Coldplay History

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The foursome of Coldplay met at University College London in 1996, and began playing music together informally soon after. Chris Martin (vocals/guitar/piano), Guy Berryman (bass), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), and Will Champion (drums) seem to have gotten together as something of a lark - Champion couldn't even play drums when the band first formed. Never aiming for rock stardom, the band members, all from working-class roots, have worked hard to maintain their independence and idealism, and to bring political issues like the environment, world hunger and fair-trade to the forefront of pop music.

Compared favorably to Jeff Buckley, the Verve, Radiohead and turn of the millennium British pop darlings Travis, Coldplay began making a buzz after their 1998 appearance at Manchester's In the City Festival, a showcase for unsigned bands. The invite to perform in Manchester, had, in turn, come to them based on the strength of their self-financed demo EP, recorded in late 1997 and 1998. That demo was released as the Safety EP shortly after the Manchester festival, which got the notice of influential London music critic Simon Williams. Williams released another Coldplay single, 'Brothers and Sisters' on his Fierce Panda Records label. That single proved to be Coldplay's breakthrough. The song made it to the Top 100 on the UK charts (at number 99) and led to a major label record deal with Parlaphone records.

The band released yet another EP, 'Blue Room' on Parlaphone in 1999, while working on their first full length album. An appearance at 1999's Glastonbury, the UK's largest and most famous music festival, cemented their pop appeal and increased anticipation for the debut album. In June of 2000 the album's first single, 'Yellow,' raced up the UK and US charts, finally hitting number four stateside. By the time the album Parachutes was finally released in July of 2000, combined hype and anticipation shot it to number one. Critical and commercial success followed and continued throughout 2001, when the band took three British Music awards and played to sold-out crowds on their first American tour. However, instant fame also led to instant rumors - while Chris Martin was battling laryngitis and exhaustion, and the band canceled the dates and their European tour, the press was eager to predict the young band's demise. The rumors didn't last long, though, and Coldplay resumed touring in 2001 upon the release of their second hit single, 'Trouble.'

After their lightning quick rise to the top, Coldplay took some time putting together their sophomore effort. The band expanded their musical influences, finding iconic British groups like The Cure and New Order for the first time. The members also took time to travel throughout the world, and their second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, released in August of 2002, demonstrates both musical and personal maturation. Although Martin had originally expressed doubt as to whether the band could live up to the critical and commercial success of their debut, A Rush Of Blood To The Head actually surpassed the earlier record in sales and praise. Cementing his superstar status, singer Martin married actress Gwyneth Paltrow in late 2003. The following February, the band picked up their first Grammy when 'Clocks,' the hit single from A Rush Of Blood to the Head won Record of the Year.