[19] As Martin complained about the "vice-like grip" one of the Camden promoters had on the band, Harvey suggested the group should book their own concert at Dingwalls, where they managed to sell 50 copies of Safety.

[29] After working out their differences, the band chose to operate as a democracy, established a new set of rules and proclaimed that anyone using hard drugs would be kicked out of the group immediately, a decision inspired by R.E.M.

[66] Coldplay spent most of 2004 out of the spotlight, taking a break from touring and releasing a satire music video of a song from a fictional band titled The Nappies while recording their third album.

The song received very positive reviews, and the music video features a cameo from actor Simon Pegg, a close friend of Chris Martin, who plays a violin-playing Elvis impersonator in the background.

[131] In a February interview Parlophone president Miles Leonard told HitQuarters that the band were still in the studio working on the album and that he expected the final version would appear "towards the autumn of this year".

[136][137][138] On 19 October 2011, Coldplay performed songs at Apple Inc.'s private memorial for Steve Jobs, including "Viva la Vida", "Fix You", "Yellow" and "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall".

[166] On 4 December 2014, Chris Martin announced in an interview with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 that Coldplay were in the middle of working on their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams.

[199] On 23 October 2019, the album's track list was revealed on the advertisements from local newspapers in the United Kingdom; those included the Daily Post in North Wales (with whom Buckland once had a holiday job) and Express & Echo in Exeter (Martin's hometown).

[225] On 14 October 2021, Coldplay announced the Music of the Spheres World Tour, which began in San José's Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica on 18 March 2022 and visited over 40 countries.

[226] The concert run's announcement also included a series of environmental plans developed in two years with help from sustainability experts; they were aimed at reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in comparison to the Head Full of Dreams Tour.

[262] Berryman called it a "quiet, polite record",[263] while Champion has compared the lyrics to Lou Reed's "Perfect Day", as they are moody but with twists that imply optimism, ultimately making an album defined by the contrast between beautiful and happy messages and notoriously sad sounds.

[271] Craig McLean from The Guardian called it "the work of an increasingly driven, punchier band", describing the melodies as "heartfelt stuff, with thumping guitar lines and emotive piano".

[272] With Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and the subsequent Prospekt's March (both released in 2008), Coldplay further diversified their style and explored new territory following the completion of what they saw as a trilogy of albums.

[281] It expanded the spectrum of Coldplay's sound by including more electronic elements than before and featuring mostly upbeat tones for the first time, resulting in a pop rock style with modern, urban and dance melodies.

[290] A year later, A Head Full of Dreams was released with a similar style, but featuring bright and uplifting tones instead,[292] making contrast with its predecessor while introducing elements of disco and funk, most notably in lead single "Adventure of a Lifetime".

[294] Meanwhile, tracks such as "All I Can Think About Is You" and "Hypnotised" mixed Coldplay's newfound pop style with their alternative rock roots,[295] setting the template for Everyday Life (2019), which saw a return to the experimentation and organic sounds of Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends while having new influences from gospel, blues and classical music.

[297] The band continued their lyrical themes of positivity, equality, hope, legacy and humanity, but added loss, pain and commentaries on issues such as racism, police brutality, gun control and refugee crisis, being their first album to feature profanity.

[301] New musical influences included "Human Heart" (an a cappella collaboration with R&B duo We Are King and Jacob Collier) and "Coloratura" (a progressive rock ballad running at 10 minutes and 18 seconds, making it the longest song the band have ever released).

[306] Martin is known to be a fan of Bruce Springsteen,[307] mentioned "spending three years trying to sound like Eddie Vedder" before Buckley,[275] and commented listening to many hymns when he was young due to his religious upbringing.

[309] In 2020, he shared on social media playlists with some of his favorite tracks and artists from each decade, including the Velvet Underground, Carole King, Joy Division, Talking Heads, Kate Bush, Donna Summer, Björk, Beastie Boys and many others.

[321] On Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), the band moved towards art rock sensibilities, with inspirations including My Bloody Valentine, Blur and Arcade Fire.

[358] Berryman's jacket and shirts worn by Buckland and Champion also had the flower of life as a reference to the album cover,[359] while Martin drew media attention for using custom-made Air Jordans.

[388] Writing for Firstpost, Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri commented they have "mastered the art of reinvention", consequently widening the "roster of artists inspired by them" and creating "a rich multi-genre legacy" which impacted a variety of mainstream and indie musicians worldwide.

[390] Neil McCormick from The Telegraph stated that the band represent the evolution of rock into a brand new era,[391] while Afisha's Sergey Stepanov described them as the 21st century equivalent to the Beatles.

[397] Michael Baumann explained for The Ringer that Coldplay's rise to fame coincided with a decade marked by "artistic snark and cynicism: hipsterism, the peak of pop punk" and the new rebirth of rockism, meaning that their "earnest, nonthreatening, and profoundly accessible" public image was established at "the worst time of the past 40 years to be those things".

[400] Felipe Branco Cruz from Veja credited them with reinventing the concept of arena rock by turning fans into protagonists of the concert instead of mere spectators,[401] which included popularising the use of interactive LED wristbands on live performances.

[414] Coldplay have also auctioned significant memorabilia for Kids Company in 2009, including Martin's first guitar, the globe from the Parachutes (2000) album cover and costumes worn on Viva la Vida Tour (2008–10).

[422] Still in 2018, they made Global Citizen – EP 1 available under the pseudonym Los Unidades, with royalties being directed to the institution's endeavours of education and advocacy towards the end of extreme poverty.

[423] In 2020, the music video of "Trouble in Town" was inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm (1944) and had all of its proceeds from streaming and publishing donated to Innocence Project and the African Children's Feeding Scheme.

[429] Martin, who lives in the United States, criticised the 2003 invasion of Iraq during a show for Teenage Cancer Trust at Royal Albert Hall, encouraging people at the venue to "sing against war".