Coldplay axes tour plans over pollution fears

LONDON, United Kingdom — Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said on Thursday the band had shelved plans to go on tour to promote their latest album over concerns about the environmental impact of concerts.

The band's new album, "Everyday Life", is being released on Friday but its members have decided to play only two gigs, both in the Jordanian capital Amman, which will be broadcast free on YouTube.

They will play at sunrise and sunset to mirror the two sides of the new album, according to the BBC.

Martin told the broadcaster they had chosen the Middle Eastern country because it was "in the middle of the world" and in a region they "normally don't get to play". 

"We're taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable (but) how can it be actively beneficial," Martin said in an interview.

Coldplay played 122 shows around the world across eight legs as part of the tour for their last album, "A Head Full of Dreams".

Martin said if the band do eventually hit the road for the new release, they hope the tour could be entirely carbon neutral.

"The hardest thing is the flying side of things," he added. 

"But, for example, our dream is to have a show with no single use plastic, to have it largely solar powered."

"Everyday Life" is Coldplay's eighth studio album. 

The band drew attention last month to its launch by revealing the tracks in the classified adverts section of a local newspaper in Wales.

Meanwhile it is set to perform another one-off concert next Monday at London's Natural History Museum, with the proceeds donated to an environmental charity.