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A Look at Keane*

By Gerrard Hartland
2005.03

Formed in 1997 in East Sussex, England, the trio Keane is comprised of Tom Chaplin (vocals), Richard Hughes (drums) and Tim Rice-Oxley (piano/keyboard). Fashioning its own sound built on the piano rather than driven by guitars, Keane has developed from promising indie-outlet to full-blown superstars.

Self-releasing debut single "Call Me What You Like" back in 2000, Keane's emotive, heartfelt tunes drew in a similar audience that had propelled Coldplay to the top of the charts both sides of the Atlantic with debut album "Parachutes." As Coldplay returned to universal acclaim with second album "A Rush of Blood to the Head" in 2002 and rocketed straight to the top of the leagues in terms of global stardom Keane signed to Fierce Panda, the same indie label Coldplay had signed to earlier in its career, and released the stirring track "Everybody’s Changing." The release was an indisputable success making playlists all across the UK radio scene and giving Keane its first taste of widespread recognition.

In 2003 the band signed to Island Records, the same company U2, a band Rice-Oxley often cites as a major influence, signed to over 25 years ago. Slowly but surely Keane was generating a great deal of interest from the music press and found itself the hottest band to look out for in 2004, according to the BBC. Following their signatures on the dotted line, the band members headed into the studio to record debut album "Hopes and Fears," which was released on May 25, 2004, preceded by the opening track "Somewhere Only We Know," a song that peaked at No. 3 on the UK charts.

The album went straight to No. 1 with general music lovers and alternative fans finding solace in the "Hope and Fears'" epic sounds, soaring choruses and Chaplin's heartfelt lyrics. Follow-up singles have included a re-released "Everybody's Changing," "Bedshaped" and "This is the Last Time," all of which breached the top 10 UK singles chart. Critics were also quick to jump on the bandwagon praising the bands mature epic-sounding poignancy.

By the end of 2004, Keane's debut album had only been outsold in the United Kingdom by fellow debutants the Scissor Sisters and its self-titled release. Both bands won at this year's Brit Awards, with Keane picking up both best album and best breakthrough act whilst also finding themselves one of the nominees for the coveted Mercury Music award (Franz Ferdinand was the victor that night).

Continuing into this year, "Hopes and Fears" has now gone gold in the United States and the band has agreed to support U2 on its worldwide jaunt opening up a whole new audience to its music.

At a November show at the Birmingham Academy in Birmingham, England, Keane showed it is the perfect pick-me-up, led by the soaring vocals of lead singer Chaplin. Accompanied by a vivid light display, Keane's performance was polished beyond extent.

Flowing through a set taken from debut album "Hopes and Fears," Keane has a fluidity to its sound as one song seamlessly blends into the next. But this is where Keane’s Achilles heel lies. Songs "Everybody's Changing" and "Somewhere Only We Know" may have their own sound but Keane's lack of guitar power seems to leave the fans with little to jump about to.

True, Keane perhaps isn't looking to be an all-out rock 'n' roll band but a band who cites U2 as one of its major influences must realise keeping the fans entertained is a key element to the show.

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