Keane (band)

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For the technology firm, see Keane (firm)


File:Keaneband.JPG
Keane (from left to right): Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes

Keane is a British rock band from Battle, East Sussex, England. Their musical style resembles those of post-Britpop bands like Coldplay and Travis, and they are also inspired and influenced by Norwegian pop trio a-ha. The main difference between Keane and most other bands is in the line-up: they don't have a guitarist, basing their music on the piano instead.

All the members were at Tonbridge School in Kent. They started out in college in 1997 as a covers band, playing songs by U2, Oasis, and The Beatles but soon wanted to perform their own material, and released two short-run EPs. 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 single. After another single on Fierce Panda, they signed to Island and released the single "Somewhere Only We Know", which reached number three in the U.K. in February 2004. Their album Hopes and Fears followed in May. It reached number one and was the second biggest selling album of the year in the U.K., after the Scissor Sisters, losing the top spot on the final day of the year.

The band take their name from a nurse caled Cherry Keane who, when the members of the band were young, looked after them and inspired confidence in their musical ability.

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 by listeners of BBC Radio 1.

In May of 2005, Keane were honoured with the Ivor Novello award as songwriters of the year.

Everybody's Changing was nominated for the song of the year but the award was given to The Streets' Dry Your Eyes.

According to a Keane fan site, it was announced that they have been working on their second album since April 2005, with Andy Green producing. However, the album is widely expected to be released in 2006. They have also been rumoured to be in a row with the band The Darkness.

The band are currently the 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 — an album aiming to repeat the success of 1995's The Help Album by becoming the fastest ever online album produced.

Band members

Discography

File:HopesandFearsKeanealbumcover.jpg
Hopes and Fears album cover

Albums

  1. Hopes and Fears (Island) — released on 10 May 2004; (UK charts: #1; US Chart: #45)
  2. Live recordings 2004 (Island) — released on 3 May 2005; only released in some countries

Singles

Non-album singles:

  • "Call Me What You Like" (Zoomorphic) — released in February 2000
  • "Wolf at the Door" (Zoomorphic) — released in June 2001

From Hopes and Fears:

  • "Everybody's Changing" (Fierce Panda) — released on 12 May 2003 (UK chart: #122)
  • "This is the Last Time" (Fierce Panda) — released on 13 October 2003; Availability: ~4-5000
  • "Somewhere Only We Know" (Island) — released on 16 February 2004; (UK chart: #3; US chart: #50)
  • "Everybody's Changing" (Island) — released on 3 May 2004; (UK chart: #4)
  • "Bedshaped" (Island) — released on 16 August 2004; (UK chart: #10)
  • "This is the Last Time" (Island) — released on 22 November 2004; (UK chart: #18)