GIG REVIEWS

Coldplay
@ The Royal Court, Liverpool
6th October 2000
www.vanguard-online.co.uk

 What with a number one debut album, a top ten single, Mercury Music awards nomination and critical acclaim, Coldplay arrived in Liverpool to continue their mission of dividing and conquering. Debut album 'Parachutes' has already lovingly invaded the nation's consciousness, and there is no sign of this relenting. Moreover, the band look set to topple Travis and The Stereophonics from the mantle of guitar boy band of choice.

Delicate, refined and articulate, Coldplay manage to transfer the majesty of 'Parachutes' from record to stage with ease and confidence. From the kick off, the enchanting intro (the theme music to The Untouchables; a symbol if there ever was one) which segues into 'Spies', singer Chris Martin is in an irrepressible mood. His gangly frame, peculiar singing mannerisms and mischievous, engaging Suggs-esque banter prove that Martin is a genuinely intriguing front man. As the former UCL students knock-out blistering renditions of 'Shiver' and 'Yellow' which almost blow the roof off the Royal Court, it appears that Coldplay have stumbled across a winning formula. They believe in an old-fashioned notion of the power of well-crafted songs as opposed to pushing musical boundaries and getting it hideously wrong.

Unfair comparisons abound, but Coldplay's success and quality is due to being able to rise above being simply a good Jeff Buckley pastiche and attempting to be more celebratory and affectionate than the now misanthropic robot that is Radiohead.

Strangely, Coldplay seemed bemused by the emphatic reaction of the Liverpool masses. As the crowd supplied vocals to the climax of the lighters aloft new single 'Trouble', Martin looked to his band-mates in a state of disbelief. Considering that the band were virtually unknown prior to the release of the radio-friendly 'Yellow', their rise has been meteoric. And long may it continue. If there has to be a band constantly in the upper echelons of the hit parade, surely an outfit with the slight of touch and winsome nature of Coldplay deserve our attention rather than the clumsy and heavy handed antics of The Stereophonics's and Travis's of this world. On the evidence of the Mercury Rev inspired new song played as an encore, a number that the band claimed will soon be number one, Coldplay are set for world domination. It's theirs for the taking.

Graeme Demianyk