It's been five long years since Keane last rocked Australian shores. But judging by the reception they received at Sydney's Metro on Friday night it was well worth the wait. They instantly animated the stage and the crowd with their established hit 'Everybody's Changing' and proved they were no exception to that rule, with a whole new approach to their sound and onstage presence.
Honouring their promise from 2004, the British band returned to Sydney with guitars and, along with bass player Jesse Quin's expertise on percussion and bongos, added a new dimension to past live performances. Frontman Tom Chaplin, dressed in an orange t-shirt and a shiny blue jacket, gave the six-string a workout by the fourth song 'Nothing in My Way' and later gave an incredible acoustic solo of 'Your Eyes Open'. He dominated the whole stage with his vocal energy, superman dives and high-fives to fans. But despite calls from adoring women to "take your top off" the jacket was still on by the end of the 90-minute set - drenched in sweat.
Pianist and writer Tim Rice-Oxley also shone in the spotlight as he pounded the keys and headbanged his way through the set. A strong loyal following of 20-and-30-something males filled the sold-out gig, but Friday's set list proved Keane have not confined themselves to the piano-driven rock of their first two platinum albums, Hopes and Fears and Under the Iron Sea.
Chaplin announced they were going to turn it up a notch before transforming the venue into a rocking disco furnace with the '80s electro-funk elements of their latest hit, 'Spiralling'. He also declared 'Perfect Symmetry', the title track from their newest album, was a song of hope.
"We hope you left your troubles at the door," he said and emphasised the dampening effect of reading about death and destruction in the news.
Hope also came for fans dreading another five-year wait.
"I know you're going to sing your hearts out because you have done all night. You've done us proud in this room tonight," Chaplin said. "We promise we won't take another five years to get back here."
And they didn't. Before long they were back on stage for a spectacular encore, belting out 'Better Than This', 'Is it Any Wonder?' before finishing off with guaranteed crowd-pleaser 'Bedshaped'.
Josephine Asher
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