Chris Martin Has The Stage Presence Of A Marsupial

Posted at 4:30 PM Oct 27, 2008

By Kenny Herzog

Special breaking alert: Thanks (or curses) to the DVR gods, I just caught a belated glimpse of Coldplay's SNL performance this past weekend. And frontman/Gwyneth Platrow's non-Mario Batali muse, Chris Martin, somehow made both Ashlee Simpson and Sarah Palin's appearances on the program seem less than awkward.

During the group's rendition of "Viva La Vida," (alas, the above bootlegged live clip will have to suffice for now) Martin did a lot of hopping around like he was pressing his feet against hot coals, bizarre yelping, and strained attempts to rally the audience to his level of fervor. A level that could best be described as seeming inebriated, with a dose of feral regression.

I realize that over the years Martin has developed an increasing sense of himself as a "performer" and not just a mop-topped English indie rock whisperer. But man, oh man, can you say awkward? Thank god there's normally a much larger chasm between the band and their audience, and a lot of fancy lights and blaring sounds to obscure his little jigs and non-sequitir cat calls.