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As the mammoth Coldplay play their second night at a sell-out Principality Stadium it is cool to remember their humble beginnings and the band’s first solo visit to the Capital, the band playing the tiny Clwb Ifor Bach, in comparison to the giant stadia they find themselves in today.
It was the 20 June 2000, an amazing 23 years ago that the band made their first headlining visit to Cardiff, it could not be more different than where they find themselves today. The band had visited the city earlier in the year as part of a package that included Shack, Campag Velocet, Les Rythmes Digitales on the NME Premier Tour.
The band were just about to release their debut album Parachutes the following month, a commercial success achieving rave reviews on release, quickly reaching Number 1 in the UK, and currently certified 9x Platinum.
It won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2002, the British Album of the Year award at the 2001 Brit Awards and many other accolades.
Parachutes is also the 22nd best-selling album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. As of 2020, it has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.
Coldplay were apologetic during their Principality Stadium gig in Cardiff 17 years later that they had not performed in the capital sooner. Lead singer Chris Martin told the Principality Stadium audience: "We haven't been in Wales for a long long time and that's because we've been rehearsing for 17 years to make the best show we've done."
Formed in London in 1996. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey.
They met at University College London and began playing music together from 1996 to 1998, first calling themselves Pectoralz and then Starfish.
