I said on my Strangeland review that I’d
gladly go see Keane on tour but back then, no dates were announced for some European
tour…yet. That eventually came… and the tickets went away as if they were made
of pure gold. Did I get one? Yep… Even got two of those.
When I heard
Keane’s new song “Silenced By The Night”, I was in a car on my way to
Kasabian’s live show at Le Cirque Royal… Maybe it was a sign of destiny because
Keane’s tonight show happens to be also at Le Cirque Royal.
The opening act of
Keane is a young British band named Zulu Winter. I had heard about them earlier
in the week thanks to one of their die-hard fan I met following the Imagine
Dragons live show. I checked two of their songs but decided to stop listening. I
didn’t stop because I didn’t like the sound, I just wanted to keep some
freshness and surprise for the live performance. And…
Truth is that these
five guys are worth seen live: although the band is relatively young – they
formed in 2011 - they seem very comfortable on stage and you sense they have
more than 2-hour practice on their résumé… In fact, Keane picked them as their
opening act last May but the band was The Vaccines’ opening act for a few dates
of their 2012 tour as well. Including Belgium. In fact, it was the second time
Zulu Winter was in Brussels in less than a month and it seems they were already
warmly welcome at The Vaccines’ show as singer Will Daunt mentions at one point
that “it’s good to be back in Brussels ‘cos you’ve always treated us so well”.
Honestly, they
deserved that recognition: their sound reminds me of some 80ies tunes at times
but with a little modern touch. Some people might say their sound has “nothing
really new”. Maybe… but I liked their performance and was apparently not the
only one as the audience was clapping their hands at the singer’s request…
which is not always the case for poor opening acts having to face a crowd that
only want one thing : the main act! I had a great moment watching these five
guys’ nice unity on stage so to me, it’s a done deal!
I also should tell
you that it’s probably no surprise that Keane picked them as you can hear some
“music connection” between these two bands. Apparently, the connection was more
than musical: tonight was Zulu Winter’s last performance with Keane and they took
this opportunity to thank Keane and telling us how amazing these four guys are.
Light off, Zulu
Winter leaves the stage and technicians appear to install Keane members’ gear.
Light off again and then… From the left side of the stage appear tall shadows
which I immediately identify: these are our guys!
The band starts the
show nice and slowly with “You Are Young”, a song made of Keane’s typical
sound. During the break between Zulu Winter and Keane, my friend and I were
talking about bassists and about the fact that they often stand up on the right
side of the stage and were actually wondering if it was just some kind of
audience-conditioning to help identify the bassist in a band or more of a
technical thing. I was pretty much convinced it was the first option: after
all, I think I’ve always seen Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe standing on the left
side of a stage. Well… Nikki does so… as well as Jesse Quin, apparently.
Keane’s bassist occupies that spot while Tim Rice-Oxley stands on the right
side with his well-known piano. Richard Hughes can be seen behind his drum kit,
standing on a little podium at the back of the stage, while singer Tom Chaplin
is right in the middle of that same stage. Another piano, all white, is near
the drum kit, for later use…
I remember
listening to the album opening track and having that moment of incredible
happiness realizing the Keane sound I always loved was back… So, quite
naturally, I was displaying a large smile and thinking that it was damn good to
have these guys right here with us! For reasons unknown, I already knew that
night would be a good one…
Cell phones already
record the scene, will do so for most of the evening and catch for posterity
that invitation from Tom asking the audience to show its hands and see what it
can do… Of course, all the hands are up in the air to add some clapping track
to the song.
“Bend And Break”,
taken from the band’s first album, is a nice track full of energy. Energy is
definitely a term well chosen for Keane as Tim keeps taping his left foot while
playing piano for most of the show and Tom moves throughout the stage, giving
fans many opportunities to take pictures of him. I also remember thinking at
that time that the guy in charge of the spotlight would definitely be busy that
night!
“On The Road” is
one of the most energetic songs of the band’s new album and probably one of my
favourite: to be honest, not including this one on the set list would have been
a big mistake as – like I wrote on my album review – its lyrics are so appropriate
for a touring band. The band did perform it on a few summer festivals but... I
turned out quite disappointed by the result. Sometimes, the difference between
the studio work and the live performance doesn’t make the song work as expected
and it seemed to me that Tom’s voice didn’t seem as powerful on stage as it is
on the record... So when I recognized these nine piano notes introducing “On
The Road”, I was already prepared to be unsatisfied. I couldn’t have been more
wrong. Tom Chaplin perfectly handles the rollercoaster side of the vocals
without any trouble. He even holds the ‘band’ word of the “It’s just around the
band” a few seconds longer than he does on the record, before kneeling down in
front of us… And for this, Mister Chaplin, it is I – not you – who has to kneel down as a token of respect
and as an way to excuse myself for thinking so poorly of your way of singing
that one song!
Tom takes a moment
to point out how an incredible place Le Cirque Royal is for them to finish
their European tour and how lovely they think the theatre is. He seems to care
very much about the venue as he will mention his tenderness for the venue a few
more times during the evening.
The whole stage is
in darkness, with the exception of two white spotlights turned towards Tom and
Tim as they start playing “We Might As Well Be strangers”. Two more spotlights
reveals Rich as he starts the drum part of the song and Jesse who’s not at his
usual spot but playing the white piano for this song.
“Nothing In My Way”
has one of those melancholic melodies but easy to remember tempo that makes the
audience throw their fists in the air to accompany Chaplin as he sings the
song, accompanied by Tim, Rich and Jesse as background vocalists. Tim may have
to deal with both the piano and the little red organ put on top of his piano
for this song, that’s no big deal for him as he switches from piano to organ
with high easiness. White light is all over him while the others stand in the
shadows as he finishes the song, even improvising a few notes at the very end
of it.
A technician gets
out of the left side of the stage to bring Tom an electric guitar… Wait?! I
knew the guy could play piano and acoustic guitar but that’s the first time I
see him with an electric guitar in his hands. What are they going to play?
Here’s my answer… They start playing “The Lovers Are Losing”. There’s great
chemistry between the singer and his three friends as he sings “I dreamed I had
nothing at all” while they answer him “Nothing more than honesty”. Great
moment!
 |
| Mr Chaplin playing electric... |
I only notice the decor
at that time: a large backcloth covers the background of the stage, a sun with
its rays of light painted on the top of the right corner… an image that can be
seen on the shirt available at the merchandising table. In front of the backcloth,
a large circle with ‘Strangeland’ written in it and four towers attached to the
ceiling with bulb lights at the bottom. Simple and nice…
 |
| Strangeland sun shining on Le Cirque Royal stage |
Those light bulbs light
up, some pink and purple lights fill the place and suddenly, the very
distinctive notes of “Silenced By The Night” are heard and… I give the common
physical response to that song since I’ve heard it for the first time: I have
the most stupid smile on my face. I can’t help it, that song makes me happy…
Once played live, the song is really great as Tom Chaplin displays a little additional
touch of tenderness in his voice when he sings the verses. Jesse turns to Rich
and both exchange little head nods, sign of a nice complicity between the two
musicians. As he finishes the “Baby I’m not scared of this world when you’re
here”, Tom starts clapping, followed by half of the front stage audience. The
other half is pointing forefingers up in the air following the song tempo.
No need to mention
how crazy the crowd goes once the band starts playing “Everybody’s changing”…
It’s all clapping, singing, hands in the air and bodies moving shoulders backwards
and forwards following the song’s rhythm! Still don’t know if the moving
shoulders thing is a natural unconscious move attached to that song or a
reproduction of the boys’ live body language because… yes, all members of Keane
were swaying… The audience knows perfectly the song and is a nice support
during the choruses. Chaplin will point that fact after the song by saying out
loud how incredible that noise is and how touched he is by the crowd.
The foursome is in
darkness again with electric blue light on the back of the stage as the “Neon
River”’s first notes are heard. When Rich starts drumming, the six huge spotlights
standing on the background turns in the guys’ direction, giving us more lighting
but still making them “just” shadows on a stage. I have to admit this is a nice
way to put the main attention to the song. I didn’t really notice the beauty of
this one when I first listened to “Strangeland” but after a few times and carefully
listening to its lyrics, “Neon River” eventually became one of my favourite
tracks of the album. The piano part is a bit different once played live and is
simply awesome: it makes the song much more beautiful than the album version.
Rich and Jesse’s background vocals are also great and add some nice harmonies
that I honestly didn’t notice on the album. Great great song! Tom Chaplin
apparently agrees as he lifts his right thumb while looking at Jesse at the end
of the song…
It seems I was so
focused on the band’s performance that I didn’t notice a technician brought
another piano on the right side of the stage. Tim leaves his usual spot, faces
the crowd and starts playing “Spiralling”. I never hid that I absolutely
dislike “Perfect Symmetry” but tonight, it’s like the boys wanted to make me
like the “Perfect Symmetry” songs by adding some little unexpected surprises
along the way: Tom with a guitar on “The Lovers Are Losing”, Tim facing the
crowd on “Spiralling” with… Jesse adding some percussions stuff to Rich’s
drumming??? OK boys, you got me there, I surrender! These two songs will be the
only ones from Keane’s third album included on the set list but I honestly have
to admit they were nice surprises!
Time for some more
good-vibe song with “Day Will Come”!! Rich hits his drum kit before turning his
head, his attention caught by the bassist who’s once again sharing a moment
with his friend. Before starting the bridge part, Tom leaves the centre of the
stage and faces Jesse who helps him by adding some great vocals to that part.
OK… so now would be
the perfect time to speak a little about Jesse Quin. As I explained in my
review, Jesse Quin wasn’t part of the band back in 2004 and was added to the
band’s line-up in early 2011. I also mentioned how his arrival brought
something new to the band’s sound, only for the better.
Truth is the little
man (well… “little” is maybe exaggerated since the three others are giants!)
makes it… big on stage! His bass lines adds something great to new songs and
don’t drastically change the older ones’ sound. He fits in with discretion but
definitive effectiveness: it’s therefore really hard not to like him…
especially since he seems to be born to share the stage with the three others.
You can sense through the evening that these four get along well: the original
members of Keane welcomed him and from what I’ve seen tonight, they were damn
right to do so! God knows how much it’s not always easy to be “the one that
comes later” but eh, I like that guy; it feels like he’s always been there.
After Tom mentions
how a great time he had while singing “Day Will Come”, we have an example of
Jesse’s discretion and effectiveness of one the old song of Keane. Rich, Tim
and Tom starts “A Bad Dream” on their own while he remains quiet in the shadow
before joining them right after the first chorus. There are a few Keane songs I
found “just” perfect: “A Bad Dream” is one of those and changing things – even
in the smallest way possible – could turn this song into a complete disaster.
No disaster here… just a beautiful moment and my throat all tied-up.
After Tom finishes
the second chorus, the lightning technician turns off all stage lights, with
the exception of the green-lit background. When he turns the lights on again,
Tom is in front of the piano Tim used for “Spiralling”… which was moved right
in front of Tim’s. Someone had moved it somewhere between “Spiralling” and “A
Bad Dream” and I didn’t notice it… THAT piano is a ghost! Or maybe Keane
technicians are spirits… I did see the technician moving the white piano closer
to the front stage though… Guess spirits only stay on the right side of the
stage in that team!
Tom sits in front
of the white piano and tells the audience it’s now time for a rest before spreading
out over the piano, making everyone laugh. He also explains how perfect the
venue is as people look so close to them (that remark immediately reminded me
of Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds saying the exact same thing about La Rotonde
the previous week). He says he doesn’t remember the last time they came when a
girl takes this opportunity to shout “It’s been too long since you come here”. Quite
surprised but amused, Tom Chaplin immediately says “How long?” to which the
girl replies “four”. The singer uses that typical British sense of humour by
answering back “Four? Four days? Months? Years?... Decades??”.
Light is on Tom as
he plays the piano intro of “Hamburg Song”, that song he wrote when he was in a
dark period… Life hasn’t been easy on Tom a while ago. Yes of course, you are
famous, you’re making money, your songs travels over the frontiers and many
people love you. Some people are doing well with newly found fame; others don’t
find it that easy to handle… Tom Chaplin is a masterpiece on a stage: his voice
is simply awesome and never fails, even for a split second. What you hear on
the records is what you get to hear when he’s right in front of your eyes. And
if you’re lucky enough – and we were that night – he’ll provide you with even
better performances than the recorded ones. He has great energy, an outgoing personality
and often calls out for the audience to join him in his ride. And yet… Maybe
some of you don’t know this but Mister Chaplin is a shy and quite lonely man.
Not always easy seeing your life turned completely upside down when you’re not
exactly prepared. Even less easy standing up every night on stage and entertain
an audience. It only takes a step to fall down sometimes. Yes… life hasn’t been
easy on Tom Chaplin but tonight, he’s right there, standing tall (!) and
apparently enjoying the moment as much as I do. He was already impressive back
in 2005 and I cared about him for the great time he offered me back then.
Tonight, I care even more than before… I think I could slap anyone telling me
he can’t sing! You can say you don’t like his voice but no-one can say he can’t
sing… If you dare trying, you’d better start running before I catch you…
“Hamburg Song” is
one of the most beautiful moments of the show, not only thanks to the song:
it’s a whole thing. Tom singing and playing the song with Tim’s help then
followed by Rich’s smooth drumming… Exceptionally, Jesse sits by Rich and
doesn’t play any instrument on that song: he’s just enjoying the moment. Just
like us. But… something wasn’t right, something was… I take out my earplugs and
immediately realize that … the whole place is silent! There’s not a sound
coming out from the crowd! And let me tell you one thing: I was damn glad to be
one of 2000 witnesses of that very particular moment ‘cos you know, people…
that’s something you don’t see every day! Erm… hear, actually.
 |
| "Hamburg Song" |
If you want to burn
a whole place down, “Is It Any Wonder” is good enough to do so. Whether it is
in the crowd or on the stage. Tim puts away his stool and stands up in front of
his piano, Rich hits the cymbals with the energy of Animal the muppet, Jesse
jumps while playing bass and Tom barely stays at the same place for more than
three seconds. Halfway through the song, one of the roadies comes out from the left
side of the stage and hides behind the amps wall installed behind Jesse. Erm…
playing hide and seek, darling? Naaah, the guy simply showed up to grab Tom’s
microphone stand that had fallen on the ground. I have to say there was
something funny seeing this all-black dressed guy wandering on stage in the
middle of the song: that’s what I call a “very own moment of glory”! Truth is later,
other roadies (or was it the same every time? Can’t say…) showed up on stage to
drop some glass of water on the piano before coming back to bring the glass
back in the wings.
Anyway, before
seeing the band performing “Is It Any Wonder?” tonight, I had never realized that
much that it doesn’t actually miss many ingredients to make Keane a rock band. An
electric guitar maybe… But then… that wouldn’t be Keane-ish anymore, right?
Afterwards, the
band plays “This Is The Last Time”, one of its early releases, where Tom’s
voice is once again dealing with rollercoaster vocals with… no difficulties at
all! It seems the audience is having a great complicity with the singer: every
time he raises his arm, he has 10 or 20 other arms doing the exact same thing…Jesse
leaves his place and heads to Rich’s podium to stand right behind him. These
two are really getting along fine!
I think it’s hard
to explain what happened to le Cirque Royal when they started playing
“Somewhere Only We Know”… One second, the audience is clapping, thanking the
guys for the performance. The second after, Tom spreads his arms wide open, the
song starts and that same audience screams at the top of its lungs before
singing along! I sometimes record songs to keep some memories of the show and I
have to avoid singing otherwise, the camera records more my voice than the
singer’s. So each time I record a song, you can see my mouth saying the words
with… no sound coming out of my mouth at all. I like that song so much that I
completely forgot about that fact for a second and now, I have myself singing
the first sentence of “Somewhere…” on a video for the rest of my life. I also
have Tom inviting the audience to sing the chorus all alone, demonstrating the
power of that song.
Eight years ago,
“Somewhere Only We Know” and its sweet and yet simple melody came out of
nowhere like a musical meteor and crashed everything in a world made of many
musical studio arrangements, electronic gears or massive rock sounds.
Eight years later…
it hasn’t aged a day. Only their initial performers have aged and I can’t help
but wondering about the lyrics’ impact on them. Four albums, millions of
records sold, many miles on the road and a bag full of life experiences later,
do they still see that song like they did in 2004? “Oh simple things, where
have you gone? I’m getting old and I need something to rely on. So tell me when
you’re gonna let me in, I’m getting tired and I need somewhere to begin… And
have you have a minute why don’t we go talk about it somewhere only we know?”. Are
they still able to maintain things “simple” when they’re on the road? Does each
of them have something to rely on and does each of them have a place…
somewhere? Some place on their own to keep them safe? Yep… This song’s lyrics are
definitely powerful…
When I see Jesse taking
off his bass, I’m quite sure this is the end of the show. A roadie (again!)
comes to grab it and I’m positively sure that this is over… Tom thanks the
audience for their help before applauding the performance with his three band
mates. The crowd warmly thanks the band as well with a melody made of strong “Oh
oh oh oooh oh”…
Never forget about
the pianos left alone on a stage… especially with a bassist who’s able to play
piano. That could mean another song to be played… That meant another song. THAT
song! “Bedshaped”…
The electric blue
general lightning and white Strangeland neon offers great view… that I could
have enjoyed more if three people hadn’t decided to leave their place during
one of my favourite songs. One of these three was sitting on the stairs and
probably raised from her spot four or five times to go get drinks without even
caring about the fact that she was blocking our view. I tell you this: the
Strangeland Tour may have end up being renamed “StrangLeland” at the end of
that night…
Before starting the
song, Tom asks help from the audience to sing a part of “Bedshaped”. He doesn’t
even need to say which part, the people already know… leading to a magnificent
moment of complicity. When Tom finishes saying “in white light, I don’t think
so”, the audience sings “What do I know, what do I know… I know”. It’s not 2000
people singing there at that time: it is one single entity sending back all the
tenderness it has for these four guys.
Let’s admit it… I
cried. Not much. Just one tear coming out from each eye. And two more when Tom
started the final part of the song. A completely unexpected physical response to
a beautiful moment. It happens sometimes and trust me, I’m not ashamed of those
moments… In fact, those moments make you feel more human and alive than you
could ever be. Those moments make me realize that music is REALLY something I can’t
live without. At the end of the song, I’m both devastated and happy…
The boys finally
leave the stage but the audience isn’t ready to let them go that fast… For
those of you who aren’t Belgian, there’s one thing you need to know. Belgium is
a place where soccer competitions matter very much and in stadiums, supporters
often show their affection for their team by singing a melody made of “po” and
“lo” often named “the soccer song”. In fact, most of them have absolutely no
clue they didn’t invent that melody but literally stole it from Jack White.
Replace “Seven Nation Army”‘s first notes by “po po lo po po po po” and you
have the “soccer song”. I’ve always wondered if the American singer knew about
this…
Anyway, this little
anecdote was worth being told just to tell you that Le Cirque Royal’s audience
called back the Keane boys with that melody… and they came back.
Tim and Tom are all
alone on the stage and share a nice moment while performing “Sea Fog”. I wrote
in my review that this song would be the perfect one to end the show but… erm…
in the end, the song fits wherever you place it on the set list. That unique
piano playing with Tom’s voice on it with additional vocals from Tim is really
nice to hear. Adding Jesse’s voice near the end of the song is also a great staging.
The bassist was hiding in the shadows throughout the whole song and only
revealed himself to us when it was time for him to add his voice to the song’s
final moment. So nice, sweet and… perfect.
“I’m going back to
a time when we owned this town” sings Tom to us… Well, the place may be in full
darkness but the clapping and shouts I hear coming out of the crowd should
reassure the band that they never really “lost” Belgium and that they owned
this place tonight. From the first time I heard this song, I’ve always had the
feeling that there was more than meets the eye to it, that we should probably
read between the lines and see some partial message or confession into it so to
me, this song remains the most intriguing one of Strangeland. If I’m lucky
enough to cross paths with these four guys one day, I’ll ask them… I won’t ask what it is about; I just want to know
if my intuition was right.
“Sovereign Light
Café” is fascinating but has also one haunting melody that hardly goes away
once it’s stuck in your brain. When we got home after the show, I think I
mumbled the song until my whole body finally gave up on me as I fell asleep…
I said earlier that
Zulu Winter and Keane must have had a nice time while touring together because
Zulu Winter pointed out how great the Keane guys are. Keane are indeed great
guys as they also had a kind word for their opening act, mentioning how great
it was to tour with them and inviting us to buy their record before applauding
them. In this world where everyone seems to think that music is a cruel world,
it’s always reassuring to realize that artists supporting and respecting each
other still exist. Where record companies makes it (most of) all about the
money, artists makes it all about the music… I always thought money and music
should co-exist in this business but these last few years have often proven me
wrong. I just hope things will change or I have the feeling that it’ll become
harder for young talented bands to fit in this world. Let’s hope Zulu Winter,
Belakiss and a few of these great opening acts I discovered this year will find
their way because they so deserve it.
Before playing their
last song, Tom Chaplin thanks the audience for the “magical atmosphere on this
room tonight, [for] bringing all that passion and energy and generosity” and
saying it meant a lot to them. He then seems to remember the “four” girl and
turns to her and say “We’ll see you very soon… Yes?”.
One hour and a half
after starting the show, Tom’s voice is still as powerful and he delivers us a
great performance on “Crystal Ball”. His three companions don’t show any sign
of tiredness either and plays that final song with great energy. The singer
goes a few more times to the right side of the stage, a few more times to the
left side to give the fans one last opportunity to wave at him. And finally
giving some rest to the spotlight guy when the stage lights go crazy as Chaplin
encourages fans to show their hands and clap as much as they can until final
note is heard in Le Cirque Royal.
Keane’s songs have
an incredible way of reminding me of very specific moments in my life. I still
remember what I was doing when I heard “Somewhere Only We Know” for the first
time; I still remember that little feeling serenity when I sang “Nothing In My
Way” at my very first singing lesson and high nervousness the day I had to go
on a stage to sing it in front of an audience (shaking microphone people, damn
shaking!!); I still remember the moment “A Bad Dream” helped me leaving behind
one particularly sad life issue.
Those specific
moments were good times that made me smile, sad times that made me cry but
somehow, they’re all part of my life and my history. Parts that will and never
should be forgotten as long as I can hear those songs. That is to me one of
Keane’s most powerful influences: allowing people to connect with their own
life with a little help from their songs.
Listening to these
songs with their creators in front of you multiplies the emotions by a thousand
per cent.
I had that feeling
back in 2005 when I went to see them playing live for the first time. Now they
have more amazing songs and a great new friend with them. I was happy to see
them back…and I won’t probably wait another 7 years before seeing them again. You
can’t spit on a good time with people who can tickle your emotion barometer.
All I wish is to
have more respectful people not getting out of their chair so many times during
the performance without even caring about the fact that those who actually care
can’t see a damn thing! Not to mention I consider that as disrespect for the
people on the stage. And these four deserved respect for what they achieved
that night!
 |
| Show's over but the emotion remained for a while... Well done, boys! |
Setlist :
-
You Are Young
-
Ben And Break
-
On The Road
-
We Might As Well Be Strangers
-
Nothing In My Way
-
The Lovers Are Losing
-
Silenced By The Night
-
Everybody’s Changing
-
Neon River
-
Spiralling
-
Day Will Come
-
A Bad Dream
-
Hamburg Song
-
Disconnected
-
Is It Any Wonder?
-
This Is The Last Time
-
Somewhere Only We Know
-
Bedshaped
Encore
-
Sea Fog
-
Sovereign Light Café
-
Crystal Ball
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