Cute Young Things

A rising star in its native Britain, Coldplay is the kinder, gentler alternative to Radiohead

It is a law of the universe that every era has its cute British rock band and its brooding British rock band. The early '60s had the cuddly Beatles and the roguish Rolling Stones; the '70s and '80s had the romantic Police and the revolutionary Clash; the '90s had jocular Oasis and snide Blur. Since Radiohead, the band infamously given to brooding, has emerged as the most prominent British rock export of the early '00s, the rise of a cute alternative has seemed almost inevitable.

Meet Coldplay--singer Chris Martin, 23; guitarist Jonny Buckland, 23; bassist Guy Berryman, 22; and drummer Will...

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