Holly PhillipsEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Coldplace
Tribute band Coldplace, formed in the early 2000s, have performed in about 40 countries
The past year was a big one for Coldplay, completing a world tour – which included dates in Hull – that was enjoyed by millions. It also happened to be a stellar year for a tribute band from the other side of the Humber.
Back in the early 2000s, Shane Crofts from Grimsby looked at the stars burst onto the musical scene, packing out arenas across the country and topping the charts, and he saw how Coldplay’s celestial music could also shine for him.
Shane, left mesmerised by Coldplay’s melancholic sounds and deep-meaning lyrics on debut studio album, Parachutes, formed the tribute band Coldplace because, he says, he “just wanted to play music by Coldplay”.
Getty Images
Coldplay performed two shows at Craven Park in Hull in August
Today, Shane – the band’s lead singer – is joined by his brother Asa Crofts on bass guitar, Dean Stewart on lead guitar, and drummer Wayne Birch.
Together, they have turned their love for Coldplay’s ballads into their own version of something beautiful, which has seen them perform in dozens of countries and earn their own fans across the globe.
“Our goal was just to basically perform at any venue that we really wanted but we didn’t imagine going out of town,” says Shane, 48.
“We didn’t imagine playing to so many countries that we have.”
Coldplace have performed in around 40 countries, including playing to 10,000 fans in India.
“We got chased down the street!” says Shane, recalling that experience. “Hopefully that’s not because of a bad performance!”
They secured a gig in San Francisco after a woman failed to get Coldplay because they were busy, adds Shane.
Riding in the wake of Coldplay’s success, Coldplace have spent the past year playing to thousands on their UK and Netherlands tours, with extra dates taking them as far away as Latvia and Spain.
But amid a packed year of gigs, some of the band managed to take a well-earned night off to watch their idols perform in Hull.
Coldplace
Coldplace have a busy 2026, with 150 shows, including one in Grimsby
Thanks to an invite from Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman, Shane and his family were able to take in the sell-out show – one of just a dozen UK dates on the band’s European Music of the Spheres tour.
Shane was even invited to the after-show party, where he was able to reunite with Chris Martin.
“It’s always surreal when I meet him,” he says.
“It was my son’s dream to say hello and he got to also say hi to Chris at the after show.”
Shane claims the band is so convincing his children think it is him when real Coldplay music is played.
“They’re at the age when they listen to the radio and they think it’s Daddy,” he says, laughing.
“They’re going to be disappointed when they find out, but they’re not that old yet.
“I feel for them because they say to their school friends, ‘My dad’s in Coldplay and this is their song on the radio'”.
Shane and his bandmates crossed paths with Coldplay when they were invited to appear in the band’s 2020 music video Cry Cry Cry.
The video, which now has more than 9.7m views on YouTube, was shot at the Rivoli Ballroom in London.
Shane says: “We did that gig, drove home, then sat down and thought wow, that was a crazy weekend.”
Shane says the band donated their expenses and fees to the charity the video was raising money for because they were “just very happy to do the video”.
The future is busy for the band, with 150 shows in 2026, including one in Hull, followed by one in their hometown of Grimsby in November, and bookings in 2027 and 2028.
Some fans who hoped to see Coldplay in Hull in August were left “gutted” after missing out on tickets due to ticket touts buying and reselling tickets for as much as £2,916.
Shane says: “We don’t have the cost of what Coldplay have with the stage stuff but we try to give people an idea of what hopefully a Coldplay concert should feel like on a smaller basis.”
He adds seeing Coldplace is a way to “experience the music until Coldplay come back around”.
