Luton boss joins calls for Coldplay 'orange' change

Rob Edwards said the idea to change Coldplay's lyrics "sounds good to me"

Both the mayor of Luton and the Hatters' manager have backed calls for Coldplay to change the lyrics of one of their biggest hits when they headline at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in the town in May.

Lutonians are pressing for the band to change the word "yellow" in their breakthrough hit of the same name to "orange" when they perform - because yellow is the colour of Watford FC, Luton Town's local rivals.

Luton boss Rob Edwards, who also previously managed Watford, laughed as he told BBC Three Counties Radio: "Yeah that'd be great, I don't want to say the wrong thing... it sounds good to me."

Mayor Mohammed Yaqub Hanif added: "The future's bright, the future's orange."

Released in 2000, Yellow remains one of Coldplay's best-known songs

Luton's mayor explained: "The colour yellow is the sign of cowardice and there's a certain team down the road."

The Labour politician said he had tickets to see Coldplay and encouraged the band to make the lyrical colour change.

"It'll be nice but I can't say 'you got to do it'."

Coldplay close the weekend in Stockwood Park on Sunday, 26 May.

• Listen: The case for changing Yellow to Orange

The BBC has asked the band or its management to comment on the orange lyric request, but is yet to receive a reply.

The first documented match between Watford and Luton Town took place in 1885.

Since then the sides have travelled the 17 miles (27km) up and down the M1 for 122 matches - the most-recent being a 2-0 win for Luton as they headed for promotion last season.

However, local bragging rights were shared across the season, because Watford won 4-0 at Vicarage Road.

Luton Town has used orange as one of their kit colours since 1973

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend was first announced by presenter Greg James live from the Hatters' home ground, Kenilworth Road.

The reveal followed a positive year for Luton, which saw the football club promoted to the Premier League.

Edwards said both promotion and the music festival demonstrate how the town is moving from strength to strength.

"Regardless of what happens to us at the end of the season, we are as a football club on the way up and I think the town bounces off that," he said.

"There are only good and positive things I can say and feel about this town at the moment and I think everyone feels the same."