Coldplay star jokes about 'West Country beef'

Coldplay front man Chris Martin responded to "West Country beef" sparked by a sign in the crowd during a gig.

The singer was performing at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday as part of the band's Music of the Spheres world tour when he spotted a "Plymouth is better than Exeter" sign.

Exeter-born Martin told the crowd he needed to address the sign - being carried by 14-year-old fan Lilly from Plymouth - and said while he did not necessarily agree with the opinion, he respected it.

Lilly said she was shocked to have the 48-year-old singer make reference to her sign, adding it got the reaction she had hoped for.

Lilly and her mother Vikki, who also attended the gig, said Martin had spotted the sign - which was on A3-sized paper - earlier on and pointed at it.

He then made reference to it when the sign appeared on a video screen between songs.

Speaking to the crowd, Martin said: "Hold on - nothing else in the world matters except Westcountry beef right now.

"This sign says 'Plymouth is better than Exeter' - [which is] where I'm from.

"I'm going to say OK, cool, if that's how you feel, I respect you and I love you nonetheless and we're probably cousins, so let's be friends anyway."

Lilly made the sign to hold at the concert

Lilly said she wanted her sign to stand out in the crowd.

"My dad recommended it and I thought it was a good idea because it's a bit different from all the other signs," she added.

Her mother Vikki said they thought no-one else would have a similar sign at the concert and hoped he would find it funny.

Vikki said: "He did notice it a couple of songs beforehand and he did kind of laugh and point at it then."