Keane
Keane is a British rock band formed in 1995, originally consisting of childhood friends Tom Chaplin, Dominic Scott, Richard Hughes, and Tim Rice-Oxley. Initially performing as a cover band called the Lotus Eaters, they transitioned to creating original music and adopted the name Keane in 1997. The band gained significant popularity after the release of their hit single "Everybody's Changing" in 2003, leading to their debut album, *Hopes and Fears*, in 2004, which received critical acclaim and commercial success. Known for their distinctive piano-driven sound, Keane achieved notable recognition, including two BRIT Awards and Grammy nominations. Over the years, they have evolved musically, incorporating elements of electronica and pop while maintaining their signature melodic style. After a hiatus, Keane reunited in 2019 with the album *Cause and Effect*, exploring deeper themes such as grief and hope. The band's impact on modern British rock places them alongside influential groups while retaining a mainstream appeal.
Keane
Music group
Jesse Quin
- Bassist
- Born: September 3, 1981
- Birthplace: Bedford, England
Richard Hughes
- Drummer
- Born: September 8, 1975
- Birthplace: Gravesend, England
Tim Rice-Oxley
- Pianist
- Born: June 2, 1976
- Birthplace: Oxford, England
Tom Chaplin
- Vocalist
- Born: March 8, 1979
- Birthplace: Hastings, England
Contribution: Keane is a band from Battle, England, whose single “Is It Any Wonder?” received a 2007 Grammy nomination for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals.
Background
The founding members of Keane—singer Tom Chaplin, original guitarist Dominic Scott, drummer Richard Hughes, and pianist and keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley—met as childhood friends in southeast England. Chaplin, Hughes, and Rice-Oxley attended Vinehall School in East Sussex together; later, they moved on to Tonbridge School in Kent, where they met Scott.
In 1995, the four founded a cover band specializing in songs by notable English and Irish acts such as the Beatles, Oasis, and U2. Calling themselves the Lotus Eaters, they made a name for themselves throughout the local club circuit for their quality of play and ambitious set list. After a year of mastering popular cover material, the group began to work on its own original music and reestablished itself in London. In 1997, eager for a fresh identity, the band decided to adopt the name Keane.
Guitarist Scott left the group in July 2001, shortly after the self-release of the band’s second single, “Wolf at the Door.” The departure of the guitarist had a silver lining, allowing Rice-Oxley to experiment with more expansive sound effects with his keyboard equipment. The band’s unique sound, buoyed by Chaplin’s impressive vocal range, and their continual self-release of singles soon established Keane as one of London’s up-and-coming live rock acts.
Career
The group was discovered by Fierce Panda Records founder Simon Williams in December 2002 and signed with the label in early 2003. In April 2003, they released the single “Everybody’s Changing,” which was a huge success throughout Britain and attracted interest from numerous major record labels. Though Keane signed with Island Records to record their debut album in August 2003, they remained with Fierce Panda long enough to release one more single, “This Is the Last Time,” in October of that year.
The band’s recording sessions for their full-length debut were split over a period of two months. Recording often took place during week-long sessions in between Keane’s ambitious tour schedule, which had the group performing throughout England in the wake of the success of their debut singles.
Hopes and Fears was released in May 2004 to generally favorable reviews. Critics praised the record’s ambitious nature, particularly the notion of a rock-oriented sound captured with a piano as the driving melodic component, and the fact that the album did not feature any non-bass guitars. Powered by singles such as “Somewhere Only We Know,” the album became the second-best-selling record in the United Kingdom in 2004 and earned the band nominations for a Grammy Award and an MTV Europe Music Award in the best new artist category. Keane also won two BRIT Awards that year, for British breakthrough artist and British album.
Keane promoted their debut with an opening slot on U2’s 2005 world tour before returning to the studio for their 2006 release, Under the Iron Sea, an album that blended the group’s piano-based hooks with aspects of electronica and symphonic music. The single “Is It Any Wonder?” earned the band their second Grammy nomination.
Keane’s avoidance of guitars ended with 2008’s Perfect Symmetry, a release that continued the band’s status as critical favorites. Jesse Quin, who had played with the band at some live shows in late 2007, played electric guitar and bass on the album, among other instruments. The album was a conceptual sea change from Keane’s trademark piano-based balladry, making use of more rhythmically oriented beats and synthesizers. The band’s prodigious output continued with the release of a live EP, Night Train (2010), and then the studio album Strangeland (2012). Quin continued to play with the band, including at the concerts featured on Night Train, and in February 2011 he was officially confirmed to be the fourth member of Keane.
After touring to promote Strangeland, the group largely went on hiatus for nearly seven years and a couple of band members produced solo albums or work with other groups in that interval. Keane did rerelease several earlier albums on vinyl record, compile their hits along with B-sides and unreleased material for The Best of Keane (2013), and record a single, "Tear Up This Town," for the 2016 film A Monster Calls.
Keane eventually reunited for the comeback album Cause and Effect, released in September 2019 to fairly positive reviews. Sonically similar to the band's earlier output, Cause and Effect deals with heavier themes, such as loneliness, depression, grief, substance abuse, heartache, and hope.
Impact
Keane established itself as one of Britain’s premier pop bands of the early twenty-first century. Its place in modern British rock music lies somewhere in between the elaborate artistic experimentations of groups such as Radiohead and the mainstream sounds of groups such as Coldplay. The band’s penchant for commercial radio hits has given Keane the freedom to experiment and depart at times from its origins as a piano-based rock trio without sacrificing the wholesomeness that has made it a favorite among fans and critics.
Personal Lives
The band’s name was chosen in honor of Cherry Keane, an elderly woman who used to make tea for the children at school and frequently encouraged them to pursue their musical interests. Rice-Oxley was married in 2005, Quin in 2009, Hughes in 2010, and Chaplin in 2011; Rice-Oxley divorced around 2012. He and Quin both have children. Chaplin's struggle with drug addiction and his subsequent recovery contributed to both the band's hiatus and reunion.
Principal Works
Hopes and Fears, 2004
Under the Iron Sea, 2006
Perfect Symmetry, 2008
Strangeland, 2012
The Best of Keane, 2013
Cause and Effect, 2019
Bibliography
“Keane Return to the Spotlight.” Music Week 25 Mar. 2006: 1. Print.
Lash, Jolie. “Keane Tackle the War on Iron Sea.” Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2006. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Odell, Michael. “The Shore Thing.” Q June 2004: 48–49. Print.
Sexton, Paul. “The Upward Spiral.” Billboard 4 Oct. 2008: 46. Print.
Sinclair, Tom. Rev. of Under the Iron Sea, by Keane. Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2006. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Wood, Mikael. Rev. of Perfect Symmetry, by Keane. Spin. Spin, 9 Oct. 2008. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.