Today it was announced that Coldplay have been nominated in two categories for the Brit Awards 2012.

The band will contest for the Best British Group and MasterCard British Album of the Year. 'Mylo Xyloto' will have to see off competition from Adele's '21' while Kasabian will be hoping to stop Coldplay collecting their third Best British Band gong.

Coldplay have achieved only their second UK Number 1 Single after 'Paradise' climbed to the top of the first Official Charts of the new year. The single was released on October 30 and has steadily climbed the charts since it entered initially at Number 14.

This morning Coldplay unveiled 13 new dates in stadiums across Europe for summer 2012. Below are the dates and a look at the venues they'll play at.

May 18 - Porto, Portugal - Dragao Stadium


May 22 - Nice, France - Stade Charles Herman / Nikaia


May 24 - Turin, Italy - Olympic Stadium


May 26 - Zurich, Switzerland - Letzigrund


August 28 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Parken Stadium


August 30 - Stockholm, Sweden - Olympic Stadium


September 2 - Paris, France - Stade de France


September 4 - Cologne, Germany - Rheinenergie Stadium


September 6 - The Hague, Netherlands - Malieveld


September 12 - Munich, Germany - Olympiastadion


September 14 - Leipzig, Germany - Red Bull Stadium


September 16 - Prague, Czech Republic - Slavia Eden Stadium


September 22 - Hannover, Germany - AWD Arena

After keeping fans in the dark for a day as to what would be behind the landing page at MyloXyloto.com, Coldplay have finally revealed that those who enter their email address will receive a free digital tour pack.

Four years of support for Kids Company revealed with 02 Arena gig to boost funds for 'phenomenal' charity.

They might be one of the world's biggest bands but, for four years, Coldplay have been keeping a secret. Chris Martin and his band members have been the biggest secret benefactors of Kids Company, the children's charity working with vulnerable young people in some of the most deprived areas of London.

Now the band, which has donated millions of pounds to the charity, have decided to go public. They have organised Under 1 Roof, a benefit gig next Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, at which they will headline.

Chris Martin designed the logo and persuaded celebrity friends to take part, including Tinie Tempah, Emeli Sandé, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, who will appear as Alan Partridge.

"Kids Company is a phenomenal organisation that is very close to our hearts," said Martin. "For a long time we were saving up to try to open a youth project, to help kids who didn't have much help, but that was as vague as it sounds. We went to the Prince's Trust for advice and they said we could do our own thing and it would be shit – or we could go see Camila [Batmanghelidjh, founder and Kids Company CEO].

"After one meeting, we knew that was where we wanted to put our money. We had not thought past the Ping-Pong table aspect of creating a youth centre but watching Kids Company in action we suddenly realised, "oh right, it's actually about life skills, parenting, taking kids to the dentist" – all those things we took for granted but which Kids Company provides. It was very moving. We were blown away by it."

Martin and his band members used the money they had saved over 10 years to fund the creation of the Kids Company's Tree House centre in north London. They have given the organisation a substantial annual, no-strings donation every year since: in 2009 alone they donated £1m. In addition, they are frequent visitors to the charity's various centres: in the spring the band played a private concert for the children, encouraging them to take part. Martin has shared mealtimes with the children, played basketball with them and donated a piano.

He admits, however, a certain ambivalence at having ended his private support. "We wanted to put on a concert for awareness as well as fundraising. But the great thing about doing it privately was not having to talk to anyone about it," he said.

"Eventually people find these things out but … when entertainers become public supporters of charities it's dangerous territory. You have to be careful about talking expertly about something you're not an expert on.

"It's a good thing too," he added, naming George Clooney as a celebrity who has successfully exploited his fame to achieve social good. "As long as people do it for the right reason and believe in what they're promoting, it's absolutely great.

"We will keep supporting Kids Company for as long as we can afford it. It's no more deep than wanting to do something nice but it's one reason that the state of the music industry is so worrying for us: we want to keep being involved," he added.

Batmanghelidjh praised the band's under-the-radar support: "The support Coldplay have given us over the years has been contrary to the dangerous trends emerging around celebrity involvement in charities," she said. "There is a pay-by-results culture developing, where philanthropists dictate the outcome of their donations."

Chesney was 10 when, last spring, she sang Silent Night to Coldplay at an impromptu concert they gave at one of the centres. The experience, she says, had a lasting impact.

"They were so simple and so comforting, that it made me realise I didn't need money or jewels to be happy," she said. "They were so normal that I realised I should do stuff with my life that makes me fulfilled, like they are."

Latisha, 11, agreed. "They helped me write a song about anger. Chris Martin said he liked the way I expressed my feelings, then showed me the tattoos of his children's name on his wrist.

"They were so normal that I realised I could be a success, even though I was just normal too."

From Dale & Co.

Robert Smith reviews Mylo Xyloto, the latest offering from Coldplay which looks set to take the world by storm.

Bono once said during the promotion for All That You Can’t Leave Behind at the turn of the century that U2 were “reapplying for the job of the best band in the world”. To the same extent, Coldplay, the apparent heirs to the Irish rockers, seem to have been justifying a similar position with every output since X&Y in 2005. This time, with the release of the mysteriously named Mylo Xyloto, they certainly explore different musical approaches, but retain an underlying desire to go big.

According to the band, while the naming of the title is entirely frivolous - the criteria being that “it couldn’t be found in a Google search” - essentially it documents “loosely a kind of romance [between two protagonists, Mylo and Xyloto] in an oppressive environment”. Originally planned as a stripped back and acoustic record, the final result is the polar opposite; washes of colour, dance beats, synths and electronics show the band moving out of their comfort zone, though the guitar hooks, piano solo’s and heartfelt lyrics which are so synonymous with Coldplay remain.

Brian Eno, this time “more a collaborative writer than a producer”, stamps his mark of so called “Enoxification” on the record from the outset with the opening title track, one of three instrumentals on the album, which according to lead singer Chris Martin involves all four members of the band trying to “play their instruments as fast as they can” in order to “shake off any nerves” at the start of live shows. However, as it blends into ‘Hurts Like Heaven’ it’s hard to comprehend how even the famously self-depreciating Martin could possibly be apprehensive. The upbeat nature of the track suggests the band have a newfound spring in their step as jumpy guitars, energetic beats and talk of “spray can soul” liken it to the post-punk of Echo & the Bunnymen and the Cure.

On reflection, it’s now difficult to believe how the second single, ‘Paradise’, was so divisive among fans upon it’s release. With it’s epic strings, R&B influences, piano jigs and ultra-singable lyrics, it now seems to fit comfortably within the repertoire. However, despite its’ obviously lofty pop ambitions, the next track, ‘Charlie Brown’ is more likely to provide Xyloto’s ‘Viva La Vida moment’. Buckland’s guitar hook throughout is instantly recognizable to the extent that you begin to seriously question whether you’ve heard it before. It’s certainly hard to comprehend how it was once the focal point of the early acoustic LP initially planned by the band in their North London studios ‘The Bakery’ and ‘The Beehive’, and that it originally “featured an organ”. Thankfully, the version we are presented with today is less of a church hymn, and more of a hallucinogenic licence for stadium crowds to spring into action. “Took a car down town and took what they offered me, to set me free, I’ll be glowing in the dark” exclaims Martin rather uncharacteristically considering this is the rock band who are known for having a self-imposed policy which strictly prohibits the use of hard drugs. That being said, the recently released music video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6ZWlDks0nQ) for ‘Paradise’ may suggest the rule is less stringent now that it once was...

‘Us Against The World’ brings Coldplay back to their musical roots, and thus would not feel out of place on their debut album Parachutes. Nevertheless, as the band have pointed out in numerous interviews, it’s appropriate in describing the band’s current mindset. “We felt so many people had already made their minds up about us, both good and bad” admits drummer Will Champion “[so we decided to] sort of start again from scratch and try to reflect all the music we listen to and love’”. The cringe-worthily named lead single ‘Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall’ confirms this by showing that they have no issue with breaking away from the mould in which people might like to fit them in. The now familiar synth-led song, with its’ youthful lyrics and high pitched guitar riff remind us of how long Xyloto has been in the pipeline. However, unlike with the taster EP released in June earlier this year, the song is greatly enhanced by the preceding simplistic instrumental ‘MMIX’.

‘Major Minus’ shows Coldplay at their edgiest, darkest best, and is perhaps more representative of their rockier live experience. Muffled vocals become entirely justifiable when considering the ‘Big Brother’ context of the song as “They’ve got one eye watching you, so be careful what you do” makes Chris Martin’s description of Mylo Xyloto as a “schizophrenic” album clearer. It also provides an insight into where Coldplay could take their sound post-MX era. Contrastingly, ‘UFO’ is a song which, despite its cosmic name, has its feet firmly on the ground. Just like ‘Us Against The World’, it’s the sound of Coldplay when they were more often described as “just a bunch of geography teachers” than the dinner friends of Beyonce and Jay-Z. That’s not to say it’s any less worthwhile; it proves that they can still relate to their roots despite coming an extremely long way over a relatively short period of time.

The much deliberated ‘Princess of China’ fits more comfortably into the track-listing than one might think it would; but fundamentally the vocal input of Rihanna’s still seems slightly false. Indeed, it might be the one moment on the album where Coldplay take one step too far out of their natural comfort zone. Unfortunately, despite it being believable that the band are fans of the Barbadian diva, it inevitably comes across as a marketing stunt. For one of the most “Marmite” of bands, this offering will only continue to divide opinion. But expect it to become a guilty pleasure, do well in the charts and introduce Coldplay to a new audience. Still, Chris Martin’s “Hugh Grant moment” when approaching Rihanna to sing in the song shows his inability to act like the frontman of the world’s biggest rock band. But arguably, his modest, self-effacing personality is principally what defines his knack for emotional, often troubled songwriting; a style which is displayed perfectly by the following track ‘Up in Flames’, which initially appears, with its repetitive beat and ultra-simple structure, to be a rare example of a Coldplay filler, but after a few plays grows on the listener to become the album’s unexpected gem.

‘A Hopeful Transmission’, in effect a remake of the instrumental opener, leads into ‘Don’t Let It Break Your Heart’, which more or less serves as a microcosm for the band; lyrically poetic and heartfelt, if perhaps sometimes a little shallow, but packing a distinctly melodic punch created by the layering of flourishing instrumentals. ‘Up With The Birds’ is a song of two halves; initially appearing to provide a cloudy, dreamy end to the record, before Buckland’s input of noticeably Edge-like strumming finishes the 45 minutes on a high.

It’s not often that an album fundamentally consisting of pop tunes satisfies the need to be experimental, but Mylo Xyloto seems to do just that. It manages to easily please those who demand a continuous supply of stadium-ready anthems, yet at the same time provides enough progression that it doesn’t make us feel as if we’ve heard it all before. It might not stand the test of time like their magnum opus A Rush of Blood to the Head will - in thirty years time that will still be the piece of work which will define them as a band - but Mylo Xyloto is an album immersed in the present. It’s more modern, urban and expansive offerings may indeed satisfy those who up till now have not felt a likening to the “nobody said it was easy” and “I never meant to cause you trouble” nature of Coldplay songs past, but essentially it’s still the same four-piece at heart. As Martin wails “It’s Us Against The World” it’s hard to see how the “nice guys of rock”, with a new spring in their step and armed with new ammunition, will not come to “rule the world once” again.

Rating: 8.5/10

Click the images for a larger version of the magazine. This special edition to celebrate 25 years of Q Magazine featured 25 different versions of the cover, of which this Coldplay version was one.

Written in graffiti on a bridge in a park
'Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing the mark?'
It's so cold it's so cold
It's so cold it's so cold
Written up in marker on a factory sign
'I struggle with the feeling that my life isn't mine'
It's so cold it's so cold
It's so cold it's so cold
See the arrow they shot
Trying to tear us apart
Take the fire from my belly and the beat from my heart
Still I won't let go
Still I won't let go

Of you- ooh ooh
Cos you do
Oh you use your heart as a weapon
And it hurts like heaven

On every street every car every surface a name
Tonight the streets are ours
And we're writing and saying
Don't let em take control
No we won't let em take control
Yes I feel a little bit nervous
Yes I feel nervous and I cannot relax
How come they're out to get us
How come they're out when they don't know the facts
So on a concrete canvas under cover of dark
On a concrete canvas I'll go making my mark
Armed with a spraycan soul
I'll be armed with a spraycan soul
And you ooh ooh
You ooh ooh
Cos you use your heart as a weapon
And it hurts like heaven

Woah oh oh oh, woah oh oh oh
Yeah it's true
When you
Use your heart as a weapon
Then it hurts like heaven
And it hurts like heaven
Oh oh oh-oh

And it hurts like heaven
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

The birds they sang, break of day
'Start again' I hear them say
It's so hard to just walk away

The birds they sang, all a choir
'Start again', a little higher
It's a spark in a sea of grey

The sky is blue, dream that lie 'til it's true
Then taking back the punch I threw
My arms turn wings oh those clumsy things
Send me up to that wonderful world
And then I'm up with the birds

Send me up to that wonderful world
And then I'm up with the birds

Might have to go where they don't know my name
Float all over the world just to see her again
But I won't show or feel any pain
Even though all my armour might rust in the rain
A simple plot, but I know one day
Good things are coming our way
A simple plot, but I know one day
Good things are coming our way
Oh yeah!