Coldplay are a British alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin

Chris Martin

Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...

 and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland

Jonny Buckland

Jonathan Mark "Jonny" Buckland is an English guitarist and musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the band Coldplay.-Early life:...

 at University College London

University College London

University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...

. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman

Guy Berryman

Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician known as the bassist for the groups Coldplay and Apparatjik. Berryman is left-handed but chooses to play the bass right-handed.-Coldplay:...

 joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion

Will Champion

William "Will" Champion is an English musician and the drummer of rock band Coldplay.-Early life:William Champion was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England, and was brought up in Highfield, Southampton, where his father, Timothy Champion, is a professor of archaeology...

 joined as a drummer, backing vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, completing the line-up. Manager Phil Harvey

Phil Harvey (manager)

Phil Harvey is the former manager and sometime 'creative director' of the English rock group Coldplay....

 is often considered an unofficial fifth member. The band renamed themselves "Coldplay" in 1998, before recording and releasing three EPs; Safety in 1998, Brothers & Sisters

Brothers & Sisters (song)

"Brothers & Sisters" is a song by Coldplay, released as their first single in 1999 following the Safety EP, released a year earlier. It was later re-released as an EP....

as a single in 1999 and The Blue Room in the same year.