2009年3月伦敦O2表演评论

Keane, London O2 Arena
http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/the-edge/3229

WessexScene.co.uk
20th March 2009
Hayley Taulbut

How Keane managed to achieve a sell out show two nights in succession in the massive O2 arena was at first a complete mystery to me.

The first support act, four piece Norwegian band ‘Katzenjammer’ were like Gogol Bordello on steroids: which is fine if you like that kind of thing, but for me, it was like listening to all the discordant sounds in the world put together in a blender and whizzed without the lid on. It was atrocious. Thankfully, second support act ‘Frankmusic’ were much better: at least they had an understanding of harmony and how music actually worked. If their performance was anything to go by, they are likely to be quite big names for 2009.

But on to the main act. Keane exploded onto the stage with ‘The Lovers are losing’, amongst a cacophony of lights and sounds echoing the colour scheme and shapes of their latest album, ‘Perfect Symmetry’. This quickly gave way into hit single ‘Everybody’s Changing’, which Keane gave a facelift through the use of synthesizers, the addition of extra tracks, and through voice delay, which gave the song a feel not dissimilar to that of their latest album. It was at this point I sat up in my seat and paid attention: my low expectations were set to be destroyed over and over again by the three/four piece band from Sussex.

And I was not disappointed – Keane continued to impress me as the show went on. It is unquestionable that lead Tom Chaplin has been blessed with a fantastic voice, and despite struggling with a sore throat, he sung his heart out with an enthusiasm and perfection that belongs in a whole different league than many other leads of bands of as higher calibre as Keane. Other band members matched Tom’s enthusiasm expertly, with Tim playing the piano and keyboard like it would be the last time, and so-called fourth band member, bassist Jess Quin negotiated the stage with the star quality that bands four-times more successful cannot boast of.

For almost two hours, Keane occupied the stage with the air of a band who had been entertaining mass audiences for as long as they can remember, whilst retaining the feeling that they cannot quite believe their luck. Tom Chaplin must have thanked the audience, and told us he was overwhelmed with the show no less than ten times in such a short space of time. Equally as overwhelmed were the die-hard fans who filled the arena with a sound that Tom deemed “the choir of London”. But I daresay, those who were overwhelmed to the greatest degree, were the sceptics such as myself: Even up in the balconies, each audience member, myself included, was out of their seat, dancing singing and clapping along to almost every song.

Keane concluded the show with a four song encore, partially performed on an extended stage amongst the standing crowd, much to their excitement. Anthems ‘Is it any wonder?’ and ‘Bedshaped’ acted as the perfect finale for the perfect gig, with Keane making expert use of the huge screens and the lights to create an experience that the audience would find hard to forget: it was a complete overload of colour, visuals, and sound, yet somehow, what was most memorable was the way that Keane overshadowed all of this with their brilliance and enthusiasm.

So I confess: I am truly a converted citizen: I am now a Keane fan, and proud of it, despite my initial scepticism. And I believe that Keane shall continue ‘spiralling’ into the musical stratosphere for years to come.