Good bands never die, they simply fade away...for awhile. And Keane can take comfort in the knowledge that while their star dimmed during the two year hiatus after Under the Iron Sea, their fans never truly moved on.

Storming the Fort Canning green on Thursday (August 13), an estimated 6000 of them braved the sweltering humidity to catch the boys from Britain on their first concert trip to Singapore.

I was busying myself trying to purchase a decent, affordable swig of beer (at S$10 a can, that's bloody murder) when a thunderous roar ambushed my senses. The till-then sedated crowd had scrambled to the front of the stage and was cheering wildly as Tim, Tom and Richard trotted out resplendently, looking every bit the Brit fashion icons.

With a shuddering fury, the band lunged into their first number of the night, "The Lovers are Losing," which got the young audience jumping frenetically on their feet and pumping their fists in the air. Other up-tempo numbers, "Bend and Break," "Again and Again," and "This is the Last Time" were soon to follow. Against the backdrop of the electric piano's psychedelic wail, and with Tom swiveling manically, serenading the microphone with boundless energy, you couldn't blame the hardcore Keane fans in the audience from getting almost hysterical.

Hit songs "Spiralling" and "Perfect Symmetry" were good on the radio, but to hear them live, certainly pure magic. Hailing from Keane's latest Perfect Symmetry album which was released just last year, these Technicolor explosions of pure unashamed energy got even the most conservative person standing around in Fort Canning green tapping his feet and grooving to the rhythm in an ever-so-slight head-banging motion.

Just like my female companion beside me, I was particularly entranced by Tom Chaplin's solo rendition of "Your Eyes Open." With only an acoustic guitar for accompaniment, Tom's emotive voice blended as one with the hauntingly romantic strumming to create an almost texturally-surreal sound.

Most others who turned up that night would have enjoyed classic Keane hits "Everybody's Changing" and "Somewhere Only We Know," which never fail to sound fresh despite debuting six years ago. The atmosphere within the park was rapturous as everyone who knew the lyrics to the songs (and that meant almost everyone) raised their voices and sang along.

An accurate reflection of the concert's tempo progression could be gauged by Tom's face color. Starting out a carnation pink at the neck as the band opened the concert, it turned rose-red and flushed by "Try Again." And closing with "Crystal Ball," the poor Briton was glowing like a beet after posturing, gyrating, and pushing his vocals to the limit throughout the two hour long, 16-song concert. It seemed quite apparent too that wringing and amassing the perspiration from his sweat-drenched outfit could provide relief to certain drought-stricken areas in North Africa.

Even then, the crowd was not appeased, crying out for an encore. Keane duly obliged with another three heart-thumping numbers, "Atlantic" and "Is It Any Wonder" from Under the Iron Sea, and "Bedshaped" from their latest album, Perfect Symmetry.

And just as the ground was emptying as the crowd scurried to catch the last train service, the cheeky trio returned unexpectedly to the stage for a second encore: a cover of the Queen and David Bowie's 1981 hit "Under Pressure" which Keane originally recorded for BBC Radio 1's 40th birthday compilation album.

A truly memorable night for fans this must have been. On their first ever stop in Singapore to promote their Perfect Symmetry album, the band treated all who turned up to support them to a musical journey through songs from all three of their albums. With such a sterling performance in the bag, it isn't any wonder that Keane is currently one of the most popular British bands around town.

Set List
The Lovers are Losing
Everybody's Changing
Bend and Break
Strangers
Again and Again
This is the Last Time
Spiralling
Your Eyes Open (solo acoustic version by Tom Chaplin)
Try Again
You Haven't Told Me Anything
Leaving So Soon?
Nothing in My Way
You Don't See Me
Perfect Symmetry
Somewhere Only We Know
Crystal Ball

Encore 1
Atlantic
Is It Any Wonder
Bedshaped

Encore 2
Under Pressure

Read all 0 reviews...   Your rating & comments: ------- 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1