The secret desire of every woman is to marry a dashing Englishman with a proper British accent. What is a lady to do when she comes upon one of the aforementioned that can sing, play guitar and piano and write songs? That was the sole question running through my head the moment Keane’s frontman Tom Chaplin took to the stage, acknowledged the audience and then began to sing. Inexplicably, the crowd was inundated with a surplus of women swooning, screaming and salivating over their discovery of and love affair with Keane.
Keane’s presence onstage left me smiling from ear-to-ear throughout the entirety of their 21-song set. The English trio’s laid back approach along with complete congeniality and dedication to their fans gave me a sense of peace and utter admiration. After each tune, all three founding members of Keane honored audience members, clapping and thanking the crowd profusely as if we were the performers everybody had paid to see. Fans looked at one another in utter amazement asking, “Why are they clapping for us? They are the ones who are amazing.” The highlight of the night had to be when Chaplin shouted, “Chicago, you’re bloody brilliant!” So English and so sexy.
The purity of Chaplin’s voice piercing through the air encompassed the theatre space and held spectators in a state of captivation. Keane mesmerized fans with strong piano-based melodic songs having Chaplin effortlessly hitting notes perfectly on pitch, thus easily distinguishing themselves from other pop/rock/alternative groups who instead rely heavily on guitars.
The contribution of vocals from Chaplin, pianist Tim Rice-Oxley and drummer Richard Hughes was yet another stand-out element that sets Keane above the rest. Harmonizing skills stemming from each musician in a band is hard to find these days; Coldplay being the only other band who can successfully pull if off. Keane keeps their tunes intriguing with the incorporation of deeply descriptive lyrics, touching upon controversial subjects such as war (“Is It Any Wonder?”), the intricacies of friendships and criticism of religious violence (“Perfect Symmetry”). All of the above culminating for a night of euphoria.
The undeniable respect that the band has for each other while performing together is obvious in the chemistry they showcase while in the spotlight. The fact that Chaplin’s crystal clear vocal delivery is what drives Rice-Oxley’s music and lyrics doesn’t seem to matter one bit. The innate passion each member has for the music they make together was completely evident at the gig last week. When Rice-Oxley sang lead vocals on “Your Love,” Chaplin graciously turned the stage over to him with a polite, admirable introduction. Keane’s camaraderie is no doubt due to them having grown up as brothers with mothers who are best friends.
Keane eventually left the stage, yet the audience was exceedingly eager for more. The trio’s innate passion and talent left me feeling inspired and ready to jump on a plane to England to be ‘bloody brilliant’ along with them.
