Coldplay have refuted claims that they lifted the melody for 'Viva La Vida', the title track from their new album, from a song by an American indie band.

Andrew Hoepfner, the frontman of Creaky Boards, claimed that Coldplay's Chris Martin saw the band live last summer and then went on to use the melody from one of their songs.

However, in a statement, a spokesperson for Coldplay said that 'Viva La Vida' was written in March 2007, months before Martin apparently saw the band.

Hoepfner posted a video of Creaky Boards song, ironically entitled 'The Songs I Didn't Write', on the video sharing website YouTube.

"We were flattered when we thought we saw Chris Martin in the crowd that night. He seemed pretty into it. Maybe too into it,” he wrote.

(by Jason Gregory)