Mirror, Coldplay star Chris Martin has fought a secret 10-year battle with the crippling ear condition tinnitus.

Chris, 35, was told to agonising ringing in his ears could end his pop career. The singer, who now wears earplugs on stage, said: "I wish I'd thought about it earlier."

The Coldplay frontman is now pledging his support to Action On Hearing Loss, a campaign which aims to raise awareness around the risks of loud music. He added: "Looking after your ears is unfortunately something you don't think about until there's a problem. I've had tinnitus for about 10 years, and since I started protecting my ears it hasn't got any worse (touch wood). But I wish I'd thought about it earlier. Now we always use moulded filter plugs, or in-ear monitors, to try and protect our ears. You CAN use industrial headphones, but that looks strange at a party."

The story featured on the front page of today's Daily Mirror. See scans below.

Roadie #42 - Blog #168 - R42 and the joys of an off-stage band member

From Coldplay.com

My God, can we be a week into the tour already? We’re sitting on the tarmac waiting for departure to show number six.

It has to be said that this first week has felt not entirely unlike a jet taking off. The rush of getting the first few shows happening has much the same adrenaline inducing surge that you get as the engines kick in and the pilot eases off the brakes.

We’ve managed to get airborne pretty quickly too, I’d say - and with pleasingly minimal turbulence. And the view has been pretty great.

First thing’s first though, I have to say that the Canadian crowds (and Vancouver in particular) were truly outstanding. Chris has taken to chanting “the more you give, the more you get” over and over through the intro to God Put A Smile. This was most certainly the case here. As someone who sees the show night after night, you can always tell when the fellas are enjoying themselves and feel the show gaining intensity as a result.

Good job, folks!

If there’s been a pilot through the takeoff of the tour, you’d have to point in Phil Harvey’s direction. I’ve often said before that he’s got a unique perspective on events, in that he can look at the show through both the band’s eyes and the fans’.

One of the frustrations for any touring band, is that they’ll never be able to truly watch their own show and know how it looks sounds and feels. Having a “fifth member” then, who isn’t onstage, is an asset beyond measure. He knows intimately what the band are trying to achieve and can report back with complete honesty whether or not they’re delivering.

This works both ways, too. Phil also knows what strikes a chord with the crowd - the things that they’ll take home as a treasured memory. Sometimes the band would be more comfortable doing things their own way, or feel uneasy making a grand gesture. Having an enthusiastic audience member on stage in soundcheck that can wield considerable influence, means the comfort-zone gets challenged.

We’ve also seen the return of the C-Stage on this leg. The band leave the huge sprawling main stage before the ‘encore’, only to confuse one and all by appearing behind them, way up in the back. It’s one of my favourite gags in the show.

The platform the four of them stand on up there, is no bigger than the tiny “rolling riser” that Chris’s piano sits on down on the main stage. When you see that Will has a mini-piano of his own up there, you realise that the four of them really are perched on a postage stamp.

They’re also quite literally surrounded by the punters. There’s no fancy stage, no big gimmicks, just a band, singing a song under a single spotlight - about as up close and personal as it’s possible to get.

Something I noticed the first time I took a hike up to the C-stage took me somewhat by surprise. Those close to the band often stand staring at the video screens in the other direction - often with a camera-phone held up towards the band. This is somewhat baffling, initially. The people they’ve come to see are now standing close enough to touch and they’re gazing off at a screen a hundred feet away.

It only dawns on me when I take a look at the screens myself. With the band essentially standing on the row of seats in front of them, these folks are now squarely in camera shot. They’re not watching the screen to see the band that are at arms length from them - they’re checking themselves out. It’s a little like the studio audiences you see on TV, where they’re looking off to the side at the monitors. It makes perfect sense on the screen, but when you’re standing next to them, it looks faintly ridiculous.

As for the mobile phones, we’re well past the age of “pics or it didn’t happen” and now we’re into “video on Facebook, NOW”…

Well, our flight from Portland to Seattle is almost done. The journey that is the Mylo Xlyloto Tour though, has very much just begun.

R42