Something has shifted for the British rock band Keane.
“I can’t quite pinpoint what it is,” Tim Rice-Oxley, founding member and lead pianist of Keane, reflects over the phone from a quiet spot at the Pstereo Festival in Trondheim, Norway, just before the band takes the stage. “Everything is changing, and while that can be unsettling, it’s also necessary.”
This past year has swept the band into a whirlwind of emotions, from soaking up the adoration they’ve received while touring to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the landmark debut album “Hopes and Fears” to connecting with both longtime diehards and new, younger fans. The journey has also led them back to the drawing board, reflecting on what Keane truly represents as they begin crafting new music. This shift for the East Sussex, U.K.-raised group has been challenging and invigorating, marking a new chapter in a story that spans over three decades of friendship and musical exploration.
Released in May 2004, Keane’s debut album was more than just the introduction of a promising new band. The 12-track record presented a fresh, emotive sound driven by melodic keyboard arrangements. As Oxley explains, “The piano was the focal point of our sound. We didn’t fully understand it at the time, but it played a massive role in shaping everything we did.” This distinctive use of the piano set Keane apart from their guitar-driven contemporaries like Coldplay, The Frey and Snow Patrol, playing a key role in ushering in a new wave of music in the early 2000s.
“We’d been a band for a long time by the time that album came out,” Oxley reflected. “It had been six years since our first gig, which at the time felt like a significant chunk of our lives. We’d been playing together for years before that, so it was a long time coming. To me, the main theme of the album is about friendship. Even though it may seem romantic in parts, much of it is about supporting each other, holding on to our dreams, and strengthening the bond between us. Growing up in a small town in the south of England, the album was really about breaking out and trying to make something of ourselves.”
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Through years of dedication, late-night gigs at pubs, and navigating their way as young men in a world that seemed overwhelmingly vast, Keane’s relentless pursuit of breaking free from small-town life ultimately culminated in the success of “Hopes and Fears.”
Oxley hoped that the album would help them reach new heights, but he could never have imagined the scale of success that followed. Hopes and Fears surpassed expectations, selling over 2.5 million copies in the UK and more than 10 million worldwide, buoyed by standout hits like “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Everybody’s Changing.”
From their early days playing small venues like Los Angeles’ Viper Room to now performing sold-out shows, including the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sept. 5, their journey has been on an upward trajectory.
“It still seems surreal that we get to go and play in Los Angeles,” Oxley said. “It’s pretty much the place of legend in the world of music or anything creative. I can remember very clearly the first time we played, we turned up at the Viper Room and we were just this little band, it was only three of us at the time and our manager Adam was driving us everywhere and we just didn’t know what we were really doing. None of the gear worked and it felt so chaotic but amazing at the same time. Basically, ever since then, it’s felt like a really important place for us.”
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A climactic moment for Oxley and other members in this anniversary celebration is the resurgence of Keane’s hit single “Somewhere Only We Know,” which has now amassed over a billion streams worldwide. Once a defining track of the early 2000s, the song has found new life on TikTok, where its poignant melody and reflective lyrics have struck a chord with Gen-Z and young millennials. This digital revival has introduced the song to a new generation who were either too young or not yet born when “Hopes and Fears” first made its mark.
“I guess that’s just how life goes, you lose track of time, and in many ways, it feels like we’re still just starting out,” Oxley reflects. “In our minds, we still feel like a new band trying to find our way. So, having a new generation of fans discovering us is surreal in the best possible way. It’s incredible to see younger fans in the crowd, as it brings a fresh energy that makes us feel vibrant and motivated. It inspires us to create new music and keeps the band feeling alive and dynamic, rather than just a traveling act. Watching the younger generation connect with our songs is a beautiful experience. Each person takes away a different story, and that’s really the essence of it.”
With a remastered edition of “Hopes and Fears” which dropped in May, and includes B-sides and unreleased demos, Keane’s tour will toast to their entire body of work, from their debut to the 2019 release of “Cause and Effect.”
“It’s easy to fall into the trap of always thinking about what’s next,” Oxley said. “But my hope is that people truly appreciate this special moment with us. We feel it deeply, and I hope the fans do too. Moving forward, we’re more energized than ever. It’s a feeling reminiscent of when we first started.”
“Revisiting this album and our entire body of work has given us a clearer sense of who we are and what we want to be. We’ve learned to embrace that instead of running from it. We constantly ask ourselves, ‘What draws people to Keane?’ Staying true to that authenticity is our goal, and the future is all about working hard to honor it.”
