Music of Coldplay, Queen to fill Wollongong church in candlelight concert

The Candlelight series of concerts has made a name for itself in more than 100 cities worldwide and is now headed for Wollongong for concerts featuring the music of Coldplay, Queen and Vivaldi.

The gothic architecture of the 1854 church, officially named the Wollongong Uniting Church on the Mall, makes it a fine fit for the Candlelight series, which foreground the venue's atmosphere almost as much as the music.

The tribute to Coldplay is performed by a quartet from the Phoenix String Collective, and promoter group Fever promises a catalogue of hits from the British supergroup that not long ago was the biggest band in the world.

The set will include Clocks, Yellow, The Scientist, Fix You, Sky Full of Stars and more.

Missing from the list is the Coldplay song most obviously suited to string instruments - Viva la Vida already features them heavily in the original. It's hard to imagine them not playing this, so there's hope it might be an oversight in the marketing materials.

Skipping it would be like leaving out Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and that's not going to happen.

We can confirm all four of the seasons are listed for the Vivaldi night on May 11, which is on at 6.30pm before the Queen tribute at 8.30pm.

Those with a nice wide range of musical taste could book in for both shows - first see the church first in its delicate, melodic glory for Vivaldi, then see it rock to its socks by the theatrical thrusting of an imaginary Freddy Mercury somewhere in the shadows.

The set list for the Queen night is billed as including all the Rock'nRoll Hall of Fame group's favourite hits - We Will Rock You, Somebody to Love, Another One Bites the Dust, We are the Champions, and so on.

And yes, the audience will get to see how a string quartet wraps its bows around the epic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Ticket prices vary according to the night and distance from the front inside the church.

For one very happy customer's gushing account of a 2023 Candlelight Coldplay concert see this review from Sydney's East Side Radio.

Candlelight: Tribute to Coldplay is at the Wollongong Uniting Church at 6.30pm and 8.30pm Thursday, April 25. Tickets $36-$74.

Candlelight: Vivaldi Four Seasons is at the Wollongong Uniting Church at 6.30pm Saturday, May 11. Tickets $41-$80.

Candlelight: Tribute to Queen is at the Wollongong Uniting Church at 8.30pm Saturday, May 11. Tickets $41-$80.