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Keane's growth can only lead to more
By Sean Moeller
Special to the Daily News
The stance Americans take with European rock 'n roll outfits storming the country with stars in their eyes and swagger in their accented britches is subdued.
Fans take a shine to them only when they've almost folded, having worked themselves dry trying to get acknowledgment.
Euro trio Keane, who hail from Sussex, England, approached last May with the same goals as anyone.
They'd forgotten about how these United States had treated closer counterparts Travis a few years ago, turning them around on their heals with just a minor college hit, "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"
But as the calendar flipped into 2005, Keane's grasp tightened and they've continued to grab the attention of many more than countless compatriots ever do. "Hopes and Fears," the band's debut album, is selling unexpectedly well over the last few months, topping the 700,000-copy mark and achieving platinum status through word-of-mouth. And new single, "Everybody's Changing," has been all over the late-night talk show circuit in recent weeks, surely a sign that the end isn't near.
"It's beginning to really pick up," lead singer Tom Chaplin said from a tour stop in Berkeley, a day after playing the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "In Europe, we've sort of finished with 'Hopes and Fears.' We released four singles and we're done with the album cycle. In America, we've released our second single and things have just begun to get exciting. There seem to be more ardent Keane fans now than there have been."
Chaplin, a rosy-cheeked 26-year-old with all his baby fat and an affinity for white belts, said that the goal for them, in regards to cracking these shores, wasn't complex.
"We wanted to come to America to play rock 'n roll music back to the Americans," he said. "A combination of good music and hard work will get you somewhere in America."
Chaplin's shimmying steps around a microphone stand, his lyrics about the stranger-in-the-world syndrome and the stronger than average pipes are the groundwork for all the success that's finished off with Tim Rice-Oxley's banging piano work and Richard Hughes' hip drum play.
"Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to perform. It's kind of the show-off in me. I relished a crowd," Chaplin said of his dancing charisma. "I don't think we feel it's a huge responsibility or burden to perform."
All schoolmates who shared a babysitter (whom the group is named after), Keane is 8-years-old, but still in its infancy here. This growing spurt that its in the middle of is speeding along its growth and it can only lead to more.
"We're planning on doing better and bigger things," Chaplin said.
Keane will appear 7:30 p.m. May 18 at the Eagle's Ballroom in Milwaukee. Tickets are $20. For more information, call (414) 276-4545.
The group will also play 6:30 p.m. May 19 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Tickets are $25. For more information, call (773) 561-9500.
Fans take a shine to them only when they've almost folded, having worked themselves dry trying to get acknowledgment.
Euro trio Keane, who hail from Sussex, England, approached last May with the same goals as anyone.
They'd forgotten about how these United States had treated closer counterparts Travis a few years ago, turning them around on their heals with just a minor college hit, "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"
But as the calendar flipped into 2005, Keane's grasp tightened and they've continued to grab the attention of many more than countless compatriots ever do. "Hopes and Fears," the band's debut album, is selling unexpectedly well over the last few months, topping the 700,000-copy mark and achieving platinum status through word-of-mouth. And new single, "Everybody's Changing," has been all over the late-night talk show circuit in recent weeks, surely a sign that the end isn't near.
"It's beginning to really pick up," lead singer Tom Chaplin said from a tour stop in Berkeley, a day after playing the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "In Europe, we've sort of finished with 'Hopes and Fears.' We released four singles and we're done with the album cycle. In America, we've released our second single and things have just begun to get exciting. There seem to be more ardent Keane fans now than there have been."
Chaplin, a rosy-cheeked 26-year-old with all his baby fat and an affinity for white belts, said that the goal for them, in regards to cracking these shores, wasn't complex.
"We wanted to come to America to play rock 'n roll music back to the Americans," he said. "A combination of good music and hard work will get you somewhere in America."
Chaplin's shimmying steps around a microphone stand, his lyrics about the stranger-in-the-world syndrome and the stronger than average pipes are the groundwork for all the success that's finished off with Tim Rice-Oxley's banging piano work and Richard Hughes' hip drum play.
"Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to perform. It's kind of the show-off in me. I relished a crowd," Chaplin said of his dancing charisma. "I don't think we feel it's a huge responsibility or burden to perform."
All schoolmates who shared a babysitter (whom the group is named after), Keane is 8-years-old, but still in its infancy here. This growing spurt that its in the middle of is speeding along its growth and it can only lead to more.
"We're planning on doing better and bigger things," Chaplin said.
Keane will appear 7:30 p.m. May 18 at the Eagle's Ballroom in Milwaukee. Tickets are $20. For more information, call (414) 276-4545.
The group will also play 6:30 p.m. May 19 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Tickets are $25. For more information, call (773) 561-9500.
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