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Keane
11/02/2004
Bar Academy, Birmingham |
Another day, another 'next big thing'; and Bar Academy was bursting
at the proverbials with anxious indiekids and curious musos all expecting
to witness the latest in a long line of industry-endorsed wide-eyed
young men.
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| Tom,
a Keane boy |
In the
current climate of throwaway pop and d-list dance tracks, the possibility
of a shining light in the darkened void meant the gig had sold-out
several weeks previously.
Unfortunately
designated as 'The New Coldplay" by music industry types, Keane
had both a lot to live up to and a lot to get away from. This cop-out
comparison could never convey the true greatness and innate beauty
of Keane's music.
From the opening notes of 'Can't Stop Now' it was evident that the
real star attraction of the band is lead singer Tom's enormous voice.
Unleashed with such soulful conviction, it's akin to the great vocals
of Mancunian bands such as Haven and Puressence, rather than the
scouring vitriol of Mark Greaney and Matt Bellamy.
Keane
do have in common with the latter a loyal, growing fanbase who greeted
the appearance of current single 'Somewhere Only We Know' with the
joy and fervour of a renowned classic.
A beautiful
medley of emphatic guitars, soaring vocals and a sunny piano backing,
it was delivered with faultless confidence usually attributed to
a far longer established act.
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| Keane
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Unusually
for one of the new wave of British guitar bands, however, Keane
do not actually use any guitars in their live set. The Hastings
trio played out the gig with just drums, piano and vocals respectively,
while the additional guitar parts were provided electronically.
This
unconventional approach meant that for much of the set the sound
was muted and too piano heavy, doing injustice to Keane's enormous
potential and hinting at the notorious Coldplay similarities.
The
best track of the night was left for the encore. 'This Is The Last
Time' saw Keane at their most potent; layering Tom's passionate
vocal performance on top of strong, insistent
guitars which, at last, were balanced perfectly by the piano backdrop.
Keane
scream of the wonderful potential applauded so loudly by the media.
In the wake of so many sunken hopefuls such as Lowgold and Haven,
Keane deserve so much better than to put out one average album and
fade into the
haze of cigarette smoke and failure. Let's hope it's different this
time.
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