Coldplay to get hot in the city

Coldplay have added an extra date to the Birmingham leg of their UK tour after phenomenal demand for the first two dates.

The band, who have sold over 30 million albums and had a string of hit singles including Yellow, Don't Panic and Clocks, will now play at the NIA on Wednesday, December 3, as well as December 1 and 2 as previously announced.

Celebrating their 11th year together, the group will release its fourth album, 'Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends', on June 12.

Singer Chris Martin says: "This album was fuelled by a desire to move from black and white into colour. Or, if you like, we decided to let our garden grow a little more unkempt. The bloodhound was let off its leash."

Bassist Guy Berryman enthuses: "I think it's our boldest and most confident record. We were much more open to new ideas and influences and much less afraid to experiment."

Martin explains how the band had changed its approach to songwriting: "The starting point for this album was listening to an amazing old Blur song called 'Sing (To Me)' while we were on the road with 'X&Y'.

"I remember hearing it and thinking, 'OK, we need to get better as a band'."

The first song for Viva La Vida was written the very next day.

"I'm driven by two things," Martin continues. "One is trying to make sense of existence. The other is when I hear something brilliant, trying to write something as good as that.

"With this album, we were inspired by so much amazing music. We'd listen to Rammstein and Tinariwen next to each other and the result would be something like the middle bit of '42'.

"For another track, we'd listen to Marvin Gaye and Radiohead. Or Jay-Z and the Golden Gate Trio. Or My Bloody Valentine and Gershwin. Or Delakota and Blonde Redhead. There were no limitations."

So where does Viva La Vida rank in the Coldplay canon?

"I wanted this record to prove us worthy of the position we've been given," says Martin.

"And there's no question that we've come out of this process a better band; whatever anyone makes of the record, when we play live, we're gonna be on fire.

"But, ultimately, however cerebral you try to get about it, this album is there to entertain people; to provide 42 minutes of enjoyment, with ten great songs that will each be somebody's favourite.

"I'm really hopeful that we've achieved that."

Fans can make up their own minds when Coldplay air a generous selection of new songs, including recent single Violet Hill, alongside the classics on the road later this year.

Coldplay are at Birmingham NIA from December 1-3.

Tickets are priced £42.50 and £38.50, plus booking and transaction fee and are available from The Ticket Factory on 0871 945 6000 or online at www.theticketfactory.com.

Visit www.coldplay.com