Glastonbury 2024: The reason Coldplay are the 21st Century's defining band

Ahead of their record-making fifth Glastonbury appearance – why the British rock band have overcome the naysayers to become the era's most triumphant artists.

It is strange to recall a time when Coldplay were not ubiquitous. I first met frontman Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bass-player Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion at what they later described as the worst show they had ever played. It was the Paredes de Coura festival in Portugal in August 2000. By their own ission, they failed to win over an apathetic crowd and were utterly outshone by headliners The Flaming Lips. At home, their debut album Parachutes was a Mercury-nominated smash destined to sell five million copies. In Portugal, nada. As the set limped on, Martin became cripplingly apologetic. "Has anyone ever heard of us here">window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'alternating-thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article', placement: 'Below Article', target_type: 'mix' });