While brainstorming a list of things deemed "cool" and "uncool," British producer and musician James Blake attempted to put an end to British rock discourse. "Coldplay bashing has got to stop!" he admitted, saying "it's not cool anymore" to hate on the popular band.
Watch his statement below:
Earlier today, Blake appeared as a guest host on the BBC Sounds podcast Sidetracked with Annie and Nick, hosted by Irish DJ Annie Mac and English radio presenter Nick Grimshaw. One of the topic of discussions was a recent Instagram post published by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, where she published a list of things she thought were either "cool" or "uncool."
"I was talking to Johnny Marr the other day and we were saying how nothing is 'cool' anymore," she wrote. "[Whatever] happened to cool? In case you don’t know what I mean (because you’ve grown up with social media) I include below a list of ‘cool’ versus ‘uncool’ to give you an idea."
Jame Blake riffed off the list by declaring the hate against Coldplay "uncool."
"There are so many amazing Coldplay songs," he said on the podcast, "and Chris Martin is clearly a melodic genius.” He continued, "You don't like the sound of their last few records? Okay...alright? When you go and see them at Glastonbury, did you like a lot of the songs? Probably!" (Blake is referring to the 2024 Glastonbury Festival that Coldplay headlined for the fifth time, putting on a spectacle on the massive Pyramid stage, according to NME.)
Blake's comments also stem from the recent BRIT Awards, which occurred last Saturday, March 1. Comedian Jack Whitehall hosted for the fifth time, beating the previous record held by James Corden. His opening monologue spared no digs at musicians Stormzy, Charli xcx, and yes, Coldplay. "Nominated again tonight, it's public school Nickelback, Coldplay!" he riffed after comparing their music to a "warm bath," a "bowl of soggy Weetabix," and "musical Missionary position."
"If there was a level below lemon and herb, they would be it!" he joked, implying the 32-time nominated British band makes safe, boring music.
"Now I love Jack Whitehall," said Blake, "but I've got to say: Coldplay bashing? It has got to stop."
Regardless of whether or not Chris Martin's widely popular band is cool or uncool, Coldplay still keeps passing new milestones in their ever-growing career.
Yesterday, FIFA announced that the British rock band will curate the first-ever Half Time Show for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which will happen July 19, 2026 at the New Jersey MetLife Stadium. Members Chris Martin and Phil Harvey will be partnering with the organization to design a "takeover of Times Square" for the final weekend of the tournament, according to Billboard. While a Coldplay concert is yet to be confirmed, they are currently finalizing a list of performers for both the show and the Times Square event.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram:
"My thanks of course to Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans and his incredible team, for helping us put together these amazing shows. I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform during the half time show, as well as at Times Square."
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