Coldplay are to perform at London's Royal Albert Hall as part of a select series of dates to launch the band's forthcoming album Ghost Stories.

The shows are the first to be lined up since frontman Chris Martin and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow announced last month they had separated.

The band are due to release their sixth studio album on May 19 and have already previewed some of the songs at a show in Austin, Texas, as part of the annual SXSW Festival.

Coldplay will play the Albert Hall on July 1, with the first of the dates in Cologne, Germany, a week tomorrow.

Ticket details for the London show have not been announced.