They're currently on a 58 date world stadium tour, most of which has sold out.

Music snob alert. Would be fascinated to see who you like.

I totally agree with you. I like Adele, but I don't get the others. I also fail to understand the love for people like Jess Glynne and Ed Sheeran.

......... and that proves?

its clear on this thread that they are marmite - loved or hated, on this thread i think the hatred outweighs the loved.

the thing is...... i should like them, they are proficient musicians who play tracks that appear catchy and sound. ..... but i just dont.... i hate every track of theirs ive heard, their material just leaves me cold and their popularity annoys me.

double post - deleted

I used to quite like them, but with each album Chris Martin's voice seemed to become more whiney and the music more bland. I agree with mushymanrob above - they are good musicians who write clever songs, but I just can't warm to them - many people clearly can, so maybe it's my loss.

It proves your comment that they aren't enjoyed by many is complete bullshit! Yes, this thread of 20 or so contributors features more non-fans than fans, but to account that towards there popularity when the statistics prove otherwise is ridiculous.

Whether you like them or not does come down to personal opinion, but saying that their concerts are enjoyed by many is 'clearly' an unpopular opinion just doesn't make sense when the numbers prove otherwise. Very few artists can sell out arenas, never mind 3 or 4 times over!

it doesnt prove anything at all...

youd need 51% of the population to rate them to 'prove' they are more popular then not...

personally id take the opinion of a music fan with 50 years experience over a music fan with much less's anyday. and no im not referring to myself, but other older music fans.

Ed Sheeran I can understand ... Jess Glynne, on the other hand, I just find totally annoying and a real turn-off! Don't like her singing style - all that low register vibrato - and as for that blasted track of hers Hold My Hand with the irritating high register vocal stuff that goes on and on .. if I hear it anywhere I just can't shake the damn thing off - and I don't like it at all!

Always interesting to see people's diametrically opposed views aired on here so freely. Just occasionally some bigot goes and spoils the friendly atmosphere, but then if you were having this thread as a conversation in a pub somewhere, you'd get a better understanding of what makes everyone tick!

Didn't Alan McGee say they made "music for bedwetters?"

They're long overdue a Greatest Hits album. Would do well one Christmas.

It doesn't mean anything.

Its just some vacuous cliche trotted out by music snobs about music they don't like.

I haven't been a fan of their recent stuff, shame they lost their way towards the coorporate mewling they now dish out, but their first 2 albums were undeniably decent.

If a band or artist needs 51% of the population to rate them to 'prove' they are popular, then there probably wouldn't be a single band that was popular.

People might not like Coldplay, which is fine - but no objective person could watch that set from Sunday night and reasonably describe it as bland.

I guess I should put it more that they are trying too hard to stay popular, especially with younger people, they will change their sound and who they work with to achieve this imo. Which is fine I guess. It can't be denied they are relevant really. I just admire bands that follow their own direction, I have images of Coldplay meetings being about getting a number one chart topper, which is meaningless these days?

I think that's a reasonable summation myself, except for me their highpoint after the middling X&Y era was Viva La Vida (the album, not the song they've now flogged to death for at least six years!). A creative high with brave, bold songs like 42, the sublime Life in Technicolor (particularly part 2 with the vocals), Violet Hill, and the pure joy of stuff like Lovers in Japan.

Since then they've delivered a few really good 'uns like Hurts Like Heaven but one step forward two steps back, and now they insult people with bactracked vocals and fake playback music live...they're just generic pop now.

Good luck finding ANY artist which appeals to 51% of the population. Even for an album to go platinum, which is considered a great achievement, you only need to sell 300,000 copies of an album, or 0.47% of the UK population.

yeah working with Brian Eno on Viva La Vida was an interesting direction, they failed to follow up on that. Since then I cant deny I have found a couple of their tracks decent but by and large I found them frustrating, because there are a very good band, technically as well. I don't agree with the OP at all in terms of not seeing their appeal, I just don't like the direction they are taking now and I doubt it will change. People that say that stuff probably hate bands like Radiohead so cant take it very seriously.

But what does that even mean?

You seem to be saying that if a band tries to do different things, they are somehow "trying too hard".

So what should bands do? Just put out similar sounding stuff their entire career?

Terrible song, irritating as hell and the opening is the same as clocks but with strings instead of piano. Got beaten by Crazy Frog to No 1 tho.

How can you say that? Coldplay are one of the most successful British bands ever. Their Glastonbury set was amazing and 'clearly' everyone there was loving it. Their album is No. 1.

Which is nothing much to do with the issue, and - if you are referring to Viva la Vida - also totally wrong. They're three years apart for a start.

In the UK, Speed of Sound (from X&Y) was kept off the top by Crazy Frog. Viva la Vida was both a UK & US #1.

I wouldn't class myself as a music snob, but I don't really see the purpose of a band like Coldplay duetting with someone like Rihanna. It just doesn't seem like a logical collaboration. It's not like the band Coldplay is any way influenced by Rihanna. They are polar opposites, the only thing they must have liked about her is her popularity and thought it could sell records.

as i said earlier... they leave me totally cold. i do not understand the appeal which is what the op asked. they are unlike other styles of music or acts that i dont like because i can see the appeal. but coldplay are just.... nothing.


westlife were successful, doesnt mean they were any good.

for such a popular band they are possibly the least influential , plodding out the same old muzak they did 15 years ago.

Why does a collaboration need to serve some higher purpose? It's just music and I would have thought unexpected collaborations will often be more interesting than more obvious ones.

Do you think the same about something like Damon Albarn collaborating with African musicians, the polar opposite of Blur?