We're back with the second batch of Tim's answers to the questions which you very kindly sent in. Check back tomorrow for the final ten.
You have so many freaky T-shirts ( for example the one with the zebra on it), well, where do you get these shirts?
Jana
Tim replies: I recommend a company called to-orist, and another one called graniph.
Heey! Why do you guys always finish the shows with Bedshaped?
Beatriz Russano from São Paulo, Brazil.
Tim replies: It’s such a gargantuan song, with so much passion and soul-searching, that nothing else can follow it. We’ve tried, but it’s so final that it has to be at the end of something. Some songs are just like that. Atlantic always feels like it should start a section, for example.
Hi Tim, I was just wondering what you remember as being the best gig Keane has ever played at?
Katie from San Francisco
Tim replies: There have been some great ones lately. The two Sydney gigs were pretty phenomenal. The second O2 show in February was very special to us because we were really in danger of having to cancel. Tom was really sick and his voice was already going by halfway through the previous night at the same venue. He got a shot of steroids the next day but it didn’t seem to make any difference. Then about ten minutes before we went onstage the drugs kicked in! Tom was still really ill but we all gave it everything we had and it turned out to be a really great show. It felt like a real victory for us.
What color is your toothbrush?
Ellen Y, Seattle
Tim replies: Green and white. I need to get a new one actually, thanks for reminding me.
Do you ever read the fan comments on km.com, and if so, what sort of feelings do they generally stir?
Mandy
Tim replies: Yes, quite often. I like to know whether people are leaving shows feeling happy or unsatisfied. Generally people say amazing things on km.com, and that’s very encouraging for us.
I feel very proud of our fans. It’s a great community of people all over the world, and the website and forum are both intelligent, positive places still, unlike many such forums that descend into weirdness and negativity very quickly. We genuinely feel grateful for all the love and support we get on the website and elsewhere – Keane fans are incredibly loyal and very generous, and I’m glad to be a part of that.
Which is the place or country that you want to visit and you haven't?
Alejandro Arriola from Guatemala
Tim replies: Oh, there are plenty. Guatemala, obviously! Peru. New Zealand. India. China. It’s a big world and it feels like we’ve barely got started.
Who is saying what at the end of The Lovers Are Losing? I've always wanted to know!
Thanks, Grace
Tim replies: That was me saying to Tom, “We should get some Under Pressure-style finger-clicks on here”. Jake (who engineered the album) chopped it up and slowed it down, so it just says “Get some Under Pressure style” in a weird voice.
What makes a great show “great”? With so many gigs in so many cities and countries to call upon, what makes a certain gig really stand out from the rest?
Greg USA
Tim replies: The first thing is feeling that we’ve given everything and played the best we possibly could. The rest is kind of down to luck and a good atmosphere in the crowd. Sometimes you just get a magical vibe on stage and in the crowd, and everything just feels exciting. You never know what it’s going to be like when you hit the stage, which I guess it what makes playing live endlessly exciting.
Do you ever get a sore neck after a gig?
From, Tom
Melbourne, Australia
Tim replies: Yes! It aches the whole time. Sometimes I feel like my brain’s going to come out of my ears, and occasionally I get really dizzy (especially after Is It Any Wonder? and Again And Again) and can hardly stand up straight on stage! Probably not that good for me in the long run, but you just get caught up in the moment.
One of my favourite Keane songs is The Happy Soldier but I read somewhere that you won't re-release it as your views have changed. If this is true, I was wondering what the song is about? and how have your views changed?
From Imyy, UK
Tim replies: That’s not the case. It’s a song about a soldier being afraid and wondering why he’s off fighting some pointless war far from his home. I suppose the lyrics are very tongue-in-cheek, which makes them open to misinterpretation. It was one of the first songs I wrote and it’s a subject I still return to a lot, for example in A Bad Dream. I think we may even release it very soon!
