2009年3月伦敦O2表演前采访

http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/the-edge/3223
WessexScene.co.uk

20th March 2009
Hayley Taulbut

Prior to their show at the O2 Arena last month, Hayley Taulbut heard piano-pop types Keane talk Perfect Symmetry, South America and Strictly Come Dancing… When Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes came to talk with me, they very much had the airs of a band who cannot quite believe their luck: they were modest, friendly and incredibly exhausted from the arena tour that was drawing to a close. Despite their apparent tiredness, both Tim and Richard sounded like they were still having a good time.

Speaking of the previous night’s show, Tim expressed his surprise at the sheer size of the venue’s that they get the privilege to play, such as the O2: “It’s an amazing place to play, I’d forgotten how big it is actually: I mean, there are hundreds of people, singing incredibly loudly: it’s quite stirring and impressive. But I really like the small ones as well: I find it very liberating playing in front of a small crowd: it means I can start dancing around like a twat, but if you start doing that in an arena it becomes a bit of nightmare!” Richard on the other hand appeared to have a preference for huge arenas: “Arenas mean you get to break out all the lights and mirrors, the massive TV screens: we even made some film ourselves to show. It helps communicate to the people right it the very back, but it’s also pretty cool to have all that stuff going on.”

What is certain, whether Keane play the O2 with all the mirrors and screens, or a tiny venue in a bar with barely a microphone and a piano between them, is that they continue to be overwhelmed with the reception they get, both at home and abroad. Speaking of their international fans, Richard portrays how they are treated with a respect comparable to legendary bands: “South America is pretty mental: it’s like being The Beatles. I remember in one airport, we had to sort of had to get rushed into our bus because there weren’t enough security people to stop us getting trampled which is very flattering: I think about half of the traffic on our website is from South America!” Keane certainly are not The Beatles, but with the success of their new album, and their ability to adapt and change as they progress may earn them even more celebrity status in years to come. It is the way that Keane turned their back on an incredibly successful formula used in “Hopes and Fears” and “Under the Iron Sea” that lead to “Perfect Symmetry” being a relative sensation. But as admirable as this is, it was not without its risks, as Tim says: “We didn’t worry what people were going to think to begin with. We had a really good time making the record, more fun than I think we have ever had before, which I think comes from the fact that we went to Paris and Berlin especially. Being geographically removed from our normal surroundings and seeing people that we normally see made us feel as though we could do whatever we wanted. We began to forget than anyone was going to hear it, which was very liberating. Once you take away the factors of public and press reception, you are really just indulging your own creative instincts, doing whatever feels fun and fresh and exciting. I think it was only right at the very end of the process when we were mixing it that we started to think ‘Oh shit, we are actually going to put stuff out there.’”

As much as the guys forgot that anyone was going to hear the finished product of “Perfect Symmetry”, one band member who can never forget that people will hear his music is Richard. When asked if he felt that he would ever try his hand at lead vocals as the other band members have previously, he was resolute in his answer: “No! I think it’s a bit like watching Celebrity Come Dancing or something: if you’re good at boxing just box, don’t try to be an ice dancer: just do whatever you do and fuck off!” But although Richard cannot see himself taking up the microphone other than in a backing context, the band do have plans of reinventing themselves in the future, even if they are not quite sure how exactly to go about it, or what can be expected. Richard said: “We don’t know what is planned for the future… There have been texts and emails going around with the title “what the fuck are we gonna do for the next record?!” But we are thinking about it in terms or realising that we don’t know what we are going to do. We don’t want it to become an extension of “Perfect Symmetry”- we need to go away again and have different experiences to get a new record. I hope we can keep doing things that people enjoy and want to listen to.”

And if their success in ticket and album sales is anything to go by, I think Keane can rest easy: despite being overwhelmed by their achievements, they are set to continue to excel themselves, and establish themselves as one of the big-hitters of modern British pop-music in the very near future.