I don’t care what anyone says - Chris Martin is a genius. Some of the songs he has written will live on for years, and have already punctuated many people’s lives by signifying events or key moments. Sure, some of his songs are quite generic, which is why he’s been accused of plagiarism on a couple of occasions, but it doesn’t matter because they are still top quality.

In actual fact, I think it’s a sign of a good songwriter when he or she soaks up influences around them, which is all anyone can really ever accuse Martin of having done. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Joe Satriani, and get off your high horse while you’re at it.

Why am I suddenly defending Chris Martin? Well, because he was recently asked by The Sun newspaper whether he would ever go solo. Which, let’s face it, he could do quite easily. I don’t want it to happen because Coldplay are one of the best British bands there has ever been, and thankfully Martin also feels the same way. He also made mention of his touring habits and how the next Coldplay album is shaping up.

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Coldplay are, for my money at least, one of the finest purveyors of guitar-based pop music around at the moment. And they’re British, which makes me particularly happy, especially as in other fields the UK sucks.

However, Coldplay seem to be getting accused of being nothing more than plagiarizing copycats at the moment, all of it directed at their song, Viva La Vida. With two artists claiming ownership of the original idea for the melody, I smell a rat.

Way back in December of last year, Joe Satriani went public with his claim that Viva La Vida directly plagiarized his 2004 single If I Could Fly. Satriani is suing the band for all profits made from the track claiming the band stole “substantial original portions” of his composition.

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Most bands get to the end of a tour and wonder how they can make more money from the fans who have supported them. They usually end up chucking out an overpriced live album which isn’t really that good anyway.

Not so with Coldplay. Chris Martin and co. have today announced they will be releasing a live album of the Viva La Vida tour, but this one, bizarrely titled LeftRightLeftRightLeft, will be absolutely free, both in physical and digital formats.

Anyone attending a Coldplay concert in 2009 will receive the CD for free, given to them at the gig. The rest of us can head on over to Coldplay.com and download the exact same album for free from May 15.

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The annual Glastonbury music festival is one of the biggest in the world, both in terms of the number of people who attend, and the worldwide acclaim for the event. The man behind it all? Step forward Michael Eavis, the dairy farmer turned festival supremo.

Eavis, now 73-years-old, started holding the Glastonbury festival in 1971 after being inspired by Led Zeppelin’s performance at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music the previous year. It’s since been held every year or two and grown bigger and bolder.

As the founder of the festival, Michael Eavis has made the 2009 TIME 100, a list of the most influential people on Earth. Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, wrote the tribute piece explaining why Eavis deserved his place on the list.

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The last two years have seen a slew of British groups reform, some in order to give the fans what they want, and some in order to make a quick buck (cough Spice Girls cough). But there are still many bands resisting the urge, and the calls from fans to reunite.

This lead me to ask: Which group would you most like to see reform? Most of the answers were predictable, as was the share of voting, but there were a few surprises. First, the results in full.

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20:31 - Coldplay perform Viva La Vida live - the single not the album. They’re wearing those bizarre revolutionary outfits again. The set looks incredible and Chris Martin sounds fantastic as usual.

20:34 - Fearne again, this time chatting to Jamie Oliver and Jamie Cullum, two of the most annoying people known to man. Tempted to turn off for the two minutes this trio are on my screen.

20:41 - Matthew Horne perving Kylie - he does the act very well. Natalie Imbruglia on stage to present the award for ‘International Group’. And the winner is… Kings of Leon, and rightly so. They may look like a bunch of tramps dragged in off the street but they’re pure class.

20:45 - A joke about Craig David - harsh but true. The two Jamies on stage to present the award for ‘British Male Solo Artist’. And the winner is… Paul Weller. Surprise surprise, it seems as though the bookies were right and the winners list did leak. Weller not there to accept the award but appears on video alongside Adele.

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There’s one huge story obviously dominating news of the Grammy Awards 2009 - Chris Brown being arrested for allegedly assaulting Rihanna. But that’s been covered to the nth degree in various different places, and the full details have yet to emerge.

So, as is my remit here at Brit Music Scene, I’d like instead to focus on the good that came out of this year’s ceremony. Several British artists went home with awards on the night, and they deserve the plaudits they are receiving.

Last year’s Grammy Awards were all about one British artist in particular, with Amy Winehouse winning five honors. She also performed live via satellite without screwing up, leading many of us to believe she was on the road to recovery. But that wasn’t to be.

The Grammy Awards 2009 saw the range of British artists winning much more diverse, and that’s a great indicator of the healthy state of British music at this point in time.

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The UK has produced an inordinate number of talented songwriters over the past 50 years, especially when you consider the small size of the population. But who are the best of the best? Who are the people whose songs have shaped and defined Britain through music?

Artists come and go all the time, one bad album and that can be it. But the ones that endure, either staying together for years (Oasis, Rolling Stones) or whose music lives on for generations (The Beatles) are the ones who are capable of pumping out magical song after magical song.

Songwriting is a special talent that generally cannot be taught. Which is why those manufactured stars from reality shows such as The X Factor have to rely on dedicated word smiths and musicians to write their songs for them.

According to Digital Spy, OnePoll recently carried out a survey to find people’s opinion as to Britain’s greatest songwriter. The results stand up as a testament to the incredible range of talented songwriters the UK possesses, but the winner may be a surprise to some.

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The story of Decca turning down The Beatles is very well-known but the most famous British group ever were also turned down by HMV and Columbia before finally being signed. Who signed them? Parlophone, a label dedicated to novelty acts. Wow.

While Coldplay aren’t quite as big as The Beatles, they are a very important British band, as are Blur. And it’s now come to light that the two groups are inextricably linked forever by the fact that Blur bassist Alex James turned Coldplay down when he had his own record label.

James revealed the slip-up himself in an interview with The Sun. But he then went further and dismissed Coldplay as a group altogether. He either believes this or he’s saying it now in order to save face for turning down one of the best signings he could ever have made.

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It’s that time of year again when The Brit Awards reign supreme. Unlike the critics-lead Mercury Music Prize, the Brits tend to follow popularity and sales, both in nominations and the eventual winners.

Here is the full list of nominations for the Brit Awards 2009, along with my choice and my prediction for winner. They very rarely match up. There are few surprises in the list, with Coldplay and Duffy leading the fight with four nominations each. How Scouting For Girls managed three nominations remains a mystery.

British Male Solo Artist

Ian Brown
James Morrison
Paul Weller
The Streets
Will Young

My Choice: Will Young
My Prediction: The Streets

British Female Solo Artist

Adele
Beth Rowley
Duffy
Estelle
M.I.A.

My Choice: Duffy
My Prediction: Adele

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