There’s a story going around among musicians that one night Chris Martin and his band, unknown at the time, went to see a another band perform called Coldplay. They thought the band was OK, but loved the name so much, they ended up talking this band into giving up the name. Coldplay (as we know them) went on to be massive, but later on, this other band also made a name for itself, using the name Keane. I’ve never managed to find anything to confirm this story, but it’s one of those lovely stories that keeps floating around. The bands were linked at some point, if you were interested, by the fact that Chris Martin asked Keane member Tim Rice-Oxley to join Coldplay in their early days. One offer he declined. The name Keane, however, is the last name of a deceased friend of lead singer Tom Chaplin’s mother, who very much believed in his band.
After 5 albums, Keane ended up taking a hiatus in 2013. Despite rumors of a permanent split, Tom explained they were just taking a break.
The rumor mill went in on full force to state it was Tom’s drug addiction that led to the hiatus in the first place. He’s been very candid about his struggle with his addiction, during interviews, and he has admitted he was in a state in which he could’ve lost his life to it, but also stated Keane will be back. Still, this week, Tom Chaplin went ahead with his 2014 plans to pursue a solo career. His first single “Hardened Heart” is taken from his debut solo album, “The Wave”, due for release on October 14th. One thing, I noticed right away is that “Hardened Heart” sounds a lot more positive than the majority of Keane songs I know. No matter how melodic Keane’s music has always been, there’s always been some melancholy to it.
And even though I would recognize that voice anywhere, I really did have to look twice to recognize him in the video. The Keane singer I remember was a bit chubby and had half long locks of brown hair always falling right into his face. Tom Chaplin has really made some lifestyle changes, and literally cleaned up with short hair and some weight loss.
In July, he wrote a personal post on his official website sharing his hopes and fears, as well as his transformation to a much better place. His single has been well-received by the press and they are very positive about the material off his new album, with which he’s slowly but surely been performing these past few months.
Tom Chaplin is ready for the new wave. Are you ready to surf along?
