Coldplay perform Luton Town tribute song at Radio 1’s Big Weekend

Coldplay thrilled fans with a special song called Orange dedicated to Luton Town Football Club during its set at Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

The group, fronted by Chris Martin, headlined the festival at Stockwood Park, in Luton.

There had been a campaign by local football fans for the group to change the lyrics of its song Yellow to Orange. Instead Martin performed an ode to the town.

It referenced The Hatters playing in orange, while the team’s rivals Watford wear yellow.

During the performance, the frontman told the audience to “trust” him as he started to perform Yellow.

After the hit song, he performed one more before announcing that was the end of the “official set”.

He then explained to the crowd that a month ago he had heard people in Luton might be concerned if he sang yellow.

To huge cheers, he introduced the new song he said he had finished in his hotel room the night before.

The song opened with the lyric: “It’s hard to be a football fan here in Luton Town FC.”

And he went on to sing: “We didn’t win all our matches, we didn’t win the cup.

“But when you get knocked down in Luton you always get back up.”

It also mentioned the rivalry with Watford and encouraged unity among football fans.

BBC Three Counties radio presenter Justin Dealey, who started the campaign alongside Luton resident Bex Jones, said: “I knew something special was coming.”

Martina Skalecki who was born in Luton and watched Coldplay with her boyfriend, described it as “the most beautiful night of my life”.

“The song he played at the end for Luton was epic,” she added.

“I literally can’t get over that, it was beautiful scenes, it was so lovely.”

Luton fan Bhajan admitted he did not know about the campaign to change the song lyrics to yellow but said it “made sense” considering the Watford rivalry.

He said: “When I found out he made that new song ‘Orange’ for us, that is unbelievable”

Another fan, who was wearing an orange Luton shirt, joined his family in singing the lyrics, with one expressing shock that “Coldplay said Luton”.