Coldplay appear to have just announced a huge concert in Manchester through a hidden message in their latest music video.
The British rock band released the video for Humankind last night, which features footage from their stadium show in Mexico City.
At the very beginning of the video, a drone whizzes around the quiet city streets – but all is not quite as it seems.
Did that taxi passing by have ‘Amsterdam’ written on it? Why is there a poster in the train station advertising Cardiff? And who has scrawled Barcelona in the graffiti under the bridge?
The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it easter eggs and clues in Humankind also mention cities including Coimbra, Milan, Naples, Zurich, Gothenburg and Copenhagen.
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If Coldplay’s fans are to be believed, this is the group announcing new 2023 tour dates across Europe – and Manchester looks to be on the cards.
A teaser for Zurich in the new Coldplay video.
I have neither the time nor the patience to decode the scrambled symbols scrolling around on screen, but one clever sod on Twitter has done the work for us.
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They found that it contained a potted history of Coldplay’s 26-year career, as well as venues around Europe.
COLDPLAY SEARCH
AMSTERDAM
ETIHAD STADIUM
AND RECEIVED A BRIT AWARD FOR BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR A GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM AS WELL AS A MERCURY PRIZE NOMINATED pic.twitter.com/g5xIbWrbGI
If their decoding work is to be believed, Coldplay are going to perform at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
It’s great news for Mancs, as the band skipped our city on their current tour, which has included six sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium as well as dates in Glasgow.
Coldplay are famously big fans of a cryptic message, even inventing their own language to tease details of their most recent album, Music of the Spheres.
And now it looks like they’re dropping a trail of breadcrumbs for their next tour too.
Watch this space…
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Iconic Salford music venue and nightclub The White Hotel is closing
Daisy Jackson
The White Hotel, one of Greater Manchester’s most cutting-edge and best-loved nightlife venues, is closing its doors for good.
The White Hotel is a go-to haunt for Mancs seeking a late-night (or indeed, all-night) dance, with a packed programme of music running year-round.
The independent arts venue opened inside a former garage in Salford, just outside Manchester city centre and in the shadow of HMP Manchester.
Not only has The White Hotel defined Greater Manchester’s modern nightlife scene, but it’s become known globally as one of the best underground nightclubs on the planet.
Known for its raw DIY atmosphere and boundary-pushing line-ups, the Salford venue up there among the UK’s most respected club spaces.
But despite ‘continuing to draw full houses’, The White Hotel will close in January, according to The Guardian.
Ben Ward told the paper that the venue has found itself in a flood-risk zone, saying: “Basically, it’s a swamp.”
He added that it was better ‘to go out on our own terms, long before we became a museum’.
When The White Hotel opened in 2015, they planned to stick around for a year, then move to LA – but now a decade on, it’s cemented itself on Manchester’s club scene.
The area where The White Hotel stands will become a wetland park.
Neither artistic director Austin Collings nor Ward are ‘sentimental about losing the premises’, The Guardian wrote, quoting Ward as saying: “It’s come as a surprise that it’s lasted this long anyway.”
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
Daisy Jackson
Festival-goers have been warned not to take wheelie bins full of alcohol to festivals with them this summer.
The warning has come ahead of this year’s Download Festival, which takes place next month and kicks off the summer’s biggest run of festival dates.
But a major train operator has said there have been incidents in the past of passengers trying to travel to festivals with wheelie bins and luggage trolleys.
Passengers have had to be reminded that wheelie bins are not permitted on board, and they should instead only carry as much luggage as they can comfortably carry.
The warning comes from East Midlands Railway, one of the key services that will whisk people to Download Festival between 10 and 14 June.
Customers returning from the festival are also encouraged to use boot-cleaning brushes provided at stations to help remove mud before boarding trains.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We’re encouraging customers to travel light.
“Last year, some festive goers tried to board services with wheelie bins or festival trolleys full of beer. While it might seem like a great idea for getting your supplies to the festival, it just isn’t safe or possible to bring them onboard train services.”
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
EMR has also warned customers to plan journeys in advance, with engineering work taking place at various locations on the Midland Main Line, near where Download Festival takes place.
She continued: “We’re advising customers travelling to Download Festival to plan their journeys in advance and be aware that essential engineering work will affect services across the weekend.
“As a result, some services will be reduced or amended, and passengers should check before they travel and allow extra time.”
Daisy Jackson -
18th August 2022 
