Keane
When: 18th October 2024
Location: OVO Hydro
Keane are celebrating 20 Years of Hopes And Fears. Coming to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on 18th October 2024.
Keane were introduced to the world in 2004 with their debut Hopes And Fears. It’s a fitting title for a newcomer, but they needn’t had worried. Even before its release BBC named the band their Sound Of 2004 in an astute prediction. Upon its release a few months later it immediately topped the UK Albums Chart, and would become the second best-selling record of the year and earn them a BRIT award. Featuring tracks such as the timeless ‘Everybody’s Changing’, ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and ‘This Is The Last Time’, Hopes And Fears had mostly been written several years earlier, and their refined maturity showed. Lead singer Tom Chaplin’s voice shone with a pure and youthful beauty, though had all the gusto and strength of a classically trained vocalist, while of course Tim Rice-Oxley’s piano work carved out a path for the band to go forward.
The band had met many years before when Chaplin and Rice-Oxley met guitarist Dominic Scott and drummer Richard Hughes at school in Kent. The friends began recording music together and playing local shows in the late 90s before Scott departed in 2000. The band decided to use the piano as Keane’s focal point after spending some writing sessions in Normany, France with James Sanger. It was here songs such as ‘The Is The Last Time’ began to take shape. In 2002 the band signed to Fierce Panda, before taking a major label deal with Island. The rest, as they say…
Touring with U2
After the release of Hopes And Fears, Keane toured with U2 and set to work on their next studio album. The result was Under The Iron Sea in 2006, which featured the mega-hits ‘Is It Any Wonder’, ‘Nothing In My Way’ and ‘Crystal Ball’. They dubbed their sophomore as a “sinister fairytale-world-gone-wrong,” a fairly vivid description given its light kaleidoscopic glow and more bittersweet undertones. It topped the UK charts on entry and peaked at No.4 in the US.
Keane followed up with Perfect Symmetry two years later, a jubilant synth-heavy record that included the likes of ‘Again & Again’ and ‘The Lovers Are Losing’. Another No.1, naturally. This was the first LP with new member Jesse Quin on bass, who also performed with Rice-Oxley on Mt. Desolation.
After performing by the Wall of China in 2011, Keane got to work on their next album. Introduced by lead single ‘Silenced By The Night’, Strangeland was released in 2012 and featured the fan-favourite ‘Sovereign Light Café’. After releasing the Best Of Keane a year later, the band needed some time apart, though confirmed they had not officially split up.
Keane returned in 2019 with Cause and Effect, after posting a series of cryptic teasers online. That summer they returned to the stage for some big-profile performances, such as at British Summer Time and the Isle of Wight festival.
In September 2023, Keane announced they would be celebrating 20 years of Hopes and Fears with a remastered version, set for release on 10 May 2024 – exactly two decades to the day since its original release. The band also announced a UK tour for May 2024, including stops at London’s O2 Arena, Utilita Arena Birmingham and Manchester’s Co-Op Live, before embarking on a world tour.
