Greetings, dear readers. Long time no see! Sorry that it's been so long since the last instalment - an annoying incident with a landlord who hadn't bothered to pay the mortgage in seven months (despite getting my rent!) meant that real-life had to take over with the search for an alternative place to live (and, more importantly, house my collection of instruments). With that sorted though, I've been in internet limbo while O2 get my broadband service transferred - but I couldn't let the year end without sneaking in one more blog update, so I've got a little mobile broadband dongle here especially for you guys. Never let it be said that I'm not good to you all!
So, did you all have a good Christmas? Get any good presents? If you're anything like me, you'll have eaten more than your own body weight in chocolate while also scratching your head as to why one of your dear relatives thought a pair of socks with your name on them would be an ideal present. Maybe though, you had more of a homely, family Christmas... sitting around the roaring log-fire with the people you love, engaged in a to-the-death Scrabble battle, or a race-against-the-clock to identify the perpetrator in the classic "whodunnit" game, Cluedo. However the festive period played out for you (and whichever member of your family turned out to be a murderer), I hope you had a great time! With Christmas out of the way and the last of the turkey leftovers having been eaten, we're now in the final death throes of 2008 and every writer and web-site is compiling lists about the highs and lows that have happened over the course of the year. Never one to buck a trend, I shall therefore use my final blog of the year for exactly that purpose - what are my own personal highs and lows of 2008 in the Keane-related world?
Well, from my point of view, 2008 was a pretty spectacular year for all things Keane. There's the obvious stuff, of course - all the activity in the first half of the year for the recording sessions in Paris, Berlin and The Barn, complete with random video updates, quirky photos and drunken blogs. Then of course, the completion of the sessions took the excitement up a notch - firstly, the band released Spiralling as a free download, giving the public at large their first taste of the newer, more colourful and more fun Keane. Judging by the speed with which the free downloads flew off the virtual shelves, it was a taste which tickled the musical tastebuds of a quite a large number of people - 500,000 downloads in a week isn't a bad haul! The album that ultimately followed it continues to be the most divisive release from the band - lots of people who didn't like their previous material sat up and took notice, while many fans hankered after what they believed was the loss of their favourite band - but for my money, Perfect Symmetry is a damn fine album. It's not flawless and it may not have scaled the sales peaks of its predecessors - but it is important because it is creatively free-and-easy, not afraid of messing with the formula and taking risks with lots of great melodies and sonic touches, even if they don't always come off. This hopefully bodes well for the future!
One particular high-point of the year though was the introduction of Mr. Jesse Quin Esq. to the Keane populous. Despite the fears of many that bringing someone else into the creative process would destroy the delicate band dynamic, most people now realise that quite the opposite effect resulted. Jesse's input on bass to both the record and the live stage has been nothing short of a revelation - rather than detracting from the dynamic, it has actually helped to take it to a completely new level. Whether or not JQ will be there for the long-term (and whether Keane would then officially become a four-piece) remains to be seen, but for now I'm just delighted with his involvement. He's also a delightful chap, with a wicked sense of humour and charm by the bucketload - probably the reason why he's been able to fit into the Keane dynamic so easily. From my own perspective, Jesse has also been excessively generous with his time to keep me updated with all things bass in Keane-land - I salute you sir! A friend has also brought it to my attention that I owe Jesse an apology... after railing against both his and Tim's new shiny silver trainers on the messageboard a little while ago, I have to admit that JQ's Nike's have grown on me dramatically over the past couple of weeks! I still can't see myself ever wearing any like that (I'm just too conservative, with a small c!), but I do have to admit that they have style - therefore, in yet another spectacular u-turn, I shall swallow what little pride I have remaining and offer JQ my sincere apologies: you were right all along sir and I bow to your far-superior fashion sense! Tim - I've still not come round to yours yet, so you'll just have to keep trying, son... ;)
Of course, it's not been 100% plain-sailing on the good ship Keane this year. One particularly large iceberg that punctured a huge hole in the band's creative hull was, of course, that appearance on France's Star Academy T.V show. This has already been debated until the cows came home, so there's probably not too much more that needs to be said. As soon as it was mentioned in the P.R. schedule, alarm bells started ringing - with the show basically appearing to be a French version of X-Factor, was this type of fame-culture show not one of the underlying themes of the new album and exactly the type of show that the band had been casting a critical eye over in interviews with a furrowed brow? Clearly the subtlety of this was lost on the French label who presumably offered the appearance to the band, but I think the guys and their organisation also need to take responsibility for not doing their research into the type of show it was. The slings and arrows of hypocrisy and PR-at-any-cost were understandably thrown at the band from the moment the show ended and I'd agree with most of it. It cheapened the whole message of the album, and single-handedly managed to remove a lot of the good will and momentum that had been built-up during the preceding months. Having said all that though, I do think the reaction from some quarters of the fanbase was a bit melodramatic and OTT - it was clearly a mistake and a disappointing one at that, but in the grand scheme of things it isn't actually important. My only hope is that they'll weigh up their P.R. appearances a bit more carefully going forward - I'm pretty sure that it's not an experience anyone concerned enjoyed. Let's hope there's nothing that cringeworthy on the schedule for 2009, lads!
Getting back to something more positive, the Perfect Symmetry live show finally sees Keane moving towards a more spontaneous and fun approach of playing live. There's still a heck of a lot of technology in use, but they've got it to be much less rigid and containing than it was previously. Having JQ on-stage clearly goes a long way to this, as he can provide the bass and extra synth/samples where needed, but they've also trimmed back on the arrangements of some songs to make it "more organic" (10p into the music cliche swear box there!). There is now very little in the way of playback, as well as there just being much more interesting things on-stage - Tom playing electric guitar, Richard's excellent rhythmic synth work at the beginning and end of You Haven't Told Me Anything and his cajon playing, Tim doubling up on two synths simultaneously, Jesse playing everything from bass to acoustic guitar to concert bass drum... it's just making the whole thing more exciting and keeping it fresh. I still secretly hope that one of these days, they'll really randomly switch things around - get Tim playing the guitar and Tom on the piano or something - but we'll just need to see how far they're prepared to experiment. It should certainly be interesting to see what they've got planned for the forthcoming arena shows - hopefully they'll be able to build a show that takes everything up one more notch. Bring it on, I say!
But on a more personal note, 2008 is noteworthy because of this very website and some of the experiences it has brought with it. After a year of procrastination from when the idea for the site was first suggested to me on the old messageboard (thanks Steve, you're ultimately to blame!) to when I actually got up off my backside and got something online, I'm delighted with the reaction that the site has received. I'd be lying if I said it isn't nice to hear people tell you that they appreciate what you're doing (we all like a little bit of an ego massage after all!), so I do really love to hear from you guys out there - even if I'm fairly useless at actually replying! The band and their crew have also been excessively kind to me over the past year, for which I am extremely grateful - from spending a few hours with Tim back in the summer to discuss the then-unfinished album, synthesizers and guitars, through to a guided tour of the instruments and technology that come together to make the new live show courtesy of road crew legends Scott and Thom, it's been quite a ride - thank-you chaps! Of all those to thank though, the greatest thanks must go to Beth - despite her immense workload, she has suffered my incessant queries and requests with good grace and generosity... it is no exaggeration to say that without her, none of it would have happened. I owe you big-time - you have my total respect and thanks!
Of course though, this site would be nothing if no-one actually visited it... so, my thanks are also due to all of you for continuing to support the site and read all my inane drivel - hopefully it has managed to be both interesting and entertaining! Thank-you also for your patience while I fight with the software used to run the site in order to get the long-awaited (by Chris Flynn!) Gear section up-and-running. Once the internet is properly enabled at Backline HQ, I'll work night and day (well, maybe not... but I'll work hard!) to get the listings of the band's gear online. There'll also be lots more interesting stuff that will hopefully persuade you to keep stopping by the site! With your help, together we'll make 2009 the year of Backline!
In the meantime, all that remains is for me to wish you all a happy and safe new year - whatever you're doing at the bells, spread the love to those around you... in these troubled times, we all need it. Peace!
(Oh yeah, the Cluedo - apparently, it was the Rev. Green in the hall with the dagger. And him, a man of the cloth as well...)