I fell away from Coldplay's music after their first two albums which might be something to do with my general tolerance and lack of attention span and patience for the delays albums seem to take these days. I really liked both of them but have never seen them live, although I obviously couldn't not be aware of some of their subsequent hits down the years notably "Fix You", "Vida La Vida" and "Paradise" to name just three.
It was my brother who got me back into them as I recently sought out the "A Head Full Of Stars" album and found that I really enjoyed it which made it natural to watch this light and bright documentary made at around the time of that particular album. I was expecting a live concert cash-in thing but instead was pleased that it took the format of a potted back-to-front band history which was helpfully aided by the group videoing and recording almost everything that was happening to them from day one and made me kind of wish the same technology was around when say, Elvis, The Beatles or Bowie were getting underway.
The group is still together today as I understand it, at least I know they're touring again later this year, but at the time of this film they appeared to be informally celebrating their 20th anniversary. It seemed to me they hit big really quickly and soon afterwards achieved true worldwide domination as clips from massive stadium shows from the likes of Mumbai, Seoul, Buenos Aires, L. A., Glastonbury, Paris and Sao Paolo all attest.
In truth their story isn't too dramatic or exciting, basically just four mates who came together at college. Lead singer Chris Martin, as well as being the main songwriter was the most extrovert band member, with the other three being quieter in nature. Add in their friend / manager / travelling companion Phil Harvey and the point is made forcibly and often that this band plus one is a democracy and is based on their enduring friendship.
Apart from their sacking of drummer Will Champion for a year or so early on, guitarist Jon Buckland's admission of a drink problem and Martin's depression around the time of his marital break-up with actress Gwyneth Poltrow, its been a relatively smooth trip for the band especially compared to other bands. We see nothing of the group members' home lives or families so the film lacks some depth which means that mostly they have their game-faces on when perhaps a little peak behind the curtains might have added some extra interest, if not actual spice to proceedings.
Does that make this retrospective safe, dull and boring, some might say, rather like the band themselves and their music? Doesn't the best art come from conflict?
Well, maybe so, but not in every case I'd argue. I for one can appreciate longevity in a band which still likes what it's doing, based largely on enduring friendships and as Paul McCartney once said in a different context, what's wrong with that?