Keane - The Forum, north London
The buzz was that Keane would be unveiling a change of image. Just how radical could it be? Perhaps untucking their shirts? New shoes? Partings on a different side? As a bass and guitar were carried on during the show’s intro tape, the sell-out crowd at London’s Forum realised just how much of a change - certainly in terms of line-up - it was for the once defiantly string-free trio.
With a new regular bass player Jesse Quinn in the ranks, the result was a fleshed out sound and with a guitar in frontman Tom Chaplin’s hands, there was an extra prop to enhance his performance which in the past had tended to look slightly awkward with just a mic to occupy his hands.
Keane had chosen this inaugural Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka gig to unveil material from their third album Perfect Symmetry, an album largely recorded in Berlin (as chronicled in the new issue of Q) and which is clearly indebted in part to another artist whose period in the Berman city infused his work, David Bowie. There are nods to Heroes and Ashes To Ashes in new tracks such as The Lovers Are Losing and Better Than This.
Chaplin was clearly very pleased with the new work. “We really feel like it’s something very special. It’s something that’s been lurking in us for a long time and we’re very excited,” he told the crowd, who lapped up the new tracks, despite their unfamiliarity.
The wounds within the band have healed, the newly svelte and snake-hipped Chaplin has defeated his demons and the new tracks show it is business as usual. Soaring choruses and an epic sound despite such a slim personnel, and the plentiful supply of hits – The Last Time, Everybody’s Changing and Somewhere Only We Know among them – were sounding better than ever.
They will never be a band of rebellion (the closest the show came to breaking the rules came when Chaplin urged the audience “to just ignore the security guards – stand up for this one”), but they are comfortably able to knock out collection of great, heartfelt and passionate tunes every couple of years.
[View a gallery of photos from the show here]
12:48 PM | 30/09/2008
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I was there, it aws AWESOME!
The new songs stood up really well against the old favourites. Nice big loud sound, looking forward to next Monday when we can listen to the new album in all its glory!!
And thanks to Q for the coverage in the new look magazine
Lesley
Posted by Lesley at 12:32 PM | 05/10/2008 | Report Abuse
Awesome! I can't wait for the new album!
Posted by Ann at 12:33 AM | 07/10/2008 | Report Abuse
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