record_label lucky man 
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in ___MASK44___ by lead vocalist and keyboardist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London ( UCL ). After they formed under the name Pectoralz , Guy Berryman joined the group as bassist and they changed their name to Starfish . Will Champion joined as drummer and backing vocalist , completing the performing line - up . Creative Director Phil Harvey is often referred to as the official fifth member by the band . The band renamed themselves " Coldplay " in 1998 , before recording and releasing three EPs : " Safety " in 1998 , " Brothers & Sisters " as a single in 1999 , and " The Blue Room " in the same year . " The Blue Room " was their first release on a major label , after signing to ___MASK80___ . `` Lucky Man '' is a song by ___MASK55___ rock band The Verve . It was written by singer Richard Ashcroft . The song was released as the third single from the band ' s third ___MASK88___ , Urban Hymns ( 1997 ) . It was released on 24 November 1997 , charting at # 7 on the UK Singles Chart . The song was also the band ' s second Top 20 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States . In Australia , `` Lucky Man '' peaked at # 60 on the ARIA singles chart . The ___MASK68___ of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the ___MASK68___ ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north - western coast of the European mainland , it includes the island of Great Britain ( the name of which is also loosely applied to the whole country ), the north - eastern part of the island of Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland . Apart from this land border , the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south - south - west , giving it the 12th - longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of , the UK is the 78th - largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th - largest in Europe . It is also the 21st - most populous country , with an estimated 65 . 1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth most densely populated country in the ___MASK11___ . Simon Tong ( born 9 July 1972 ) is an ___MASK55___ guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of The Verve between ___MASK44___ and 1999 and is currently a member of Erland and the Carnival and Transmission . He has also played on tour with Blur , Gorillaz and the unnamed supergroup responsible for The Good , the Bad & the Queen . He ranks in ___MASK91___ ' s " The Axe Factor " as the 40th greatest guitarist of the latest 30 years . Richard Paul Ashcroft ( born 11 September 1971 ) is an ___MASK55___ singer and songwriter . He was the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their original split in 1999 . He became a successful solo artist in his own right , releasing three UK top three solo albums . The Verve reformed in 2007 but again broke up by summer 2009 . Ashcroft then founded a new band , RPA & The United Nations of Sound , and released a new album on 19 July 2010 . On 22 February 2016 Ashcroft announced his fourth solo album , " These People ", set for release 20 May 2016 . Chris Martin of Coldplay has described Ashcroft as " the best singer in the world ". Peter Anthony Salisbury ( born 24 September 1971 ) is an ___MASK55___ rock drummer , best known as the drummer for The Verve , whom he co - founded in 1989 . The Verve were an ___MASK55___ rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft , guitarist Nick McCabe , bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury . Guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong became a member at a later date . VC Recordings trading as ___MASK84___ was a British record label brand which was started in 1990 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Records . Despite being wholly owned by a major label , it was classed as an independent label for the purposes of the UK Indie Chart due to the independent distribution , which was used by Virgin as a means of gaining exposure for new acts . Christopher Anthony John " Chris " Martin ( born 2 March 1977 ) is a British singer , songwriter , ___MASK34___ producer , and multi - instrumentalist . He is the co - founder and lead singer of the British alternative rock band Coldplay . Born in Whitestone , near Exeter in Devon , Martin went to University College London where he formed a rock band with fellow musician Jonny Buckland in ___MASK44___ called Pectoralz , which was eventually renamed Coldplay in 1998 . Urban Hymns is the third ___MASK88___ by ___MASK55___ alternative rock band The Verve , released on 29 September 1997 on ___MASK84___ . It earned nearly unanimous critical praise upon its release , and went on to become the band ' s best - selling release and one of the biggest selling albums of the year . As of 2015 , " Urban Hymns " is ranked the 18th best - selling album in UK chart history and has sold over ten million copies worldwide . Alternative rock ( also called alternative music , alt - rock or simply alternative ) is a genre of ___MASK85___ that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s and 2000s . In this instance , the word " alternative " refers to the genre ' s distinction from mainstream ___MASK85___ . The term ' s original meaning was broader , referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent , D . I . Y . ethos of punk rock , which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music . At times , " alternative " has been used as a catch - all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition , or for any music , whether rock or not , that is seen to be descended from punk rock ( including some examples of punk itself , as well as new wave , and post - punk ). The Official Charts Company ( previously known as the Chart Information Network ( CIN ) The Official UK Charts Company and also referred to Official Charts ) is a British inter - professional organisation that compiles various " official " ___MASK34___ charts in the ___MASK68___ , including the UK Singles Chart , the UK Albums Chart , the UK Singles Downloads Chart and the UK Album Downloads Chart , as well as genre - specific and music video charts . The OCC produces its charts by gathering and combining sales data from retailers through market researchers Millward Brown , and claims to cover 99 % of the singles market and 95 % of the album market , and aims to collect data from any retailer who sells more than 100 chart items per week . Nicholas " Nick " John McCabe ( born 14 July 1971 ) is an ___MASK55___ musician best known as the lead guitarist of The Verve . The ___MASK6___ ( currently entitled Official Singles Chart ) is compiled by the Official Charts Company ( OCC ), on behalf of the British ___MASK34___ industry , listing the top - selling singles in the ___MASK68___ , based upon physical sales , paid - for downloads and streaming . To be eligible for the chart , a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company ( OCC ) as either a ' single bundle ' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence . The rules have changed many times as technology has developed , the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2005 and streaming in 2014 .