Thousands of Coldplay fans packed into the end of one of Dublin’s busiest streets to catch a surprise appearance by the band.

After a rumour spread on Wednesday that a major act would be playing an unannounced gig on Grafton Street, fans from all over the capital wedged into the shopping thoroughfare ahead of the predicted 8pm start time.

Coldplay is in Dublin for four sold-out concerts at the 82,000-capacity Croke Park, as part of the record-breaking Music Of The Spheres World Tour, which has so far sold more than 10 million tickets, making it the most-attended music tour of all time.

Lead singer Chris Martin, accompanied by rapper Burna Boy, walked into Grafton Street shortly after 8pm amid heightened security and an increased presence of the Irish police.

They were met with cheers and applause as the upstairs windows of various shops were opened to reveal several professional cameras filming the action below.

Martin and Burna Boy were joined by Little Simz, Elyanna and TINI for the first public performance of We Pray involving all the artists.

They performed the same song several times as fans took videos on mobile phones and sang along.

The short session was part of a music video to debut on the band’s official TikTok channel.

The performance was met with a mixed reaction, with the lack of speakers throughout the large crowd disappointing many who were too far away to hear properly, prompting some fans to leave before the event was over.

Niamh Burke, a teacher from Tipperary, said she did not know why the same song had been played over and over but added: “I enjoyed it. It was a thrill to see them in person.”

However, she expressed disappointment with the sound set-up.

Asked what she thought of the event, another fan who did not want to be named said: “I don’t know what it was – but it was a waste of time anyway.”