Coldplay have announced the support acts that will joining them for their much-anticipated concerts in Hull – including a local star.
The band’s Music Of The Spheres tour is heading to Craven Park for two sold-out gigs on August 18 and 19. Hull’s own Chiedu Oraka, who was named Best Newcomer at the Northern Music Awards earlier this year and performed at Glastonbury in 2024, will be on stage on both nights.
Hip-hop star Chiedu, who was born and raised on a Hull estate, is known for his high-octane performances and impactful social poetry. He has rapped about life in the city and has previously performed at Humber Street Sesh and Radio One’s Big Weekend with his tracks getting millions of streams on Spotify.
Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr will also be taking to the stage at Craven Park. She released her second album, The Year I Turned 21, in 2024 and collaborated with Coldplay on their latest album Moon Music on the song Good Feelings.
The Chris Martin-fronted band announced they would be performing in Hull for the first time ever last year, prompting a huge buzz of excitement throughout the area. It was seen as a huge coup for the city, with the two nights at Craven Park and ten dates at London’s Wembley Stadium being Coldplay’s only European stops on their current world tour.
At the time of the announcement, Paul Lakin, chief executive at Hull KR, whose home is Sewell Group Craven Park, said: “We are truly delighted to bring the world’s biggest band to east Hull. Sewell Group Craven Park will be rocking for two consecutive nights for the biggest show the city has ever seen.
(Image: Chiedu Oraka)
“We can’t wait to proudly represent the whole region and North of England, as part of the only European dates announced outside of London. The stadium is no stranger to big acts, with Hull’s very own Beautiful South selling out 25,000 tickets in our 2017 City of Culture year, alongside other major concerts from The Who, Little Mix, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones.
“However this is on another level, with Coldplay bringing their full, and same production that will be inside Wembley Stadium, nothing will be scaled back. We have a fantastic relationship with SJM Concerts, and we’d like to place on record our thanks to them for making this happen, for what is set to be two very special nights.”
Fifty percent of the tickets for the Hull shows were sold to fans with local postcodes.
Coldplay said 10 per cent of the proceeds from the shows will be donated to the Music Venue Trust, which supports grassroots venues and artists around the country.