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Iconic British rock band in talks for 10-night residency at Wembley as they shun traditional tour to support new album
And some big names have been announced for Manchester Pride
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, due out on October 4.
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Insiders tell me the group, who had hit Hymn For The Weekend with Beyonce, 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 frontman Chris Martin's 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.
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“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.
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Right direction
“Nothing is set in stone yet but they hope they can get a residency to work.”
For their ongoing Music Of Spheres world tour, which began in 2022, Coldplay put together a 12-point plan to try to cut their emissions.
Glastonbury viewers left baffled at Chris Martin's bizarre accent at band's headline gig
The move was a huge success and last month the band, also including Will Champion, Guy Berryman and Jonny Buckland, revealed that in the first two years of the tour they saw a 59 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to their global run of gigs in 2016-2017.
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 show as they jumped up and down.
Their new album is also going to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Each vinyl copy of the record will be pressed on to discs made from plastic bottles.
And a special “notebook” edition is made up from 70 per cent of plastic recovered from the Rio Las Vacas river in Guatemala.
Chris and Co said this would enable them to reduce their carbon emissions by 85 per cent and stop the production of 25 tonnes of virgin plastic.
After revealing they had beaten their targets with their Music Of Spheres tour, they said: “As a band, and as an industry, we’re a long way from where we need to be on this.
“But we’re grateful for everyone’s help so far and we salute everyone who’s making efforts to push things in the right direction.”
Coldplay should be proud of how they are leading the way with tackling climate change in the music industry by setting an example.
Others should be paying close attention and following suit.
Richard ear and now
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.
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He told the crowd in South West London: “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 so the family could be together.
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 mother-in-law, 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.
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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.
Ed's top of spots
ED SHEERAN has been crowned the UK’s biggest artist of the streaming era, with 2017 album Divide the top record and 2017 single Shape Of You the top song since streaming was introduced into the charts.
This week marks a decade since the Official Charts were overhauled to include figures from sites such as Spotify. Shape Of You, which Ed originally intended to be recorded by Rihanna, has had 627million plays.
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But looking only at streaming figures, it is leap-frogged by Lewis Capaldi's 2018 hit Someone You Loved, which is the most streamed song in UK chart history at 697.5million.
But Ed also takes the No3 spot with 2017’s Perfect.
Across physical, digital and streaming sales, the combined number of singles shifted here has risen from 303.3million in 2014 to 1.62billion last year.
There has been a lot of debate over whether artists get paid a fair whack on streaming sites.
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 and Sparks for the train home.
But golfer has blown my bleak celebrations out of the water after he revealed he’d gifted himself a solid gold phone after beating RORY McILROY at the US Open.
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The 24 carat gold Samsung was made by iDesign Gold, who created gold iPhones worth £175,000 for LIONEL MESSI when he dished them out as gifts to the Argentina football team when they won the World Cup two years ago.
The phone, which is one-of-a-kind, cost £7,500…which won’t even make a dent in the £3.3million he got for winning.
It’s alright for some.
Em's bits for the House
I’M hooked on House Of The Dragon, with Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen opposite Matt Smith's Damon.
And I’m still rubbing my eyes after that mind-boggling sex scene in this week’s episode of the Game Of Thrones spin-off.
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But while Emma’s now a household name, the actor was spotted doing the big shop at Morrisons stocking up on toilet roll.
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's big love
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 to sing Hold My Hand, Rather Be and her new song, Summer’s Back, from her latest album.
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Jess also introduced new bombshells Harry Baker and Lola Deluca to the villa.
She told the contestants: “I’ve been watching the show and I’m actually invested.”
Me too, Jess. I’m living for the drama.
Christina wants hint of Sabrina
CHRISTINA AGUILERA is preparing to start work on a new record after taking a break following the end of her Las Vegas residency in March.
It comes six years after the release of her last English language record, Liberation.
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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 2010 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 ago.
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.
Life's a Blur... on new film
BLUR are clearly still living their Best Days – and looked thrilled to be back together at the premiere of their documentary last night.
Alex James, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree were all smiles on the red carpet at Picturehouse Central in London ahead of the screening of Blur: To The End.
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The film, which is out on Friday, follows the group as they work on 2023’s The Ballad Of Darren, their first new album in eight years, which went straight to No1, as well as their huge Wembley stadium gig last year.
Fans will be able to see a new side to the band, from studio sessions to banter on the road.
The film also lifts the lid on what life is really like for the lads, who have had seven No1 albums in their 35-year career.
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I saw the film earlier this week and can confirm it’s a must-watch for fans.
Expect stacks of Britpop nostalgia and a no-holds-barred insight into what really makes them tick.
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