Begin in Battle, East Sussex somewhere around 1995, piano/alternative rock band, Keane; currently form by Tim Rice-Oxley who acts as a composer, bassist and pianist, Tom Chaplin on vocal and Richard Hughes on drum had just marking their name on the book as the most successful artist breakthrough in UK. Their first debut album “Hopes and Fears” approve to be the best selling British album on year 2004 and continue with the success of second release “Under the Iron Sea” sold more than 220,000 copies when it hitting the market on the first week.
Before the arrival of Keane, they started with a cover band, which they name it as The Lotus Eater. Soon, when Chaplin joins the band in 1997, it was change to Cherry Keane, after a friend of Chaplin’s mother who passed away due to cancer. Cherry left money for Chaplin’s family and it really help them especially for pursuing Chaplin career in music "I used some of the money to see me through the harder times with the music" he quotes. Soon, they make adjustment at the name and finally decide to shorten it to Keane that we heard today with the sound describe by Rice-Oxley as ‘Epic and Dreamlike’.
Flashing back the early step of Keane, Rice-Oxley once invited by Chris Martin to join Coldplay after his piano appearance in Virginia Water, Surrey but he prefers to stay as Keane had just start to progressing. “I was seriously interested, but Keane were already operational and Coldplay's keyboard player idea was dropped”. Chaplin departs to South Africa in 1997 as a volunteer for ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign and return a year later. Upon his arrival from South Africa, the band rush to prepare for their first gig at “Hop & Anchor” Pub on July 13 1998 and get promotion to perform around London gig circuit. In year 1999, Keane record their first single titled “Call Me What You Like” under Zoomorphic, their own label with just 500 copies to be spread. Simon Williams, a representative from Fierce Panda Records discovered Keane quality during gig performance in Betsey Trotwood in London and this change the whole direction of Keane into a new level. Their first commercial single “Everybody’s Changing” release under Fierce Panda Record led to bidding among major label. At the end, the band sign under Island Record in 2003.
Keane music is like a translation of atmosphere in term of feelings and observation in different kind of aspect in life; the expression of tragedy, the devastation of war and a relationship between one another is combine altogether with deep lyric that often describe as alive and reflect the issue that happen around the world today. Keane decorate and develop their own trademark with the usage of synthesizer and unique delay and distortion tune for the piano instrument thus making it experimental but harmonious in the opposite way. Until 2007, Keane release two studio album, one live album, 18 singles include “The Night Sky”, a classy track that specially made for Warchild organization as well with four DVD – “Hopes and Fears” in 2004, “Strangers” in 2005, “Under The Iron Sea” in 2006 and finally “Keane Live DVD” in 2007 that recorded during the band concert at O2 arena. In interview with Q Magazine, Chaplin revealed that the third album is on the way to be release probably on September 2008. For note, two previous Keane album “Hopes and Fears” and “Under the Iron Sea” have sold over 8 million copies worldwide. – Epic & Dreamlike



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