They went head to head in the Noughties, always trying to outdo each other.
And clearly old habits die hard, as Coldplay have risked the wrath of Oasis when it comes to their concerts in London next summer.
Noel and Liam Gallagher have sold out seven nights at Wembley Stadium — but yesterday Coldplay leapfrogged them by adding an extra four gigs to their residency at the venue.
The news confirms my story from July that they’d play ten nights at Wembley.
It breaks the eight Take That did on the 2011 Progress Tour and the same number Taylor Swift had this summer.
A pre-sale for Coldplay’s shows sold out yesterday and there is expected to be huge demand when the remaining tickets go on sale this morning — so I won’t even be surprised if Coldplay add even more dates.
I can only keep my fingers crossed Oasis’s desire to prove they are more popular than their rivals encourages them to announce more concerts too.
A music insider said: “The demand is through the roof for both Oasis and Coldplay, and they’ve always got an eye on what the other is doing.
“When Chris Martin and his band realised they could play more Wembley shows than Oasis, it did put a smile on their faces. There are bound to be some cheeky digs along the way as the shows get closer.”
In more bad news for Oasis, Coldplay have today been named the most-played British group of the 21st century on UK radio and TV.
Licensing company PPL released its list in advance of National Album Day on October 19. Coldplay’s music has been played more than 40,000 times, the equivalent of 13 years of airplay this century, with Viva La Vida their most popular tune.
Oasis are at No6, behind Queen, Take That, Little Mix, and The Beatles.
Come on lads, perhaps this is your sign to get back in the studio. A few new tunes will help you rise up the rankings.
Coldplay vs Oasis
COLDPLAY:
- No1 albums: 9
- Brit Awards: 9
- UK & Ireland gigs next year: 12
- Comments on rivals: “We used to love Oasis so much.”
- Time since they last performed together: 6 days.
OASIS:
- No1 albums: 8
- Brit Awards: 6
- UK & Ireland gigs next year: 19
- Comments on rivals: “Chris Martin looks like a geography teacher.”
- Time since they last performed together: 15 years and one month.
Cardi mad fur French dressing
Cardi B is already out and about showing other celebs how it’s done – only a fortnight after giving birth.
The Wap rapper was in the front row at Balmain’s Paris Fashion Week show wearing this furry dress.
She had a big grin on her face at the event, which was across town from the Rabanne show, where Camila Cabello turned up in a silver number.
Cardi has a lot to deal with at the moment after more conflict with rapper Offset – the father of her three kids – from whom she filed for divorce earlier this year.
She claims he cheated several times, and on Instagram Live she said: “Thank you for my kids though, all three of them. I don’t regret none of them but I regret you.”
Lady Gaga sings about feeling “broken” on new single Happy Mistake.
Alongside Folie a Deux – which takes its name from the upcoming Joker film she stars in – the track is one of two new songs on her album Harlequin, out today.
She wept as she played Happy Mistake at a listening party in London on Wednesday evening.
On it, Gaga sings: “A lonely disposition, portraits of a strung-out girl.
“How’d I get so addicted to the love of the whole world. I could try to hide behind the make-up but the show must go on.”
The album, released as a companion to the flick, also features covers of songs by The Carpenters and Frank Sinatra. The film, in which she plays DC villain Harley Quinn, drops next Friday.
She is certainly keeping her fans entertained, as she has promised that the lead single from her next album will be out next month, before the full record in February.
Damiano brings a solo silverline-ing
Maneskin frontman Damiano David has gone solo and released his debut solo single Silverlines.
It is out today and a marked departure from the Italian band’s rock sound that won Eurovision in 2021. Damiano teamed up with Labrinth for the track.
Kylie Minogue has her new single Lights, Camera, Action out today, while soul star and pianist Alexis Ffrench releases his album Classical Soul Vol. 1.
Musical fans are also in for a treat as there is a new offering from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The 2024 staging of Starlight Express features a fresh song called Hydrogen, performed by new character Hydra, and that is out on streaming platforms today.
Chappell fans lost the love
Chappell Roan prides herself on creating a safe space at her concerts for all walks of life.
And when I attended the first night of her three-date sell-out run at O2 Academy Brixton in South London this month, it was one of the most inclusive nights I have ever been to.
But despite cheers and whoops as the Hot To Go singer spoke about the importance of love and tolerance, her fans appear unable to put the advice of their idol, below, into practice.
I found out the hard way that anyone who so much as dares to mutter anything against the singer is public enemy No1.
And take it from me, they make Taylor Swift’s notoriously protective fans look like angels.
For more than 24 hours, Chappell’s army tried to batter me into silence.
My crime? Calling her a “bit of a grump” after gushing over her vocals and stage presence.
I tweeted: “Can’t say I was counting down the minutes to Chappell Roan’s London gig last night but I was well and truly won over … amazing voice and stage presence … I just wish she wasn’t so much of a grump day to day.”
I only have 6,500 followers on X, but within a matter of minutes her spy-like fans had sniffed it out and pounced. Gone are the days where you can have a healthy debate about music and artists and still remain friends. Now is the age of “stan wars” – overzealous and outright aggressive fans who want to obliterate anyone who has a difference in taste.
My humble tweet was subjected to more than 12,000 angry engagements. Some even warned me that my days were numbered.
Of course, nearly all were nameless accounts with profiles resembling shrines to the singer that would make even Kim Jong Un blush.
“I’m gonna leave a package in your mailbox, don’t worry about the ticking,” one fan wrote menacingly. Another vented: “I think she should put explosives in your home.” Chillingly I lost track of the amount of times I was told: “Suicide kills six men a day, you can make it seven.” I even spotted one girl with “Be Kind” in her X bio as she called me a string of names impossible to print in this newspaper.
While I applaud Chappell for speaking out and trying to use her platform for good, she’s got a long road ahead if she wants to make the world a nicer place.
Good luck babe!
By Jack Harwick
Jack’s gout of danger
Jack Whitehall had a wake-up call when he almost developed gout shortly after becoming a dad.
He later got in shape for his upcoming thriller series Malice but was warned about his risk of developing the painful arthritic condition, which is typically due to an unhealthy lifestyle and diet.
Jack whose daughter Elsie was born a year ago, told Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast: “The dad bod had set in and I was drinking wine every night. I went to a doctor and he told me I had pre-gout – that was a big wake-up call.
“My dad had gout and I have made jokes about him having gout relentlessly on our shows.
“But now I am post pre-gout, I am proud to say. And I didn’t have gout.”
The Cure are making a grand return with their first new album in 16 years.
Songs Of A Lost World will be out on November 1.
The band previewed tracks from the 14th album on their latest tour and have now dropped the first song, called Alone.
Frontman Robert Smith said: “It’s the track that unlocked the record.”
Janet in tribute to brothers
Janet Jackson fought through grief to kick off her European tour on Wednesday – just ten days after the death of her older brother Tito.
The What Have You Done For Me Lately singer, below, performed at the Accor Arena in Paris.
During the performance she paid tribute to Tito, along with her other late brother Michael and dad Joe, by beaming black and white images of them on screens.
Naomi Campbell was in the crowd along with her new boyfriend, DJ Rampa, after I revealed last month that they were an item.
Janet’s Together Again tour arrives in the UK tonight when she plays Birmingham, before concerts in London and Manchester – tickets for which are still on sale.
