Keane Biography

If there's only one thing you know about Keane, it's probably that they don't have a guitarist. But this has given them their distinct sound relying more on the softer sound of the piano.

In 2002, after a period of time honing their sound, Keane decided that they needed to get out and play gigs. They booked two acoustic shows, one at the 12 Bar Club, another at the Betsey Trotwood. Fierce Panda mini-mogul Simon Williams caught the Betsey Trotwood gig, and asked Keane to put out a single on his label.

They chose 'Everybody's Changing', which was recorded for zero pence. DJ Steve Lamacq decided that it was one of the best singles in Fierce Panda's entire history - not bad for a label, which housed early releases from Coldplay, Idlewild and Supergrass.

Keane's debut album "Hopes and Fears" reached the number one spot in the UK a couple of weeks after its release, and stayed there for 4 weeks. It was nominated for The Mercury Prize and won the Q Award for Best Album and is now seven-times platinum in the United Kingdom, where it is the second biggest selling album of 2004 and treble-platinum in Europe and is now gold in the United States.

Keane went on to win two Brit Awards - Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Album as well as the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Songwriters of the year 2005. The future appears to very bright for the band without a guitarist.