Published by Mason Oldridge, 15 March 2024
Oh simple thing, where have you gone? As alternative rock band Keane celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album Hopes and Fears, we take a look back at their sensational yet often turbulent career.
The band consists of lead vocalist Tom Chaplin, keyboardist and lyricist Tim Rice-Oxley, drummer Richard Hughes and bassist Jesse Quin. Originally named Cherry Keane, after a family friend of Chaplin who helped them financially when they were struggling to get off the ground as artists, they changed to the single moniker to avoid sounding like someone desperate to lose their virginity. Rice-Oxley and Hughes were initially joined by Dominic Scott, and Rice-Oxley asked childhood friend Chaplin to join as vocalist, completing the line-up in 1997. Moving to London to make it big, the lads had little success, despite releasing debut single Call Me What You Like in 2000 and follow-up single Wolf At the Door in 2001, which featured a much heavier sound than the band would go on to achieve stardom with, comparable to the grunge sound of Radiohead’s Creep. In 2001, Scott left the band and Rice-Oxley started to pen many songs which would feature on their debut album. This left them without a guitarist, which saw them position the keyboard as their main instrument, with Rice-Oxley programming bass on his computer. They were spotted by a Fierce Panda representative at the end of 2002, released a couple of singles in 2003, and then switched to Island Records, a decision made as they felt they didn’t want to change them, released their debut album Hopes and Fears in 2004, and the rest is history!
Keane maintain a particular sound on each album, clearly defining each era. Hopes and Fears is full of emotional songs led by heart-wrenching lyrics and beautiful piano melodies. Their breakthrough came with lead single Somewhere Only We Know, a piano rock anthem that would become their signature song. There is a sense of youthful vulnerability on the record, notably on She Has No Time, a track about unrequited love experienced by Chaplin. They had success with other singles Everybody’s Changing, Bedshaped and This Is the Last Time, and the album would go on to become the best-selling British album in the UK in 2004 and win the band British Album of the Year and British Breakthrough Act at the 2005 BRIT Awards.
In 2006, they released follow-up album Under the Iron Sea, a metaphor for the claustrophobic pressure of their newfound fame. The band described the album as a “sinister fairytale-world-gone-wrong”, a claim supported by lyrics about nursery rhymes and closing track The Frog Prince, as well as the cartoon artwork. Guitar sounds were replicated by Rice-Oxley feeding his keyboard through an electric amplifier. The album opens on Atlantic, an atmospheric song focusing on loneliness, whereas the subject matter of war is tackled on Is It Any Wonder? and A Bad Dream, with the latter based on war poem An Irish Airman Foresees His Death. Songs such as Leaving So Soon?, Hamburg Song and B-side He Used To Be a Lovely Boy are said to be written by Tim about Tom, which is interesting considering Tom sings them, and Crystal Ball is about feeling like you are losing your identity, which Rice-Oxley experienced during the band’s excessive touring. Broken Toy features haunting sounds and The Frog Prince is about ego, following a late night chat between Tom and Tim. During the UTIS tour, the band opened with eerie instrumental track The Iron Sea and used visuals throughout live shows, a highlight being when they performed at The O2 Arena, London in 2007, which was released on DVD.
Perfect Symmetry, their third album, was released in 2008, with this release seeing more of a focus on synth as well as the introduction of the rhythm guitar. Opening track and lead single Spiralling is a new burst of energy, with Chaplin calling it “a train of thought about human endeavour, built on an outrageous groove”. The title track delves into the new topic of religion whereas Playing Along returns to the theme of war.
They released an EP of new music Night Train in 2010 and, where all their other albums have a cohesive sound, this release was more a mismatched collection of songs, though still as good. The record opens with the instrumental House Lights, Back in Time is an epic electronic track, Stop For a Minute is a collaboration with rapper K’naan, Clear Skies offers social commentary on the dark underbelly of America, Your Love features Tim on lead vocals, Looking Back samples the Rocky theme tune and My Shadow is a fan favourite.
Strangeland saw a return to their more piano-driven origins after their electronic experimentation, offering links to their hometown and nearby areas in both the lyrics and artwork. Sovereign Light Cafe is named after the cafe of the same name in Bexhill-on-Sea, with the cafe being somewhat of a tourist attraction among their fanbase. On the Road is one of their rare upbeat songs, though Black Rain, another track about war, is hauntingly beautiful with eerie instrumentation and vocals. The album closes on Sea Fog, a slow song which Rice-Oxley named his home recording studio after.
The band released a greatest hits compilation in 2013 and went on hiatus shortly after, due to Chaplin’s desire for a solo project. The pressure led to him relapsing with his drug addiction, though after recovering, released his solo debut The Wave in 2016, with many tracks documenting his struggles. In 2017, he released a Christmas album and Rice-Oxley and Quin’s country music side project Mt Desolation released their second album in 2018.
It turns out Chaplin wasn’t the only one battling their demons as Rice-Oxley had been struggling with the breakdown of his marriage, which culminated in a drink-driving accident. He wrote a set of deeply personal new songs chronicling this and, when Chaplin heard them over a meeting they had one Christmas and learnt he didn’t have an outlet to perform them, he became the one to bring these songs to life, resulting in a Keane reunion. Cause and Effect was released in 2019. Opening track You’re Not Home talks of the empty family home, lead single The Way I Feel tackles mental health, Put the Radio On refers to the intense intimacy of sex, Strange Room details the cell in which Rice-Oxley was reprimanded for the drink-driving incident, Stupid Things tells of the behaviours that cause divorce and I’m Not Leaving is addressed to Rice-Oxley’s daughters. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel as bonus track New Golden Age offers a glimpse of hope. Unfortunately, the tour was largely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The band went their separate ways again after with their individual projects, which included Chaplin unexpectedly appearing on The Masked Singer. The boys are back for a celebration of 20 years since Hopes and Fears, yet there appears to be no new music on the horizon. But what do I know? What do I know?