One of the most successful British bands of the last half-decade
is London’s Keane. Arriving five years ago with their debut Hopes
and Fears, the guitar free trio followed in Coldplay’s early
success, prodding the listener with biting piano pop that stormed
the charts both at home and abroad. Now, fast–forward five
years, and Keane is equally as successful three albums in, if not
more so. Yet, the dark piano–pop slapped on Hopes and Fears
was expanded upon on the last two albums, Under the Iron Sea
and more recently, Perfect Symmetry. But Perfect Symmetry
landed nearly two years ago, and the band has been busy at
work, mostly crossing the globe playing gigs and intermittingly
recording back home in London. And what comes next,
according to pianist Tim Rice–Oxley, is anybody’s guess. “I think
the story of a band takes many years to be told,” replies the
songwriter, who shares duties with vocalist Tom Chaplin. “My
hope is that as we continue to prove that we are musically brave
and hungry, people will continue to be intrigued and excited by
our music. Personally, I didn’t get in to U2 until they released
Achtung Baby, and similarly I’m sure there are many people who
weren't into Keane after Hopes and Fears who suddenly found
that they got a kick out of Perfect Symmetry.”
After another lengthy tour taking them from Japan to
Kitchener and back, Keane will prep a mini-album of sorts, a set
of new songs and odds and ends set for release early next year.
“We’ve made another record, albeit what we’re calling a “mini–
album”,” reveals Rice–Oxley. “We did it mostly while we’ve been
on the road. There should be four or five new songs on there,
plus a couple of other stragglers —remixes and such like — and
it’s going to be a really interesting piece of work. There are two
songs that we did in collaboration with the genius Somalian rapper K’naan — sometime resident of your fine country — and
they’re really different for Keane. One of them is one of the most
instant and accessible tracks we've ever done I think. Aside form
that, I’ve been writing whenever I can, although I don’t find it
easy on tour. I’ve got one song pretty much in the bag that I
think could be a future single, but everything else is flotsam and
jetsam at the moment, waiting to be kicked into shape once we
get off the road.”
This mini–album is not just a stopgap solution in between
albums, stressed Rice–Oxley. Instead, it’s a completely new work
in its own right, and one in which the band is excited to see
unleashed as another addition to their catalogue. “Most of it is
recorded and mixed already, as we’ve worked really hard on it
while we’ve been traveling, going into studios all over the world
and working on the tour bus all night,” adds Rice–Oxley. To me,
the songs are pretty philosophical, K’naan’s influence possibly,
except one that is a kind of Fleetwood Mac–style love song. I
guess that’s because with the very new stuff that isn’t finished
yet, I’ve found myself reaching back to the very basic things I feel
passionately about, like old friends, hopes, regrets, small town
dreams and disappointments, and the ruthless passage of time.”
Until that, the band will simply hit the road, debuting new
songs alongside older favourites, as Rice–Oxley is promising a
strong assembly of both at the Kitchener gig. “There’ll be a
bunch of new songs, all the old favourites, maybe a cover and
maybe a few songs played acoustically,” continues Rice–Oxley. To
be honest, it depends what we’re feeling on the day, but I
promise it will be a lot of fun. Plus, Tom is one of the best
frontmen around, and I can guarantee that he will be racing
around the stage and doing everything humanly possible to get people singing and dancing. We really love playing live, more so
than ever before, and we go out there with a fire and a
determination to entertain that I hope is pretty irresistible to any
crowd.”
Yet, despite all Keane’s success, the band feels that they
have just begun, and that a fresh piece of slate is being prepared
once more. “To me, we really have just begun,” concludes Rice–
Oxley. “You always have to write as the person you really are, and
not believe the hype about being a rock star or whatever, as that
doesn’t mean anything. When I listen to music I want to hear
about things I can relate to, and I want to know that the writer is
giving me access to their most personal and honest thoughts and
ideas. It's not always easy to do that when you live in the bubble
that comes with being in a band, but that's what I hope we will
always do.” Keane headline Centre in the Square on Saturday,
September 19th. Lights support.
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