Keane's Tom Chaplin on success, 'Somewhere Only We Know' and the band's return to Atlanta

The British rock band Keane is famous for its 2004 worldwide hit “Somewhere Only We Know,” which recently achieved more than 1.5 billion streams in addition to countless YouTube covers and a viral Northern Ireland children's choir's 2017 performance still making the rounds on TikTok and Instagram.

Keane got its start in the 1990s as school mates in the coastal region of Bexhill and Battle, where the English Channel begins its bend to the North Sea. The group took off at roughly the same time as their university friend Chris Martin's band Coldplay. Both acts have supported charitable causes, including the 2005 Live 8 concert (Keane's performance of "Somewhere Only We Know" at that show has since garnered more than 54 million views). And the two bands' journeys came full circle this summer as both played for massive audiences of up to 200,000 people at the Glastonbury festival. 

Over the decades, Keane has made headlines for its equitable sharing of publishing credits, Chaplin's recovery from substance abuse and members' struggles with mental health.

But the band's indelible melodies, powerful piano chords, hopeful lyrics and soaring vocals are what keeps audiences singing along. 

Now the group — definitely not a one-hit wonder after selling 13 million records across five albums— is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its debut, Hopes and Fears, and will perform at The Eastern in Atlanta on Sept. 14. 

Notable past moments in Georgia have included an appearance at a 2005 99x promotional event, visits to Atlanta's Tabernacle and singer Tom Chaplin's solo tour stop at the Buckhead Theatre in 2017.

GPB’s Kristi York Wooten spoke with singer Tom Chaplin about Keane’s resurgence, how the band overcame obstacles, why the impact of "Somewhere Only We Know" goes beyond numbers, and why he considers playing in America like "going home for Christmas.”  

TRANSCRIPT:

Kristi York Wooten: So, tell us a little bit about the year you're having with this 20th anniversary of Hopes and Fears.
 

Tom Chaplin: Well, it's been one highlight after another. I think I would find it very hard to pick any particular moment, apart from one. I'm going to pick one. But I think, most of this year has really been just by surprise, and that filled our hearts with real joy … In terms of the gigs and the fans, it's all felt so celebrated. You know, it's a record that means a lot to people, particularly people who were there at the time 20 years ago, but also to a whole new raft of fans who've picked up on the music over the years, as well…

But I think also, specifically, the relationship amongst the four band members … has always been a tricky subject. And I think we've done a lot of growing up, and we've all been through our fair share of ups and downs, either together or in parallel. And I think what's happened is we've come back together with half an eye on, you know, all those years ago and Hopes and Fears and celebrating that, but also with this sense of a greater kind of unity and love and respect for each other than we've ever had before… there’s this different atmosphere amongst the band, this different atmosphere on stage that is a real sense of joy and connection. And so, that's been the story of the year.

You asked about the highlight, and the one in particular I would say was Glastonbury, you know, because it was such a legendary festival. We did it 20 years ago, and I don't think we appreciated it properly at the time. And I think, again, armed with this sort of “new spirit,” I think to be able to relive that and to play well and to see such an enormous crowd —it was exhilarating, was thrilling, you know. What it was, to me, is one of the great moments of my life. So it took me like two weeks to come down from that.

Kristi York Wooten: Well, Glastonbury was definitely my next question, and I think the festival in general this year was amazing, obviously with Coldplay and Michael J. Fox, and the whole festival had this wonderful feeling to it this year. And of course I did watch your performance on YouTube. And I do sense this unity you're talking about with the band. Doesn't a little bit of that come from 20 years as a milestone where you're not having to fight to climb up the hill anymore. You're like, “You know what? We have a career now, you know?” “Somewhere Only We Know,” which we're getting to in a minute, has joined the “billions club” in terms of [surpassing a billion streams online] and all of that. Doesn't that take a little pressure off? Like, “We have all these things to look back on.” Look at your catalog and all these amazing shows.

Tom Chaplin: Yeah. It probably does take a bit of pressure off. I think also, you know, when you're young and you're starting out, you're very hungry for success. You're very driven by the idea of being a success. And I think that can that obviously … that motivation kind of pushes bands and artists on when they're young. But I also think it sows the seeds for self-destruction, as well, and for a kind of fragmentation. Because inevitably, at some point you realize, “Oh, hang on, we're not all pulling in the same direction.” Or, you know, “We've got to this point, and it's not necessarily made us happier, or it's not made us as complete as we thought it would.” It is a sort of a learning curve…So, yes, I think we really appreciate what we have, in terms of each other and in terms of the catalog of songs and in terms of the fact that we're still here. We're still doing it, you know, still alive. And it does take the pressure off. You're absolutely right. 100%.

Kristi York Wooten: Those are all accomplishments. Staying alive is important. Keeping friendships together and bands together is important, too. So when you revisit the material from Hopes and Fears on stage or just when you're listening back planning this year, I mean, gosh, so many tracks on that record hold up so well, I can't even imagine. It's just like, “What a great debut!” … “Everybody's Changing,” “Might as Well Be Strangers,” “Eyes Open.” I could just go on and on. So, I've heard that you're getting very emotional sometimes on stage revisiting these songs… How is it hitting you? Some of [these emotions] hit pretty hard still.

Tom Chaplin: Well, I think there are certainly plenty of songs about heartbreak. And I think also there's that sort of melancholy undercurrent, but there's also some sense of hope in the music, whether it's in the words or in the actual sound of the melody or the sound of the songs, you know. There's always this sense of redemption or hope or the idea that you keep going. That probably resonates with me as much now as it did back then, if not more, because of everything that we've experienced in our lives. So that's definitely one facet of it. I just think also it's seeing how much it means to people — and me personally, as a singer, being emotionally available to actually receive that from the fans, if you know what I mean.

I think when Hopes and Fears first came around, I felt very self-conscious and very closed off emotionally. I mean, I could go through the motions, and I could perform, and I could articulate those songs, but I don't think I was capable of understanding or receiving the sort of emotional waves that were coming back at me from an audience, right?

I‘m getting into the sort of psychological weeds here [laughs]. But, you know, I think that's something I definitely feel now, like I'm a receptor for it. And it can feel very overwhelming, in a beautiful way… to stand there and to absorb all of that. But I'd much rather be the way I am now than the way I used to be, in terms of that. So again, that's the reason at several gigs, including Glastonbury, I've ended up in tears. Because it's just so much to absorb as a small group of people — all this love and feeling coming off an audience … I realize now that this is what I want to live for, you know?

Kristi York Wooten: Let's talk about “Somewhere Only We  Know.” I know that music critics have loved to hate that song. It's too sweet. It's too perfect and melodically, it's too neat [they’d say]. But for those of us who are fans of it, we see the other side. That song has a life of its own, and especially now on TikTok and Instagram, with all the videos of the Irish children’s choir or whoever. Just millions of covers. And you were talking about the hope underneath the melancholy of Keane's songs. And I think this [song] is a perfect example. But “Somewhere Only We Know” is where that hope and this underlying element of universality, I think, has come into its own in terms of your music and what people know of Keane. And that's also an achievement. So I don't know if you kind of feel that that song is kind of universal in ways that when Tim [Rice-Oxley, Keane’s primary song writer and keyboardist] and you and everybody were putting it together, maybe it didn't feel that way at the start.
 

Tom Chaplin: Well, I think inevitably when you first have a song and at first you might love it. You might think, “This is great,” but you never know. You're never really conscious of or aware of the life that that song is going to then have when it would be handed over to the world. And obviously “Somewhere Only We Know” really has, of all of our songs, been the one that has had the most kind of ubiquitous sort of range, you know? And so. Yeah. So t's the gift that keeps giving, in a way.

I think it’s interesting what you say about the critics and about the perception of the band. Certainly back in 2004 when the record came out, you were absolutely right. We did seem to kind of “get it in the neck” a bit, for the reasons that you've outlined. And what's interesting is, I think that actually we never felt that those criticisms were fair or true, but obviously you still have to live with that at the time. What's lovely is that there's something about the passing of years that allows something that is really good to become established. And that's my feeling about, well, all of Hopes and Fears and, in fact, most all of our music, really. With the benefit of time, people are able just to see it more objectively.

And obviously our fans have always loved it and will always love it. But what I've noticed this year is people who might have been a bit snarly or sneery in the past, sort of repositioning themselves a bit on the Keane oeuvre or whatever the word is, you know. At the end of the day, we don't live for the view of the critics. But it's nice when you do feel that love. But certainly, if there is some revisionism about stuff, that does make it feel like something that we set out with or believed in at the start has been vindicated. So, you know, there's that, like, nice little crumb of comfort on the side there that we'll definitely take.

“Somewhere Only We Know” is probably among the more overtly positive songs that we have. You know, the chorus is very hopeful and something that I think a lot of people identify with –– this sense of finding a place or a person or memory that allows you to feel at peace, you know, in a scary world. And I guess that is an idea and a theme that will live on forever. So, yes. And it resonated back then, has resonated over the course of 20 years and continues to do now, you know, even on new social media platforms that weren't even thought of when we started out. So, of course, you know, it's lovely that the song has that reach and hopefully introduces people to the rest of our music.

Kristi York Wooten: You talked about the huge crowds and then you come to America and play venues of all sizes. And I know the place in Atlanta that you're playing is a really nice sized venue, and it's sold out immediately. So how does that feel when you're transitioning from, you know, these huge, huge crowds of Glastonbury and then maybe something like a thousand seats, and it's a much more intimate time.

Tom Chaplin: I mean, as far as I'm concerned, it's great… We were saying the other day that we are at this lovely level as a band where, you know, we have audiences that are big enough to sustain us, to allow us to play live, to allow us to keep making records. And as you say, the venue sizes or the crowd sizes, whatever, they might sort of fluctuate from one place to the next. We also have the lovely benefit of these incredible moments … like at Glastonbury or where we're going to Latin America in November. And that's always really crazy and quite hysterical. So, yeah, that will be something a bit more out of the ordinary.

But I think it's really important for us to find this kind of niche that we can operate in, because I don't think any of us were particularly good at handling the really big success that came around in 2004. It was a lot to take. And I don't know whether we were the kind of characters who were made for superstardom. And so I think to have attained this level where most of the time we're in our lane and it's great. And we have a lovely, beautiful set of fans who we love and who love the music …punctuated with moments of craziness [of gigantic audiences]. That is enough for me. My feet are mostly on the ground, and I think I would much rather that than to live in a kind of crazy bubble where I wasn't sure whether they were on the ground or not. So I think we're very happy with where we're at.

And I think America's always great, because it sort of it feels like a little family, our American fan base. We know a lot of the people who’ve been coming to [see us] for years. We always try and come and say hello. And the stakes are a more manageable size in that regard, and I always feel like when I'm standing on stage in America, there's just an ease and a warmth to it. It is a bit like when you go home for Christmas, you know, it's got that feeling to it. So, I mean, I am absolutely —especially after the last tour being cut short,  you know — I'm actually desperate to get back and to sort of immerse myself in that.

Kristi York Wooten: Well, thank you for your time, Tom. It was great to see you. And we'll see you in Atlanta. Safe travels.

Tom Chaplin: Lovely to speak with you.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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