Music review: Keane rocked Manila in 'Strangeland' tour

Keane’s unique blend of hopeful melancholia rocked the SM Arena last October 3, delighting Manila-based fans who arrived in droves to see the English band on the Philippine leg of their “Strangeland” tour.

 

Foregoing any preamble—much less an opening act—Keane wasted no time launching into their set with “You Are Young” from “Strangeland,” their fourth studio album. With Tim Rice-Oxley’s rousing piano melodies setting the tone, along with Richard Hughes on drums and Jesse Quin on bass, Tom Chaplin’s soulful vocals rang true—and then some—proving without a doubt to everyone in attendance that the aural acrobatics heard on the band’s albums were devoid of any technological tampering. 

 

Hardly what one would consider a new band (having been formed in 1997), Keane’s combination of uplifting piano melodies, combined with poignant lyrics (usually touching on loyalty and friendship) and expressive vocals are notable for their ability to hit listeners’ sweet spot of nostalgia, garnering the band fans across the globe.

 

Hailing from East Sussex in England, Keane rose to prominence through sheer word of mouth and frequent live performances in small venues, the band slowly built up a loyal fan base (and survived the departure of founding member and guitarist Dominic Scott in 1999) over the years until they were “discovered” in 2002 by Fierce Panda Records’ Scott Williams. With the man who discovered Coldplay backing them, Keane’s 2003 single, “Everybody’s Changing,” was released, quickly soaring to the top of the charts. This newfound attention resulted in a bidding war over which label would publish their debut album.

 

To describe Keane’s sound would be an exercise in oxymoronic labeling, falling into that middle ground between despair and optimism to produce music you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable playing around your parents that, at the same time, is perfect for standing up and singing along to. And sing along the SM MOA Arena audience did, whether it was energetic music lovers, wistful eyed-couples holding hands or overly-enthusiastic British fans (complete with proudly-brandished Union Jacks) out to support their compatriots.

 

While Chaplin was undeniably the front man, Rice-Oxley (who writes most of the band’s songs) held up his end, playing like his life depended on it and treating his piano stool as if it was on fire, all the while providing backing vocals. While it wasn’t the most energetic or lively of stage performances, the musical prowess on display more than made up for what the individual members lacked in stage presence. Keane does exactly what it says on the tin, but when a band sounds this good, that certainly isn’t a bad thing.

 

Thankfully, Chaplin’s every move—of which there were, admittedly, few—served to work up the initially-unreceptive crowd into high spirits, whether it was punching the air for putting emphasis at key moments or falling to one knee during slower numbers. By the time he got to “Everybody’s Changing,” all pretenses to decorum on the audience’s part were lost as fans abandoned their seats, surging toward the stage and singing along from the first bars. A later highlight was when Chaplin took to the stage solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar to perform “Your Eyes Open.”

 

Title of the new album notwithstanding, the new songs played sounded right at home next to the band’s older hits. Throughout the night, the band never lost the audience, moving from newer entries like “Silenced by the Night” and “Disconnected,” to older ones from their songbook, including “A Bad Dream,” “Spiralling,” and the aforementioned rendition of Keane staple “Everybody’s Changing” that nearly brought the house down halfway through the night. Classic Keane songs were brought to the fore later in the set, with “Somewhere Only We Know,” “Is It Any Wonder,” and “Bedshaped” showing up past the halfway mark. 

 

With a backbreaking tour schedule that’s taken them everywhere from Finland to the United States to Mexico, Japan and Taiwan in the last three months alone, the band appeared exhausted after their 23-song show, but happy to be so well-received, responding enthusiastically to the appreciative crowd, answering the expected chants of, “More!” with an encore composed of “Strangeland” numbers “Sea Fog” and “Sovereign Light Café,” along with 2008’s “Crystal Ball,” for good measure. 

 

At the end of the night, Chaplin raised more than a few cheers by promising to come back sometime in the near future. While that may be something that every band says at practically every show in every city they play, that evening’s dose of musical nectar had Keane fans (and this writer), fervently hoping for a return engagement. –KG, GMA News