Another round with Keane
The British band is back next week with a new album of material
It has been six years since the British pop group Keane graced the Bangkok stage. Next weekend, the group returns to town with four albums under their belt and a new bassist.Pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, singer Tom Chaplin, drummer Richard Hughes and bassist Jesse Quin will treat the their fans with hits such as “Somewhere Only We Know”, “Everyone’s Changing”, “Is It Any Wonder?”, “Nothing My Way”, “The Night Sky”, “Silenced by the Night” and many more from their four albums, “Hopes and Fears”, “Under the Iron Sea”, “Perfect Symmetry” and the latest, “Strangeland”.
In 2008 their first and second CDs were voted by readers of Q magazine as among the best British albums ever.
Only Keane, the Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead have two albums in the top 20. “Strangeland” peaked at No 1 on the UK albums chart.
Richard Hughes sent us an e-mail to keep us updated.
What are you guys up to now?
We just arrived in Paraguay for a show in Asuncion. It’s our first time here, which is very cool.
Where have you been so far?
We’ve been touring for a few months now, mainly in the UK, Europe and North America, but this trip takes us to Mexico and Brazil too, before we head to Asia for our tour – lots more new countries coming up.
Where in the world do you least expect to have a lot of fans?
I am on Twitter (@richardkeane) and I get a lot of tweets from people in Asia – Thailand, Manila, Indonesia, lots of places where we have fans who want to see us. We also have a lot of fans here in South America. There are over 9,000 people coming to see us tonight, which is pretty amazing for our first visit to Paraguay.
Are you also collecting material for the next album along the way?
Tim is definitely writing songs and we all listen to lots of music, new and old, so we get ideas from the music around us and the places we go.
What keeps you inspired?
We all love making music – it is simply one of the most enjoyable things there is. Inspiration for songs comes from life, and the world around us, and the people we meet. Sometimes the further you are from home the easier it is to realise what you have.
It’s been four albums and many years on the road. How has Keane evolved as a band?
We have recruited Jesse, our bass player. He has been with us since about 2007. We have all got better at our instruments, more experimental in the studio, more willing to try things out, but also more trusting of what we hear. We tend to know when things are right, rather than having so much doubt.
Some bands like to stick to their signature sound, but some like to explore and push boundaries. Which one is Keane?
Both! We have a couple of very obvious signature sounds – Tom’s voice and Tim’s piano – that let us push other areas much further. We have experimented with the sound of the piano, treating it like an electric guitar, for example, which was really interesting and powerful, but we also like to make sure there is a good song at the heart of whatever we do, rather than let the experiments take centre stage.
What’s the next collaboration?
We don’t have huge plans right now, but when we visited China we went to see a folk orchestra, and I’d love to do a version of our song “Black Rain” with them.
What about having DJs remix your songs?
We love getting remixes. Alesso did a version of “Silenced by the Night” that is brilliant!
You guys are still a band with no guitar. If you could pick one to work with, who would that be?
Interesting question! I loved the last Biffy Clyro album, “Only Revolutions”, so maybe those guys, or Country Winston from Mumford & Sons to play a bit of banjo.
What music do you listen to now?
I am loving the Wolf Gang record “Suego Faults” and “Language” by Zulu Winter.
How did you enjoy the first concert in Thailand?
It was massive! I had fun. We felt like we were somewhere very exciting, and had a look around the city, so it will be very cool to come back and carry on exploring, but with two more records to choose songs from.
What do you look forward to on the trip this time?
I am really looking forward to the show. This record has a lot of really fun songs to play live, so I am excited to bring them to Thailand.
Anything to say to the fans?
Sawasdee krab! Thanks for having us back, and I hope you are enjoying the new record. We can’t wait to come and see your lovely country again. See you at the show!
Who’s keen?
- Keane is performing at Moon Star Studio on Thursday, October 4.
- Tickets are Bt1,800.
- Check www.We-Booking.com or call (02) 900 9999 extension 4.
