Iconic British rock band in talks for 10-night residency at Wembley as they shun traditional tour to support new album
THEY blew me away at Glastonbury with their Saturday headline set on the Pyramid Stage.
Now Coldplay are planning something just as spectacular to support their new album Moon Music, which is due out October 4.
Insiders told me the group, made up of Chris Martin, Will Champion, Guy Berryman and Jonny Buckland, are considering playing a residency at a football stadium here rather than hitting the road on a traditional tour.
The move would also support Coldplay’s pledge to reduce their carbon footprint, an issue close to Chris’ heart.
A source said: “Coldplay want to do something super special for Moon Music and they have discussed the idea of doing a set residency rather than touring across the UK.
“Wembley has been mooted as a possible location which would work for a ten-date residency, for example.
“It means they would be able to play to almost a million fans, all while keeping down their carbon footprint.
“On their last tour the band went all out to try to reduce the impact of their work on the environment.
“By keeping the shows in one place they are removing the need for HGVs to drive the stages and kit across the country, for example.
“Plus seeing acts like Adele setting up shop in one place has given them real food for thought.
“Nothing is set in stone yet but they hope they can get a residency to work.”
In their Music Of Spheres tour in 2021 Coldplay put together a 12-point plan to try to cut their emissions.
The move was a huge success and last month they revealed that in the first two years of the tour they saw a 59 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to their previous global run of gigs.
To help them reach the goal, they reduced air travel, used more efficient lighting and pulled in sustainable materials for their stages.
They also created really cool kinetic dancefloors, which meant that fans could help generate electricity for the shows.
Chris and co should be proud of how they are leading the way with tackling climate change in the music industry.
By setting this example, others should be paying close attention – and following suit.
Rich’s Trump jibe
RICHARD ASHCROFT made a string of gags about Donald Trump while on stage at Kew The Music – dedicating The Verve’s 1997 Lucky Man to the ex-President’s lughole.
He told a crowd: “This one’s called Lucky Man, but I’m not a lucky man.
“But Donald Trump’s ear is lucky, man. He’s a lucky man.”
Richard also paid tribute to his wife Spiritualized keyboard player Kate Radley from the stage.
He told how he took her mother on The Verve’s most recent tour because he wanted it to be a family affair.
He added: “It’s our 29th anniversary. I want to thank Katie, because without her I wouldn’t be here.
“I’ve taken my mother-in-law on tour, and people say, ‘You took your mother-in-law?’
“Yeah, because she’s beautiful and special and it’s a family thing, it’s a family affair.”
I don’t know many men who feel the same way about their MIL’s but like Trump, Richard clearly is a lucky man.
‘Babes sweeten up Pride
SUGABABES have joined the line-up for Manchester Pride over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The girls will headline on Sunday, August 26.
Other acts include Rita Ora, Jessie J, Lorren and Keala Seattle.
Also taking to stages around the city will be Katy B, Claire Richards and Natasha Hamilton.
The Gay Village Party will host three performance spaces in Manchester’s Gay Village – an indoor arena, The Alan Turing Stage in Sackville Gardens and The Village Stage in an outdoor car park in the middle of the event site.
It’s going to be a fun weekend.
It’s an Ed era
ED SHEERAN has been crowned the biggest artist of the streaming era, with his 2017 album Divide and single Shape Of You being named the biggest record and song since streaming was introduced into the charts.
This week marks a decade since the Official Charts were overhauled to include figures from sites like such as Spotify and Apple Music, and it is now the way that the majority of us listen to music.
Shape Of You, which Ed originally intended to be recorded by Rihanna, is the biggest song of the past decade in the UK with 627million plays, as well as 864,000 downloads.
But looking only at streaming figures, he is leap-frogged by Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved, which is the most streamed song in UK chart history at 697,500,000.
Just behind that is Shape of You at No2 and Ed’s Perfect at No3.
Across physical, digital and streaming sales, the combined number of singles being shifted here has risen from 303.3million in 2014 to 1.62billion last year.
There has been a lot of fuss made about the fairness of streaming and whether artists are getting paid a fair whack for their tunes.
But one thing is for sure, more people are getting to listen to music than ever before.
And this is only a good thing in my eyes.
Bryson likes gold calling
IF I’ve done something I’m proud of at work I treat myself to a posh can of lager from Marks & Sparks for the train home.
But America golfer Bryson DeChambeau has blown my bleak celebrations out of the water after he revealed he’d gifted himself a solid gold phone after winning the US Open last month.
The 24-carat gold Samsung was made by iDesign Gold, which created gold iPhones worth £175,000 for footie’s Lionel Messi to dish out as gifts to his team-mates when they won the World Cup two years ago.
Bryson’s one-of-a-kind phone cost £7,500…which won’t even make a dent in the £3.3million he got for winning.
It’s alright for some.
Dra-gone shopping
I’M hooked on the second series of House Of The Dragon, with Emma D’Arcy playing the leading role of Rhaenyra Targaryen, opposite Matt Smith’s Damon.
And I am still rubbing my eyes after that mind-boggling sex scene in this week’s episode.
But while Emma’s role in the killer Game Of Thrones spin off has made them a household name, with red carpets across the world, Emma certainly keeps herself grounded.
Some big stars send their flunkies to the shops but not Emma, who was spotted doing the big shop at their local Morrisons – stocking up on toilet roll and what looked like a hell of a lot of peanut butter.
All while driving a pretty beaten up family car.
It just goes to show, we’re all the same at the end of the day.
Jess does impress
IT is my TV guilty pleasure and it turns out Jess Glynne is also a rather big Love Island fan.
She popped up on last night’s episode as the surprise and sang Hold My Hand, Rather Be and her new song, Summer’s Back, from her latest album.
Jess was also on hand to introduce two new bombshells, Harry Baker and Lola DeLuca, to the villa.
Jess told the contestants: “I’ve been watching the show and I’m actually invested.”
Me too, Jess. I’m living for the drama.
New record for Chris
IT’S been more than six years since Christina Aguilera’s last English language record, Liberation.
And now insiders have said she’s preparing to start work on a new record after taking a break following the end of her Las Vegas residency in March.
A music insider said: “Christina is ready to return to the mainstream and wants to make an album which feels like the ultimate girls’ night out.
“She is scheduling time to go back into the studio with Claude Kelly, who worked with her on her 2006 record Bionic.
“Christina has also been tapping up producers who have worked with Sabrina Carpenter to try to channel some of that magic.”
Earlier this year Christina said she was looking forward to starting work on a new album, following the release of Aguilera, a Spanish album, two years back.
She said: “A lot has happened over the past six years, huge personal and professional changes, growth and new inspirations, so I’m so excited to share all of it in the next album.”
I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait for fans.