Keane to talk

They also tell us about recording in Berlin, and why the band feel they’ve had a fresh start after Tom’s drink and drug addictions.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.

Whether or not Keane have been brushing up on their 19th-century German philosophy remains to be discovered, but there’s definitely something in those words, more than a century after their author’s death, that rings especially true for the trio.

Today the band, originally from Battle, East Sussex, are in rude health.

They’re leaner and fitter than ever, absolutely brimming with enthusiasm for their latest album Perfect Symmetry, and more than a little eager to talk about it.

“We’ve made something to be immensely proud of,” says singer Tom Chaplin. “We can’t wait for people to get their hands on it. It’s definitely the best thing that’s been created by Keane.”

He’s right as well. Perfect Symmetry is the band’s most consistent album to date, mixing their traditional sound with a newfound, energetic pop bounce.

Spiralling, the album’s opening track, given away as a free download earlier in the year, is the perfect introduction to where Keane are in 2008.

The song at once tips its hat to 1980s-era David Bowie and vintage Talking Heads, yet it sounds thoroughly modern, with its swooping chorus and electronic beats.

It’s just one of many highlights on an album which features very little of the questioning and self-doubt present in Tim Rice-Oxley’s lyrics thus far.

The band’s debut Hopes And Fears was, as the title suggests, full of wide-eyed optimism and the uncertainty that comes with leaving university to join the ‘grown-up’ world.

Tim’s unique piano-playing style caught the ear of music fans, serious and casual alike, and the album went on to become the biggest-selling album by a British band in 2004.

Seemingly without stopping for breath, the band rolled from that success and headlong into the creation of their second offering, Under The Iron Sea, which was released in the summer of 2006.

The album had darker sound, but no matter how heavy the music sounded, it was nothing compared to what was going on within the band.

Unbeknown to most, Tom had been battling with drink and drug addiction for some time, and, while on tour in America, decided to fly home, cancelling any remaining shows.

He checked into rehab to straighten himself out, and for a while, it looked as if Keane would be no more.

The relationship between the childhood friends - Tom, Tim and drummer Richard Hughes broke down as a result, leaving Keane, if they were to carry on, with some serious work to do to put things right.

After playing a handful of UK live dates, the first thing to do was to take some time off.

“We were tired before we even began making Under The Iron Sea,” reflects Richard.

“It was a very difficult time for us, and we hadn’t been ready for the success of Hopes And Fears.

“This time, we decided to take six months off before we began the new record,” he continues.

“That gave Tim plenty of time to write lots of songs, and it also gave us a bit of a chance to reconnect with the real world; to just live our lives in a relatively normal way, probably for the first time since before our first album came out.”

The break worked wonders for the band, who have now evidently sorted out their differences and behave as most lifelong best friends do, affectionately mocking one another and laughing among themselves.

Coming back from their six-month holiday, Keane decided to decamp to Berlin to begin work on Perfect Symmetry, a city they now hold dear to their hearts.

“We found a resonance in Berlin,” says Tom.

“It’s a place that has been through some troubled times - it was flattened during the Second World War, had the Wall built there and so on - but it’s now had a rebirth, and keeps regenerating itself.

“I think that reflects our state of mind as a band. We really want to move forward, keep creating and keep on doing things that are colourful and exciting. The city definitely impacted on the way we were thinking, so we owe the place quite a lot,” he adds.

“The important thing was togetherness,” says Richard, picking up his band mate’s point.

“We made the first two records very near to where we live, so we’d record all day, then get in the car and go home at night.

“This time, we all took the train out to Berlin overnight. We really improved the whole social side of making the album - once we left the studio in the evening, we found some cool places to go, some 24-hour bars where we were just mates, talking about music.

“It was all just one big collaborative process, from the moment we left London on the train to arriving back from Berlin.”

With the album now in the shops and picking up some of their best reviews to date, the band’s attention is turning to performing, with European shows taking them up to the end of November, and a UK tour starting in January.

Watching Keane at a small warm-up show recently, they appear to be having more fun on stage than ever before. The new songs brim with confidence - Tom is also playing electric guitar on stage now, something Keane fans will have never seen before - while older material has been injected with fresh enthusiasm and urgency.

“Having three records to take songs from is great,” offers Richard.

“We absolutely love playing live, and I think performing that helped us back from the brink. We feel an incredible connection with the fans that come and see us play, it’s like a massive celebration and party rather than a passive process where we play songs and people listen.”

“Playing gigs and hearing fans singing the songs back to us inspires us more than anything,” concludes Tom.

“Wherever we are, the UK, Europe, US, South America or Japan, we love it.

“We just can’t wait to get out on the road again.”