Showmen Keane still up close and personal

Feb 26 2007 By Diane Parkes, Birmingham Mail

Keane, NEC

IT was never going to be an easy task to equal Keane's fantastic Midland date at Wolverhampton Civic Hall last year but the lads gave this NEC show a good bash.maginative staging kept the gig as personal as possible in a venue of this size.

A B stage in the auditorium and a podium either side of the main stage kept the band close to fans, not to mention singer Tom Chaplin's forays into the crowd.

Chaplin's voice carried well in the NEC and there was plenty of energy to keep the show going.

Material came from both of the best selling albums with catchy tracks like Everybody's Changing and Somewhere Only We Know sitting alongside more intimate numbers like A Bad Dream and Try Again.

As always, Keane are good showmen, playing to the crowd and thanking the fans for supporting them during what hasn't been the easiest year after Chaplin checked into rehab last summer.

Keane showed they can easily transfer to the larger venues which is no doubt a sign of things to come.