Keane Backline News

Opinion Column now online!

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:15:00 +0000

I'm pleased to announce the first Fan Opinion article is now online! This will be an irregular series on the site, where I give a platform to someone who has something worthwhile to say about anything vaguely related to the more technical or musical side of things (so, thoughts on whether Richard should shave his beard off, or whether Tom's new spangly gold jacket is a fashion faux-pas, are off-limits hehe!). It can be difficult for people to make their opinions heard on places like the official messageboard, so I thought I'd do my bit and provide a virtual soapbox for anything I think is worthwhile being heard.

To kick things off, long-time fan Krystina Nellis gives her view on a subject close to her heart - music videos. Have Keane become guilty of allowing their videos to become nothing more than glossy wallpaper and lost sight of how to use them to further the cause of the song, album and the band? Click here to read Krystina's thoughts on this interesting subject!

If you think you've got something that you want to get off your chest relating to Keane, drop me an e-mail, giving me a brief idea of what you'd like to write about. If I think it's suitable and interesting, you could be up on the site in a future column!

Win A Signed I HEART JQ T-Shirt!

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:35:00 +0000

You may already be aware, but a couple of months ago we announced the launch of the Keane Backline Shop with our own range of exclusive merchandise. Well, one range of merch in particular seems to be proving a hit (particularly with the ladies... hmmm), and that is our I HEART JQ range. But there's surely only one thing better than a JQ t-shirt - and that's a JQ t-shirt signed by the man himself, Tom, Tim and Richard!

Backline caught up with the lads after their recent Christmas gig in Glasgow and made sure they weren't allowed to leave the building before signing one of these iconic shirts - and rather than just keep it for ourselves, we're giving you the chance to win it by entering our exclusive competition. The question is a bit tricky, but you'll be pleased to know that the answer is to be found somewhere on this very site... you just have to find it!

UPDATE: the competition is now closed and the winners have been notified - thanks to everyone who entered!

Merry Christmas from Keane Backline!

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Just a quick message to you all to wish you all a very happy Christmas - I hope Santa is good to you all (though given their size and weight, I doubt he'll be dishing out CP70's to many of you - poor Rudolph wouldn't be able to cope with pulling the sleigh, and lets not even get into how bulging Santa's sack would be...).

Apologies for the lack of updates or blogs - an ever-changing domestic situation means that Backline HQ has had to move and now there's no internet access until January! Fear not though, for I shall be updating via internet cafes and wi-fi hot-spots whenever I can - keep your eyes open for an in-depth look at the gear Keane are using for their Perfect Symmetry tours as well as a new blog entry (bet you can't wait!). I'll also be introducing a new Opinion section of the site, where I let a guest correspondent give their take on something in the world of Keane. More on that nearer the time...

And, best of all, look out for a competition launching on the site over the next few days or so where you'll be able to get the chance of winning an exclusive piece of Keane Backline merchandise signed by the band! Don't miss it!

Going to any upcoming Keane gigs? We want your gear photos!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:26:55 +0000

With the first full live show of the new Keane album campaign getting underway tonight at The Forum in London (I'm currently in the airport now waiting to fly down), the time has come to see how different the new live set-up will be for the tours. In order to help me get a handle on what gear the band are now using (and for what!), I'll be on the lookout for what each of the guys is using on the different songs. But, I can't do it alone...

This is where you come in! If you're going along to any of the upcoming shows and are planning on taking a camera, I'm after your photos! If you can get close to the front and get some good, clear shots of the band and their new instruments and equipment, I'd love to host your photos here on the site. You'll still own them and I'll make sure you're fully credited, plus the photo I think is the best of the bunch will even earn its photographer an ultra-exclusive Keane Backline t-shirt! Sound good? Then get to a gig and get snapping!

If you do take some photos you'd like to send in, e-mail me links to them - the higher resolution you can get, the hetter! Thanks in advance, and enjoy the gigs!

New - Q&A Section now online!

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:30:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new section on Keane Backline - Q&A! This section of the site is your chance to ask all those techy/geeky Keane-related questions you've been wondering about. Simply send in your question and it could be published on the site, with an answer from Mart!

Go and check it out now - there's already a few questions up there to kick things off.

Thank-you, Keanemusic.com!

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:55:00 +0000

If you visited Keanemusic.com yesterday, you may well have noticed that they gave a rather large plug to this humble website and our exclusive interview with Tim. It was a very pleasant (and welcome!) surprise - and, judging by the server statistics, it brought a lot of traffic into the site and new subscribers to the mailing list. Thank God I'd fixed up the list set-up just hours before!

You can still look at the Backline piece in the Keanemusic.com Archive - thanks again guys!

Mailing List Problems

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Due to various technical problems with the previous mailing list set-up, we're in the process of changing the way the list works (i.e. actually making it work rather than not work). Unfortunately, this has meant that anyone who subscribed over the past couple of weeks will need to resubscribe again - please accept my sincere apologies for this! You'll also have to confirm your subscription via an e-mail that will be sent to you.

If you're unsure whether or not you need to resubscribe, just do it anyway - it won't do any harm as duplicates will be filtered out. To subscribe, visit the About page and submit your e-mail address.

Thanks for your patience while we iron out the teething troubles on the site!

Perfect Symmetry (Deluxe Edition) - Details and Pre-order

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:32:00 +0000

Keane have launched a new online store, replacing the previous Rag And Bone set-up. First items on the store are pre-orders for the album itself, as well as special bundle deals with a new red Keane t-shirt. Be sure to pop over to the store and check it out for yourself!

In addition to offering the pre-order itself, the store also confirms the details of what will feature on the more expensive "deluxe" edition of the album. According to the deluxe edition pre-order, the CD+DVD package will consist of the following features:

CD:

Spiralling
The Lovers Are Losing
Better Than This
You Haven't Told Me Anything
Perfect Symmetry
You Don't See Me
Again And Again
Playing Along
Pretend That You're Alone
Black Burning Heart
Love Is The End

Digital Insert: Tim interviewing Tom and demo version of Perfect Symmetry

DVD:

Documentary of the making of Perfect Symmetry
Experiments in Sound
Track By Track Commentary

Sounds like a good value, exciting package!

An Evening With Beyond The Iron Sea

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

As you may already be aware, the boys over at Beyond The Iron Sea have organised a special event in the run-up to the new album. An Evening With Beyond The Iron Sea will take place on Thursday 25th September at a secret location in central London and will feature the first complete play-through of the new album, weeks before its official release. Quite an exclusive, I'm sure you'll agree! There should also be some other stuff to keep everyone entertained.

Tickets for the event are free, but to be in with a chance of getting hold of a pair, you'll need to listen to Episode 17 of the podcast to hear the question, then complete the online form to submit your answer. All the details on the competition are given there - be sure to check out the terms and conditions before you enter!

Mart will be helping the lads out at this event, so if you do win tickets and come along, feel free to pop over and say hello. Good luck - hope to see you there!

Album Tracklisting Confirmed

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:34:45 +0000

Keanemusic.com has confirmed the final tracklisting for the forthcoming album, Perfect Symmetry. The track running order is as follows:

1. Spiralling
2. The Lovers Are Losing
3. Better Than This
4. You Haven't Told Me Anything
5. Perfect Symmetry
6. You Don't See Me
7. Again And Again
8. Playing Along
9. Pretend That You're Alone
10. Black Burning Heart
11. Love Is The End

The article also confirms the release date for the first "proper" single The Lovers Are Losing as October 20th (again, UK presumably - other territories to be confirmed).

Download "Spiralling" from KM.com now!

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:46:28 +0000

As of today, you can download the radio edit of new track Spiralling from keanemusic.com for free - this is the world's first taste of the band's new direction, featuring a bouncy 80's-inspired groove (it will sound a little familiar if you watched the band's Noise video update!). There's guitar, piano, VCS3 synth (in very sparing measure!), a great vocal from Tom and some cool backing vocals from Tim, Richard and Jesse - it gets a definite thumbs-up from Keane Backline, but be sure to download it now to make your own judgement!

The track will be available for a week for free - presumably at that point, it will be released through standard download channels such as iTunes... so grab it while its hot!

"Perfect Symmetry" Release and Live Show

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Keane have confirmed that the title of their forthcoming album will be Perfect Symmetry, with a release date of October 13th (U.K. presumably - other territories to be confirmed). To coincide with the announcement, the official website has been relaunched in a bold new design - be sure to pop over and sign up to it!

A download of new track Spiralling will be made available to fans on this Monday, August 4th via the website and will provide the first taste of Keane's new direction. It is rumoured that this track contains the infamous Tom rap/rant, as we discussed with Tim in our recent interview... definitely one not to miss!

In addition to this, Q magazine has announced that the band will also play their first live show of the third album campaign on September 29th at The Forum in London, as part of the magazine's new Q Awards: The Gigs series of live shows. Tickets will be £25 (plus booking fee) and will go on-sale at 9am on September 1st from Aloud.com. Clearly, demand for this is likely to be high amongst fans, so remember to pencil it into your diary!

Keane Backline now live!

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

It's been a long time coming, but Keane Backline is now open for business! This site will attempt to provide Keane fans with an insight into the myriad of weird and wonderful instruments that the band use to create their music, both live and in the studio. We'll also hopefully try to take an in-depth look at various aspects of the technology the band use - keep an eye out for further updates.

To kick things off, we're launching with an exclusive interview with Tim, where he talks about the process behind recording the forthcoming album and the challenges of pushing forward as a band. It's a great interview (even if we do say so ourselves!), so it's definitely worth checking out.

We're still working on the gear listing section, but it should be online soon! There are also still a few loose ends that need to be tied up on the site, so keep checking back over the next couple of weeks. Don't forget - you can sign up to the mailing list to ensure that you don't miss any important updates to the site.