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Keane are an English piano rock and soft ballads band from Battle, East Sussex. They are recognized worldwide because, unlike most rock bands, they do not use a guitar in their music. However, they do use synthesizers which sound like guitars. Tom Chaplin's soft voice, often used in falsetto has been also a very important feature for the band's success. Keane have a particular music genre (piano rock) that many have compared to British band Coldplay, members of whom they met when they were at school.

Their biggest influences include The Beatles, U2, Oasis, R.E.M., Genesis, The Smiths, Radiohead, Queen, The Pet Shop Boys and Paul Simon. Tim Rice-Oxley, composer of the band, declared that he learnt to play piano listening to The Beatles. He and Dominic Scott were the main writers of the band's songs during their early years. When, Scott left in 2001, he left Rice-Oxley as the main composer.

History

(1995-2003) Early years

Pianist Tim Rice-Oxley and singer/keyboardist Tom Chaplin were childhood friends. Rice-Oxley's brother, also called Tom, was born in the same hospital on the same day as Chaplin, in March 8 1979. Their mothers were friends since then and Rice-Oxley became close friend of Chaplin.

Both attended Vinehall School in Robertsbridge, East Sussex (where Tom's father was the Headmaster for 25 years until 2002) and later Tonbridge School in Kent, where they met the third member of the band, Richard Hughes. The three of them used to play football together. Rice-Oxley formed the band in 1995 with his friend Dominic Scott. Chaplin joined the band in 1997, which also marked a change of name from "The Lotus Eaters" to "Cherry Keane", after an older lady whom Rice-Oxley and Chaplin knew when they were young (reportedly their dinner-lady at school). The name change was because the band realised that the former name had already been taken. Soon "Cherry" was removed from the name, becoming only "Keane". For a time it was thought that in an interview with The Irish Times on June 2 2006, Rice-Oxley had explained that the band had originally been named Coldplay. Tim Rice-Oxley declared this was false.However, he was invited to form part of Coldplay but he refused. It was thus ironic that Keane, in 2004, were labelled Coldplay imitators by their critics.

Keane began as a covers band, playing songs by U2, Oasis, and The Beatles, but soon wanted to perform their own material. Tim Rice-Oxley and Tom Chaplin began composing around five or six years before Tim formed the band. One early song composed by Rice-Oxley and Chaplin was called The Silence of an Alien and composed around 1991. In 1996, four songs written by Chaplin and Rice-Oxley were recorded on The Browns Album. This appears on a shot on the Strangers DVD. The first Keane songs were composed by Rice-Oxley and Scott and were played in pubs around London, following their debut performance at the "Hope & Anchor" on July 13 1998, where they played Paperback Writer by The Beatles as well as many of their own songs.

In February 2000 they released their first single, Call Me What You Like, of which 500 copies were produced at their home and sold at the pubs where they played, and another single, Wolf At The Door, limited to 50 copies, followed a year later. This latter single is Keane's most wanted item by fans and it has been valued for over £1000. The last available single was auctioned for £620. Scott decided to leave the band in July 2001 due to the limited success that they were having. It was at this time that Rice-Oxley wrote the song Everybody's Changing, about Scott's departure.

Keane was invited in 2002 by record producer James Sanger to his recording studio at Les Essarts, France, where they recorded a number of tracks, including Bedshaped and This Is The Last Time. It was here also that Rice-Oxley composed the song Sunshine.

In December 2002, Simon Williams of Fierce Panda Records was asked by a mutual friend to attend a Keane gig at the Betsey Trotwood in London and was so impressed that he offered to issue the band's next and first commercial single, Everybody's Changing. Steve Lamacq heard the record and placed it as the single of the week on April 19 2003. The CD Single was released on May 12 2003. Shortly after that single was releaed, the official Keane forum was opened. Even British singer Dido declared to be a massive fan of Keane.

(2004-2005) Hopes and Fears

In October 2003, the single This Is The Last Time was released in the UK and in the United States. This was the only Keane single ever sold in the United States with about 4000 copies released within the two countries.

After this single, Keane signed to Island and released the single Somewhere Only We Know, which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in February 2004, a place only reached again by Is It Any Wonder? in 2006. The song has been featured on several TV shows and commercials, for example, TV show Grey's Anatomy as well as the trailer for the movie, The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. This single is considered the first one in the "Hopes and Fears era", featuring the "Cochin" typeface, used until late 2005 in almost every Keane release. On May 3, Everybody's Changing was released again but featuring a new cover and b-sides Following the first single's success, their debut album, Hopes and Fears, was released May 10 2004 in the UK, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album went on to become the second-biggest selling album of the year in the UK, losing the top spot to Scissor Sisters on the final day of the year by only 502 copies. Their album came out in February. Currently the album has sold approximately five and a half million copies around the world and remained in the top 64 on its 118th week of sale and dissapeared from the top 75 on its 119th week.,

The band became very popular in other European countries like Holland, Austria and Germany. Some Keane releases were only available for these countries, like the single Bend and Break.

The band won two awards at the 2005 Brit Awards — Best British album for Hopes and Fears and the British breakthrough act award, as voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 1. In May 2005, Rice-Oxley received the Ivor Novello award for songwriter of the year.

The band are currently patrons of War Child. In September 2005 they contributed a cover of Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to Help: a Day in the Life. Keane also did a cover of the Walker Brothers' The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore for the War Child website. The single was only released as a 7" Vinyl and for digital download. However the track was leaked into the Internet in 2005.

The band gained some recognition in the United States in Autumn 2005 by opening some shows for U2; onstage they claimed Achtung Baby was one of their biggest influences. At this show, two new songs were played as well as their best-known material. Even celebrities like Danny DeVito have declared themselves as Keane fans. Gwen Stefani also commented on being interested in working with Keane. They were also nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Artist category along with Sugarland, John Legend, Ciara, and Fall Out Boy at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, on February 8 2006. In a decision of some controversy, John Legend received the Grammy, despite the hip-hop artist having already received a Grammy the previous year, arguably negating his status as a "new artist".

(2006-present) Under the Iron Sea

Keane began recording for their second album, Under the Iron Sea, in April 2005, with producer Andy Green. Recording took place in Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex (where Hopes and Fears was recorded) and later in New York City. The band revealed the title of the album on March 14 2006 through a handwritten note from the band posted on their official site. Before the release of the album, Keane described it as "dark" and even Tom Chaplin said on Q Magazine "is not what people will be expecting".

The first two singles off the album were Atlantic, a download-only music video, and lead single Is It Any Wonder?, released on 29 May 2006, which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. The album was released June 7 in Japan, June 9 in Netherlands, Germany, Mexico and Switzerland, June 12 in the UK and worldwide and June 202006 in the USA and Canada. The album remained at number one for two weeks on the UK Albums Chart despite new albums arriving. As of August 14 it remains in the top 14 and has sold more than 1,000,000 copies.

The album has recieved three or four stars out of five on professional reviews worldwide. Several critics describe it as "dark and heavy" and phrases like "the difficult second album". Despite the album being very different to Hopes and Fears, it still has the characteristics that made the debut album one of the most successful albums of the millenium.

The next single off the album will be Crystal Ball released on August 21. Still unknown is the production of the next single from Under the Iron Sea after Crystal Ball, as well as the beginning of the third studio album. It has been rumored that a follow-up to the EP Live Recordings 2004 will be released in late 2006, with live songs from Under the Iron Sea.

On August 22, 2006 it was reported that Tom Chaplin had entered a private clinic for treatment of alcohol and drug addiction. Three concerts were cancelled and their North American tour was postponed. It is unknown if they will return to live performances in 2006 or 2007

Discography

• 1. Hopes and Fears (Album, May 10 2004) 1. Hopes and Fears
  (Album, May 10 2004)
• 2. Under the Iron Sea June 12 2006) 2. Under the Iron Sea
  June 12 2006)

Line-up

• Tim Rice-Oxley - piano, bass, keyboards, backing vocals (lead vocals from 1995 to 1997)
• Tom Chaplin - vocals, live keyboards, organ (acoustic guitar before 2003)
• Richard Hughes - drums, live backing vocals

Former members

• Dominic Scott - electric guitar, keyboard, lead vocals (from 1995 to 1997), backing vocals (from 1997 to 2001)

External links

• Keane – Official site
• Keane – Official Myspace profile
• THE Keane fansite – Austrian fansite with the latest Keane news
• Keaneshaped – Chris Flynn British fansite with lyrics, official FAQ, discography and piano/guitar/drums tabs
• Keane.fr – French fansite with gig reviews/interviews in English

Notes

1. "Keane explain their new sound". Retrieved August 19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. "Keane - Interviews". Retrieved August 19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
3. Chapman, Tegan (January 13, 2005). "Keane man on success, songs and Steve Lamacq". greatreporter.com.
4. "Keane Edge". Retrieved August 19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
5. Strangers DVD
6. "Keaneshaped - Discography - Wolf At The Door". Retrieved August 4. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
7. "El mundo de Keane: El single que nunca tendremos". Retrieved June 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
8. "Keane Undercover Music Interviews". Retrieved August 19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
9. "Keaneshaped - Discography - Everybody's Changing (Fierce Panda)". Retrieved August 4. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
10. "Keane.at Media". Retrieved August 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. "Keaneshaped - FAQ - What fonts have been used on Keane Artwork". Retrieved June. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
12. "UK ALbums chart". Retrieved August 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
13. "Keaneshaped - Discography - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore". Retrieved August 4. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
14. "Keane.at Articles". Retrieved August 11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
15. "48 Grammy Awards: Nominees". Retrieved January. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
16. Revista Mixup July issue
17. http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/22/keane.tour.reut/index.html

References

• Keaneshaped. British fansite. Retrieved June 2006.
• Keane.at. Austrian fansite. Retrieved June 2006.
• Great Reporter. Keane Man on Success. Retrieved August 11 2006.
• Guardian Unlimited Arts. We're gonna make you a Rock star. Retrieved July 17 2006.

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