Image by Alex Lake.
Keane are set to release a special remastered version of ‘Hopes and Fears’ on May 10th 2024 exactly 20 years after its initial release.
On the same day, the band play London’s 02 Arena as part of a world tour that kicks off April 1st in Mexico City before reaching Europe and the UK, bringing them to Bournemouth’s BIC on May 7th. Their US tour in September includes prestigious dates at LA’s Greek Theatre, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
‘Hopes and Fears’ was a landmark album for Keane and has set all kinds of records in the process. It’s one of the best selling albums in UK chart history having sold over 2.5 million in the UK in its first year, and a million in the USA propelled by their absolutely classic song ‘Somewhere Only We Know’. ‘Hopes and Fears’ is 9x platinum in the UK, a remarkable achievement. The album has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Keane emerged alongside a new vanguard of bands that would change the shape of music: Snow Patrol, Scissor sisters, The Killers and Coldplay. They created a sound solely revolving around keyboards which enhanced the emotional pull of their songs. ‘Everybody’s Changing’ from ‘Hopes and Fears’ became a fan favourite and a top five hit.
In 2004 Keane were the biggest selling British artist in the UK. The following year they won two BRIT Awards: Best British Album for ‘Hopes and Fears’ and British Breakthrough act award as voted for by Radio 1 listeners.
‘Somewhere Only We Know’ has enjoyed a recent revival on Tik Tok going viral in Indonesia which lit the spark for a global renaissance of the track which is currently clocking up two million Spotify streams a day, and in the past 12 months has become Island Records’ biggest selling single. In total it has been streamed over a billion times.
Next year’s tour will celebrate Keane’s acclaimed body of work from their debut ‘Hopes and Fears’ through to their 2019 studio album ‘Cause and Effect’.
Lead singer Tom Chaplin said “I remember standing by that amazing old mixing desk at Heliocentric Studios where we made Hopes and Fears, listening to an early mix of Somewhere Only We Know. I had this feeling that we’d come up with something that had an extra bit of magic. Making music is so often a process full of doubt…but on this occasion there was something undeniable about what we’d created. Clearly a lot of people felt the same when the album came out!”
Founding band member and songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley said “When I think about these songs, I still picture us playing them in little rooms in pubs around the UK. I remember how exciting it was watching the crowds start to grow. Those songs opened the door to another dimension for us; everything that has happened in our lives since then was born out of that moment. It’s an incredible privilege for us that people are still listening after all this time.”
Keane play the following UK & Irish dates: Support comes from The Sherlocks & The Lathums. Tickets on general sale September 15th HERE.
May
Fri 3rd LEEDS, First Direct Arena
Sat 4th BIRMINGHAM, Utilita Arena
Sun 5th MANCHESTER, Co-Op Live
Tue 7th BOURNEMOUTH, BIC
Wed 8th CARDIFF, Utilita Arena
Fri 10th LONDON, The O2
Mon 13th DUBLIN 3Arena
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