It’s hard to believe that two of the biggest concerts we’ll experience this year are almost here. COLDPLAY arrive into the capital and already the city is more than a little excited.

We saw this Coldplay tour last year and can only tell you it was the most incredible event we have seen. We don’t just mean gig, but a proper event. Thanks to the band, the ethics, the philosophy and of course the incredible music and staging, the MUSIC OF THE SPHERES tour is one to see for fans and non-Coldplay believers alike.

CARDIFF TICKETS HERE.

I have to admit that sitting in a sold out Wembley Stadium, I felt sad that the tour wasn’t playing Wales. Well, here we go, it is and we get it at the Principality Stadium today and tomorrow (6th and 7th June). We’ve a Coldplay Mix for you to listen too at the bottom of this feature.

Support in Cardiff comes from CHVRCHES and Welsh born HANA LILI.

Chvrches are limbering up for a big set at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, the Scottish synth-pop act will be supporting Chris Martin & co. at these stadium shows as they bring their ‘Screen Violence’ tour to a close.

More on Chvrches further down the page.

COLDPLAY

Since the band’s record-breaking tour began in Costa Rica in March 2022, more than four million tickets have been sold for the dates in Latin America, North America and Europe, which have attracted rave reviews from fans and critics alike.

The tour has also been heralded for its groundbreaking set of sustainability initiatives which include a show powered by 100% renewable energy in almost all locations; the world’s first tourable battery system (made from 40 BMW electric car batteries); power bikes and kinetic dancefloors allowing fans to help power the show; solar panels and wind turbines at every venue; a pledge to cut tour emissions by 50%; incentives to encourage fans to travel by green transport; and one tree planted for every ticket sold. Full info at HERE.

This tour is like no other for a few reason – first of all INCLUSIVITY.

Coldplay said…….

‘We want our concerts to be accessible to everyone, and for everyone to have the best possible experience. Here are a few things we are doing for the rest of the tour.

At every show we offer local sign language interpreters as well as Subpacs for our D/deaf and hard of hearing guests so that they can feel a stronger connection to the music.

We’ve also teamed up with KultureCity to provide sensory bags and a mobile sensory refuge station for those with sensory sensitivities.

For guests who are blind or have low vision, we now offer touch tours before the show. If you would benefit from any of these initiatives, or have any suggestions on how we could make our shows more inclusive, please email access@coldplay.com.’

The second is SUSTAINABILITY.

‘We pledge to make our Music Of The Spheres Tour as sustainable and low-carbon as possible, guided by three key principles.

Reduce our consumption, recycle extensively and cut our CO2 emissions by 50%.

Support new green technologies and develop new sustainable, super-low carbon touring methods.

Make the tour as environmentally beneficial as possible by funding a portfolio of nature- and technology-based projects and by drawing down significantly more CO2 than the tour produces.’

It’s easy to be cynical about these claims but having taken in the full Coldplay experience on this tour, I can tell you the guys back up their words with actions, and then some.

CHVRCHES dates follow the surprise release of new single ‘Over’, which is available to stream and download now via EMI – HERE.

Their first new music in over a year arrives as the band say goodbye to their acclaimed ‘Screen Violence era following a triumphant run of shows in Australia and Asia, and heralds a new phase for the Glasgwegian trio.

Over” sees them team up with producer-songwriter Oscar Holter (The Weeknd, Charli XCX, Coldplay and BTS) for a soaring, alt-pop anthem that arrives ahead of a limited stretch of UK dates this Summer, including appearances in Nottingham, Dundee, the Glastonbury Festival, plus two hometown appearances at Glasgow’s legendary Barrowland Ballroom. Getting in shape for the UK shows, the band recently completed nine stadium shows in support of Coldplay in Brazil in March, and will also be warming-up for Chris Martin & co at their June UK stadium shows. 

CHVRCHES (Photo: Jess Gleeson)

The band told us……

“Over is a song that we wrote with Oscar Holter, a producer we really respect and admire. Normally we collect songs over the course of months (or years!) until we have an album’s worth of material, but this time we just wanted to release something we were excited about and give the fans something new to mark the end of the Screen Violence era, and the start of whatever the next CHVRCHES chapter might be.”

We can’t wait to see them, and our own HANA LILI in support of Coldplay next week.

The MUSIC OF THE SPHERES tour is a fantastic night out. They get to the Principality Stadium tonight and tomorrow (Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th June). Tickets (if you can get any) are available from HERE.

Here’s a look back at our day at the Coldplay gig last year at a very wet Wembley Stadium.