Coldplay Announce First 2011 Festival Dates

Coldplay, among a number of acts being hotly tipped to play next year's Glastonbury, have announced their first dates of 2011 by confirming that they'll play at two festivals (reports the NME.)

As the general hand-wringing, heated debate and flurry of rumours surrounding potential headliners continues unabated, German festival fans can smile smugly; Rock Am Ring at the Nürburgring and Nürnberg's Rock Im Park have already moved to announce that Coldplay, and Kings of Leon, will be playing the simultaneous events taking place on June 3 to 5. Whilst the Followill brothers have already announced seven dates in the UK and Ireland next summer -- including a headlining Isle of Wight Festival appearance -- these are the first major announcements from Coldplay, fuelling anticipation that a Glastonbury confirmation will also be forthcoming. Thus far the only other dates in their live schedule are two sold-out hidden gigs in Liverpool and Newcastle on Dec. 19 and 20 of this year, for the homeless charity Crisis.

Speculation that the group would headline Glastonbury began before 2010's event had even happened, as back in May Spinner reported organiser Michael Eavis saying that ''they've played four or five times already but they'll be back next year, I'm sure." Other names touted to play include U2, Prince and a recently reformed Pulp, who resultantly had their headlining odds slashed from 10/1 to 5/2 by William Hill.

Coldplay's fifth album is expected in the new year.