Keane Interview
Attracting acclaim with two Fierce Panda releases and a stunning appearance on the New Bands
stage last year at Leeds/Reading, the guitar-less trio Keane sparked off a frantic bidding war by the majors. The result - their first single proper debuts
at number three in the charts, just behind the pocket money sponsored efforts of Busted and Pop Idol.
Baby-faced front man, Tom Chaplin (distinct physical resemblance to Starsailor's James Walsh), pianist, Tim Rice-Oxley (tall, gangly - a little dishevelled) and drummer, Richard Hughes (the most animated and least reserved of the band) make up the self-proclaimed 'bed-wetters'. They took some time to discuss what it's like to be on the brink of breaking the UK before playing at yet another sell-out date, whilst on tour with Travis.
You're a fairly new band to festivals but what were the couple you did last year like?
Tim: We did Middlesbrough Music Live which was, I suppose, is a festival. That was really good. That was our first taste of being chucked out onto a stage and playing in front of a lot of people who hadn't necessarily heard any of our music. Hopefully, people will have heard some this year, though.
As well as V, T in the Park and Oxegen, you're also playing Glastonbury. Are you planning to stay and camp for a few days?
Tim: We're hoping to. We've asked to try and stay for as long as we can so that we can experience everything. Although I suppose we'll be slightly let off by the fact that we'll probably have wristbands that mean we can find slightly less smelly loos and cleaner showers. But we want to stay.
Are there any other acts that you'll want to watch?
Richard: The Strokes'd be good.
Tim: I suppose, if Paul McCartney plays - we might watch him! V's got a great line-up as well. Massive Attack...
Talking of V. Dido's one of the headliners. I read an article somewhere and Keane were collectively described as the male Dido.
Richard: Really! Is that by somebody who's seen or heard us play? (Thinks for a moment) I believe Dido came to one of early shows so I think that was reported somewhere and people have since labelled her a fan of our music. I don't think that's true because she was just there with her boyfriend who wanted to see the gig rather than her. So...I dunno. Maybe that's where it's from.
And the NME said that you were a, "Guilty pleasure." Is it annoying when people
find
it embarrassing to admit that they like you?
Tim: I think that's a male thing myself. There's certain
sorts of sectors of people who are into the whole rock n roll myth which, in my opinion, doesn't exist any more. Probably
hasn't done for the last 20 years. Everybody wants to believe this great thing of lots of hairy men taking lots of drugs and
playing their guitars. When you blatantly say that's not what you're about, which is basically what we do, by virtue of the
fact that we don't have any guitars to start with. It's just the way we are as people and I think that can be quite confusing.
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