Coldplay’s Guy Berryman takes band’s plan to stop at 12 albums “with a pinch of salt”

Coldplay’s Guy Berryman has opened up about the band’s plan to stop at 12 albums, saying that he is taking the plan “with a pinch of salt”.

• READ MORE: Exclusive: Coldplay: “When things appear overwhelmingly positive, that’s often because it’s what the singer needs most”

Speaking to NME back in 2021, frontman Chris Martin revealed that Coldplay were looking to release their final album in 2025. Later, he elaborated on his comments, revealing his plan for the band’s catalogue to end after 12 albums.

Then, speaking to NME earlier this year, he shared more details and explained how the end of the band’s time writing new music is fast approaching. “Right now, and since about 2008, if something lands in me as a song or as a good idea and it feels authentic, we’ll do it. It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks,” he said, explaining where the band are at now.

“It is 12 albums for sure, but we’re going to be a bit later than that,” he explained exclusively to NME in his only written interview for the release of new album ‘Moon Music’.  “There’s one more thing, which is a musical. [That’s] album number 11, but that might have to come out after album 12 because of how long musicals take to animate.

“Our last single is on this album, and that’s called ‘All My Love’. That’s the last ‘single’ single. We have the musical thing, then an album just called ‘Coldplay’, which is the final one. I think that will be a year late – I know it will be.”

He continued: “The 12 album thing is very real, and it’s a nice feeling. It doesn’t mean we won’t tour or finish some compilation things or outtakes or whatever. It just means that the main story is told. That’s just what feels really right. Just knowing that’s happening supercharges all the work we’re doing now.”

Now, speaking to Rolling Stone as part of their January cover issue, Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman discussed Martin’s plan of wrapping up the band’s catalogue at 12 albums and said: “Chris is never going to stop writing, so I kind of take it with a little bit of a pinch of salt.”

He continued: “We’re still years away from any kind of retirement. But I think you have to have a plan. If you’re running a marathon, you know you have to run 26 miles. But if somebody said to you, ‘OK, start running and just don’t stop,’ it’s quite hard to motivate yourself.”

Martin also opened up to Rolling Stone about how he wants to pay “homage” to the Coldplay songs that were created throughout the decades but did not “fit within the ‘picture frame’ of any given album”.

“One day we’ll do a thing called ‘Alphabetica’, which will be lots of outtakes and songs that didn’t fit anywhere, but we’ll release them in a compendium. We’ll do a song that begins with A, and one that begins with B, because there’s enough to do that —we don’t have any spare songs with Q. That’s the one I’m stuck with,” he said.

He also shared that their self-titled album – which will serve as their 12 and final LP – will link back to their first EP, sharing: “The cover of the album, I’ve known it since 1999. It’s a photograph by the same photographer that took the photo that’s the cover of our first EP,” and explained that the LP will serve as a kind “homecoming” to that original Coldplay sound.

Elsewhere in NME‘s exclusive interview with Martin, the frontman shared that the deadline of the 12 albums has led to the members having “more hunger” in their approach, and are determined to make sure they don’t “dilute” anything they put forward. He also reassured fans that by the time the 12th album is complete, “everything will make sense” in terms of Coldplay’s story.

As for how the band intend to move forward after their 12th and final album, the ‘Clocks’ singer said that the band won’t be coming to an end, but instead focusing on aspects outside of songwriting.

In other news, Coldplay are set to embark on a 2025 UK tour next summer and will take over London’s Wembley Stadium for a 10-night run. Check out a full list of tour dates below and visit here to purchase tickets.

Due to phenomenal demand in the presale, ninth and tenth Wembley Stadium shows have just been announced, for 7 & 8 September, 2025.

The presale for these extra shows will begin at 2.30pm BST today, to those with presale access.

The presale for the first eight Wembley shows has… pic.twitter.com/0S1NHKfTWo

— Coldplay (@coldplay) September 26, 2024

Coldplay’s 2025 ‘Music Of The Spheres’ European and UK tour dates are:

AUGUST 2025

18 – Hull, Craven Park Stadium

19 – Hull, Craven Park Stadium

22 – London, Wembley Stadium

23 – London, Wembley Stadium

26 – London, Wembley Stadium

27 – London, Wembley Stadium

30 – London, Wembley Stadium

31 – London, Wembley Stadium

SEPTEMBER 2025 

3 – London, Wembley Stadium

4 – London, Wembley Stadium

7 – London, Wembley Stadium

8 – London, Wembley Stadium

The band have also promised that 10 per cent of their proceeds will be donated to the Music Venue Trust – helping to keep UK grassroots music venues open and fighting for the survival and development of upcoming artists.