About to complete 25 years of career, Keane remains one of the British bands most loved by the public. With their characteristic piano sound and emotionally charged melodies, the group continues to fill stages around the world.
In interview with Diarywith the collaboration and translation of Pedro Priego Ruiz, Tim Rice-Oxleypianist, composer and founder of the band, shares details about the group’s origins, the evolution of their music and what fans will be able to enjoy in their presentation at the Corona Capital Mérida, tomorrow Saturday at the “Carlos Iturralde Rivero” stadium.
Were you one of those who started the band?
“Yes, that’s right, I was one of the founders of the band
What motivated you to form the band and what groups influenced your first musical steps?
Rem, the Beatles U2, Depeche Mode, we were just teenagers, making noise and having fun, but I think we were very in love with the band lifestyle and making music and traveling.
That was the inspiration. It was more exciting than going to work in an office.
Is it true that at university most people played sports, but for you music was more important?
(Laughs) Yes, I like sports, but music took over my life silently.
When you’re a teenager, you try different things, and little by little music began to hypnotize me: learning other people’s songs, experimenting with recording demos… All of that excited me.
I remember one day in the library in my town when I found a book about the behind-the-scenes of the recording of a Beatles album. It fascinated me. It seemed like a magical world to be able to go to the studio every day and create music from nothing.
That fascination became an obsession, and I was very lucky that it eventually became my life.
If you had a time machine, what would you tell that teenager: to do something different or what advice would you give him?
I guess I would tell him to enjoy the adventure we were on more, it’s been so many years of trying different things; When we started we had a guitar in the band, then Tom joined, then the guitar left the band and we had these different sides.
It felt like we were going nowhere and I guess now that I’m older, I can see how strong our friendship was to keep us together and continue to support each other, and I wish I could go back to that moment to appreciate the intensity of the love between us and the passion that you feel when you’re young.
How would you describe the evolution of your music from the beginning to today? What differences do you notice in your way of composing and in Keane’s sound over these 25 years?
“I think everything is related to the intensity of the feeling. When you are young, the feelings are so strong that they are expressed directly and powerfully in the songs.
Now, as a musician, I try to express more complex emotions, which makes composing a challenge. I enjoy that journey with the other members of the band, exploring what we really want to convey.
Last year’s tour taught us to appreciate another dimension of our music: not only the atmosphere of songs like “One Day Like Today” or “Black Rain”, but also the energy and excitement of playing live.
That bond with the public is something that we now seek to reflect in our recordings.
What song do you personally enjoy playing the most?
Maybe it’s “Perfect Symmetry,” because it’s full of empathy and love for humanity. It has passion and courage, I am very excited to play it live; I’m very proud of that song.
What can Keane fans expect for the big closing of the Corona Capital?
“It is a great honor to be able to alternate with other bands. We were supposed to play in Mérida in March.
We had to cancel the show at the last minute, it was really sad, so we are happy to be able to go again and excited that we are finally going to be able to play, thank you very much for having us.
Tim Rice-Oxley anticipates that Keane’s presentation will be a great show very close “to our first album” and many of the songs that his fans love.
“It’s going to be wonderful and we are proud to be on this bill,” says the British musician. The band will also perform next Wednesday in Monterrey.