He expected his music to become popular, but he did not expect to be shot to the top of the nation's musical ascendancy in a matter of weeks - when single Yellow stormed the top five and debut album Parachutes hit number one, to be promptly followed by a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize.

"It's a blessing to be in a band," he says. "It was always our intention to get this far, and a long way further...you've got to count yourselves lucky for all that happens."

Then, almost as quickly as the success came, the backlash began to form on its heels. Their album was proclaimed "music for bedwetters" by the Right Honourable Alan McGee, the rock 'n' roll establishment sneered at them for being non-drinking, non-smoking, Christian Oxford finalists (some of this is not quite true) - and, despite being installed as favourites, they lost out in the battle for the Mercury prize to Badly Drawn Boy.

Chris has got an outlook on the drawbacks that can face a band too. "A lot of things will make you want to stop," he says. "But it's like my old dad says - he says, 'son, everyone gets criticism, but it's those that break through it that succeed, so don't let anything stop you'."

Chris seems to have taken this advice on board. His laid-back approach, and (as Iggy would say), his lust for life, give the impression that nothing could possibly bother him.

This positive and determined attitude is accurately conveyed in the answer the question: if you were to read an A-Z of rock in the future, and Coldplay were listed, what would you like to see written by your name? To this he answers: "the makers of ten incredibly emotional albums, you cannot be failed to be moved by this music." He then adds with a grin, "especially with the first record, which came out on time".

And as well as finishing it on time, in Parachutes they have produced an album with such levels of openness and feeling that it succeeds in moving all but the most hard-hearted ageing punks.

In the depth of emotion they manage to squeeze onto the album, they strive to 'mean' as much as their heroes - which include "Dylan, The Stones, Radiohead and Tom Waits," though Chris also rates The Flaming Lips and Doves, who he says are "amazing".

And although they often attract well-founded comparisons with the Yorkes and Buckleys of this world (to whom they actually likened themselves when trying to describe their music before becoming famous), the striking thing about Coldplay is their honesty. They are not trying to follow any trend or endear themselves to any musical faction. In fact, some of the subjects for their songs - love, and that type of thing - would be cringe-worthy if you suspected they didn't mean it. They just want to write good songs about things that matter to them, and don't really give much of a hoot about anything else.

The third single from Parachutes, Trouble, is out in October, as the band head out on their biggest solo tour yet. And although Chris says "I don't think there's a market for us in America", the challenge of trying to 'break' the American market is bound to be confronted sooner or later.

But what they really want to do is get back to their craft of writing songs and work on the second of their "ten incredibly emotional albums". One down, nine to go.

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