Keane RSS Feed - News, Events, Diaries, Media, Discography www.keaneband.com Keane RSS Feed RETURN_TO_EMAIL@web.config Keane RSS Feed - News, Events, Diaries, Media, Discography http://www.keaneband.com Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
Whilst Geoff and Iain got ready for the session we hung out in the lobby of the Radio station. Everything in the snack vending machine cost a dollar which was more than I could resist so I stood in front of it feeding it dollar after dollar and feeding my face with junk. I brought a bottle of Blue Gatorade that had Tom crying out when he saw it - “What’s that!?! I want one!!! Just make sure it not blue...” I got him a Red Gatorade and he loved it. Tom and I clowned around all morning taking stupid photos. Rich’s take our clowning about was that Tom looks like a hobbit which I guess the DJ overheard and picked Tom up on later in the interview. Tom replied with something like, “Well I’m taller than a hobbit but very Samwise Gamgee in the facial department” I was cracking up in the corner trying not to laugh out loud.

Well the session sounded great. Another acoustic set with Tim on a keyboard and Rich on his shaker. After the recording we all jumped in the van and headed back to the hotel. Tim and I went off to have some lunch and look around the shops. Tim was on a mission to buy some sunglasses. I’ve never see Tim wearing a pair of sunglasses in the past two years. Ever. It took a while but he got there in the end. “But don’t I just look ridiculous?” The general consensus from Tom and Rich was that the shades made Tim look “almost cool”.

We took a cab to The Casbah. It's a nice little venue with an outside area lit with fairy lights and lanterns (as I recall) where Greg set up his Merchendice stall. Soundcheck went by with no hitches. Someone had laid out a bowl of fruit and vegetables so Greg and I took advantage of the healthy option and scoffed a load of carrots and oranges while the band ran through Strangers, Everybody’s Changing and She Has No Time.

It soon became apparent that there is an airport nearby because every few minutes a plane would fly over and I swear to God if I was one inch taller they would have taken the top of my head off… it was crazy – these planes were low. A bit like the scene in Wayne’s World when they’re laying on the bonnet of the car… though my favourite bit in Wayne’s World is when Garth is singing ‘Foxy Lady’ by Jimi Hendrix. Excellent.

The venue got packed. Sold out I think. Another flawless set by the band. I ping-ponged between watching the show and chatting to Greg. After the show the band hung in the outside area chatting to fans and signing stuff. Everyone was in a great mood because the show had been such a resounding success. Bus Call was at 1.45am so we stayed at the venue having a few drinks until eventually we all found ourselves on the bus. There was talk of diving back to the hotel for showers before we hit the road for LA which I’m guessing some people opted for but not me as I must have just gone to bed before the bus pulled away and drove as back to LA once more.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=185&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/185 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
Iain, Greg, Tim and I walked up the road in search of breakfast. San Francisco with its high-rise tower blocks and undulating roads is a very beautiful city. Although it’s extremely vibrant and bustling it gives off an incredible sense of calm. The atmosphere here is relaxed in a way that LA or London could never be. Shortly we found a diner called The Bagdad Café, which it was decided had to be worth a go purely on the merit of it being called The Bagdad Café… I don’t know why they give you so much food in America but my breakfast of sausage, egg, bacon and pancakes arrived on two plates. It was tasty but ridiculous. I got in the spirit of it and poured a jug of maple syrup over everything and soon enough I was bouncing off the ceiling on a heinous sugar rush. Everyone was pretty excited that the tour proper had begun. Tim you can tell just wants to get on with playing some live shows.

We got back to the bus to prepare for the Virgin Music in-store that was happening in downtown San Francisco. Tom was sat up eating a sandwich whilst Greg, Geoff, Iain and Colin got the equipment set up across town in the store. The in-store was a complete success. The band really enjoyed it and the turnout was very good with everyone in the crowd cheering the band on. Tom chatted away between songs and the guys stayed on to sign albums after the performance. I pinched a really nice vinyl banner of the album cover that hung behind the band during their performance and hung it on the bus.

We all went out in the city for a few hours except Tom who caught some Z’s on the bus while Rich, Tim and I buzzed around Union Square. Rich headed off after a while to get to the venue early and tinker with his drum kit. Bit of shopping couple of drinks…

We headed back to venue for sound-check in the late afternoon. The Café Du Nord is a nice little venue. All dark, lamp-lit and wood panels. The band sound-checked while I went out in search of some batteries and dinner. By the time I got back the venue was packed (sold out!) and first support band Aveo were playing. I hung out in the dressing room with Keane taking photo’s drinking beer and generally fooling about. 

Keane went onstage around 10.45pm. The show was excellent. I hung at the back of the venue for the best part of the show and watched it from there. Bedshaped is always my favourite but I really enjoyed Allemande tonight and SOWK as well. Greg was to my side at his Merchandise stall selling T-shirts and copies of the record, though he could hear the show he couldn’t see it which was a shame but he looked like he was having fun anyway. The band just ran through their entire set incorporating the encore of Allemande, TITLT and Bedshaped without leaving the stage. It was a great show and a perfect start to the tour.

Well it’s the end of the night now. We’re all on the bus and driving back to LA to perform on ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ a show on radio station KCRW. The same show the band played on last November. It’s about 3am now and I’m going to bed, the bus is bouncing around so much typing this is making me feel queasy…]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=182&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/182 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
“Oh - that’s not gonna work” laughed Tom to himself. Tim looked out of his bunk, mock expression of disapproval, shaking his head. I wished Tim a happy birthday and soon enough we were in the car heading to the Radio Station.

I took some photographs while the band rehearsed and warmed up. The thing I love about Rich is he'll always put in the strangest requests. Today it was, "Alex, could you reach in my bag and pass me some Gorilla Snot?" I don't even want to know...

Caught up with Adam, the bands manager, who had just flown in for a few days. The live session went really well. Only hitch was that one of the strings in the CP-70 snapped and caused a few sound problems but the band took it in their stride. We all wanted to hang out in LA but we really needed to get to San Diego before the rush hour kicked in. We sat up watching an Eddie Izzard DVD then I went to lie down in my bunk and watch it there, it was only around 3pm but I woke up at 7pm in San Diego outside the hotel.

We all split off and got settled. I’m sharing my room with Greg. We watched a documentary about some fella who can bend steel rods by resting them against a wall at one end and below his adams apple in his neck at the other and pushing. A spot of deep breathing and he was well away. The presenter was all like, "Oh, don't try this at home!" Yeah mate, impaling myself on a metal stick will be the first thing on my mind after you sling your hook.

We all met in the lobby to go out and celebrate Tim’s birthday. We sat outside at a nice restaurant and had a meal and some drinks. Later in the night we ended up in a bar on the roof of a hotel that had been converted into a beach. We sat on the sand and drank Margaritas. I tried to dig down in the sand to see how deep it was. Tom never made it to the roof/beach bar otherwise I’m sure we would have ended up burying him in the sand… Anyway more laughter and drinks followed before drifting back to the hotel and sleep.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=184&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/184 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane I’m sat on the bus. It’s 11am and we’re driving through New Mexico. Last night whilst rocking down the freeway on our 18 hour drive to Denver Colorado the front tyre of the bus blew out. All credit to our driver Steve who must have nerves of steel and managed to hold the bus steady (front tyres are ‘never’ supposed to go…) and avoid hitting the lorry driving alongside us when the tyre exploded and the bus naturally veered toward it. If the truth were told we were very lucky not to get into more trouble… Apparently it took about a mile for us to slow down and stop safely though I have to admit to sleeping through the whole incident… In fact only Rich woke up so I guess it sounds more dramatic than it actually was given you probably wouldn’t have heard the tyre blow above the din of the snoring inside the bus… It took 3 hours for us to get a new tyre sent out and put on the bus and for us to get back on the road again so we’re a bit behind time. To be honest it was dramatic for a moment but then the news came through from the UK that Hopes And Fears has reclaimed the number one spot in the UK album charts. So any pre-occupation of close shaves with Beelzebub were tempered with celebrations about the continued success of the record. Right now it’s 4.20pm and we’re all sat at the back of the bus watching the endless plains of Colorado out of the window and drinking away all the beer on the bus we’ve accumulated over the past couple of days. Tom has just staggered off to watch TV in my bunk and Greg is worried that the combination of ibuprofen and alcohol in his system is going to make his stomach bleed. Earlier we took a break at a truck stop. Everywhere there were fellas in Stetson’s and big belt buckles eating beef jerky. I love the landscape here. Like something out of a Spaghetti western (if only they weren’t all filmed in Italy.) Actually it reminds me of the film The Misfit’s, one of my favourites, so in homage to that movie I’m taking B&W Polaroid’s out the window. Ok. Back to the beers.

Well I’m sat in my hotel room in Denver. The rest of the drive went smoothly. Tim spent much of it strumming away on his guitar, singing softly into a Dictaphone recording ideas for new songs. Everyone else drifted back and forth from their bunks resting, watching TV, chatting away. Drinking beer eating snacks… After I’d checked in I was stood in the hotel lobby when the fire alarm went off. There was no fire but soon enough the lobby was full of firemen. One of those days… In early evening everyone split off again. I had to go to Kinko’s to get some passport photos. The hotel Guest Services guy drove me in the hotel car. He was a good dude and we listened to The Postal Service as we torn around the city. By the time I got back I found Geoff and Rich in the hotel lobby. They had gone for a drink and Rich had forgotten his ID again… Rich never remembers his ID. Anyway he had it now and off out they went. Tom and Greg went to the gym. Iain went out in search of a decent bar, Tim went for some dinner and Colin and Steve went out together for some food.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=189&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/189 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
We stood fading fast in the sun until out of the sun haze on the horizon came a cab that took us up the road to Sunset Boulevard. Greg, Steve and I went have breakfast in a diner called Mel’s. Greg was outraged that I’d eat a bacon
cheeseburger for breakfast but then he ordered French toast and Ketchup and that just makes no sense to me. Steve headed to the hotel to get some sleep. Greg totally admitted to wanting to do the tourist thing and see the stars on Hollywood Boulevard. The thought of waiting for another cab was too much so we asked in a gas station for directions. “Oh it’s just up there dear and turn left. Not far.” I’ve subsequently learnt that LA residents have a warped sense of space and time as they rely on their cars so much and don’t walk far. It took us over an hour to find the stars on Hollywood Boulevard… I was wasted. It’s tourist hell around there and best avoided at all costs. Give me the laid back Hollywood suburbs around Melrose any day… We weren’t daft enough to try the walk back so we waited for a cab and got back to The Troubadour by 2pm.

Before the show the guys did a few interviews and I went to have some dinner with Rich, Adam and a few others. Tom stayed on the bus doing some warming his vocal chords up and Tim went off for some dinner with a couple of friends.

Tonight’s show was a complete winner. Keane sold The Troubadour out. The guy’s were really up for it and you could hear the crowd cheering loudly from up in the dressing room. All credit to the audience, by the time Keane hit the stage they were going nuts. The band sounded on top form and the atmosphere was electric. After the show I chatted to the band and they told me they had loved the performance. Real fans.

The guys did a signing session inside the venue for the fans afterwards then had showers and got on the bus. We drive to Phoenix tonight.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=186&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/186 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
We had a pretty chilled day today. Most of the guys spent the day on the beach relaxing. I did some work and spent the day doing my washing… err, things got more interesting in the evening when I met up with Rich and Tim for some dinner. We went to a restaurant called Ago, which is owned by Robert De Niro as is right flash. Well sod it we thought - we'd be eating doughnuts in the back of the bus for the next month so a blowout on a decent meal seemed in order. It was a great night out, we spotted some of the LA Lakers in there who are really tall and towered over Tim and I. They’d just won a game and were out celebrating. When we were done eating we drove back to the bus and got all our gear onboard. Greg had flown in from London this afternoon and I met him in the lobby dragging his case in his surf shorts and shades propped on his head. He greeted me with a “G’day mate” in his Kiwi twang. He’d had a safe flight and got in on time despite leaving an hour late.

So who is on the Keane bus? (A little write up on all these guys to follow...)

Tim – Piano
Tom – Vocals
Rich - Drums
Colin – Tour Manager
Iain – Sound Engineer
Geoff – Programming/Backline
Greg – Merchandise
Alex – Photographs & Filming
Steve - Driver

We all like the bus. It has a nice seating area at the front with a huge TV that Iain tried in vain to operate as soon as he’d dumped his bag. There is also a small ‘kitchen’ area here and a toilet. If you walk to the end of this space there is a door that leads into the area where we all sleep. The bunks are three high and there are 12 in total - individual curtains that draw across each bunk supply privacy. Walk to the end of this area, go through another door and you get to the back of the bus which has another seating area with a table and another TV. Moving in took time as the walkway between all the bunks is only around 3 ft wide. Tom gave a cry of joy when he realised each bunk had it’s own TV. He chose a bed that was at ground level, within seconds he had disappeared and whipped his curtain shut only to let out another cry, this time of despair as he discovered the lowest bunks don’t have TV’s. It took a while to get sorted. We cracked open a few beers and settled down. The bus left about 1.30am. People started to drift off to bed, sort through their stuff and relax. I sat up for a bit, watched LA slip by, then made for my bed. I’d chosen the top bunk because I’m so tall I figured it’s easiest for me to hop into. Not so easy when the bus is flying down the freeway… I made it after a couple of attempts. ipod on, deep sleep followed.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=181&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/181 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
Steve reappeared and on we went the last few miles to our final destination. I sat down for a bit till Colin appeared. He wasted no time in flicking on his laptop, printer whirring away… Tom appeared and lay down on the sofa chatting to someone on the phone who was back in the UK. He looked at me and laughed.

Smiling back, “What is it Tom?”

Laughingly, “I’m holding - She’s ordering a drink.”

Nonchalantly, “Blimey, that’s funny what with it being an international phonecall and all that.”

Eyebrow rising, “I guess it’s quite expensive to call the UK isn’t it Lakey?”

Turning in my chair to face Tom, “Err… yes it can be very pricey.”

Looking a little pensive, “Hello? Hello? Are you there? No, She must still be waiting to get served…”

It was at this point I told him how much it cost me to phone home on my mobile and he sort of went a bit pale. There followed a moment of intense silence as Tom mentally totted up the hours he’s spent on his phone in the past few weeks… and rapidly ended his phonecall. I saw a little rain cloud appear above his head. To distract him I pointed out the piano shop that we were just about to drive past.

“Oh that’ll be Tim awake then.” sighed Tom. “We only have to drive past a piano shop and he’ll wake up. It’s the scent you see Lake. Like a Basset hound that one.”

Tom’s new band motto is;

“KEANE  - Never knowingly prepared.”

We pulled into the lot at The Mason Jar and Tom and I got off in search of breakfast. The heat was pretty much unbearable. We walked up the road and down the road. Our eyes stung from the heat. We couldn’t find a diner so we popped into Subway and got sandwiches. By the time we got back to the bus everyone else was awake. Tim decided to take himself and his new shades out for a walk. “Back in a bit” he said and got off the bus. 45 seconds later the door clicked and he got back on again looking like he’d been lost in the Sahara for a week.

Colin and I were desperate to get online so we got in a cab that took us to Starbucks. For some reason Colin’s laptop wasn’t having it and when it did connect he couldn’t send out emails so after 10 minutes he was gone, hailing a cab back to the bus. I stayed on until my laptop started to act weird. Then I ordered a cab and stood in the sun waiting for it.

When I got back the hunger had set in and I’m thinking the sun had put the zap on my head because I did the unthinkable and went to Burger King… Back on the bus I was greeted with McHowls of McDerision for buying such greasy McJunk and then the buggers preceded to McSteal all my chips! I got another of those bucket sized cups of soda with refill option (yeah right….) that I got last time we toured the States which took me 4 hours to McDrink.

So what do Keane do when it’s 113 degrees and they’re in the desert? They play cricket. Insane. Well, there is so much sitting around on tour a spot of exercise is always a smart move. Picture Tom bowling the ball repeatedly at Tim’s face, laughing like a hyena, Tim sighing at his best friend then hitting the ball about two miles down the freeway and the distant sound of Tom hysterical laughter as he dodged cars chasing after it. Too much sun I feel.

Ok so again, who’s on the bus?

Well first up has to be Colin. Colin is our Tour Manager. Colin is Scottish but has spent so much time working in America he’s developed an accent all of his own. He won’t believe us that he answers the phone pronouncing his name Colin as in Colin Powell instead of Colin as in err… Colin. “NO! I can’t believe you guys!?! What's wrong with you??? I’m SCOTTISH!!!”

Then there is Iain. Iain is a diamond. Keene’s live sound engineer since virtually year dot. Another class Scotsman who’s always up for a beer or two and is a bit of a genius when it comes to getting Keene’s live sound right night after night. I’ve been at the odd show when Iain wasn’t there and the band has hated it. It seems like you’ll only ever sound as good as your soundman is. Iain’s trademark cries of “Run the computer!” and “No getting any bass!!!” in his thick Scottish accent at sound check is always a comforting sound when you’re far from home and a regular cry for absolutely no reason from the back of the bus usually from Tom or Rich.

Greg is a Kiwi. Looks like a total surfer dude and is obsessed with healthy eating. He’s known the guy’s for years and is currently trying to maintain a healthy eating regime on the bus that I fragrantly disregard and that Tim tries hard to adhere to. Greg sells the merchandise on the road. I’ve also seen him single-handedly carry half the CP-70 out of a venue above his head so maybe it’s time to stop eating all those doughnuts Alex… He’s a very funny bloke and he is easy to find - dancing away behind his merchandise stall each night during the show.

Geoff is responsible for Keane’s stage set-up, the programming of computers and the like and the bands live on-stage sound. I’m thinking he is a bit of a Mac wizard as the bus is covered in his gadgets – boxes with wires coming out of them, flashing LED's and god knows what. My over-riding thought of Geoff in LA is of him tearing around the city in a bright yellow convertible sports car that he’d hired.

So back to Phoenix and the show. In many respects tonight’s show was an unexpected success. We really didn’t expect that many people to have heard of the band out here in Phoenix and a day or to back the sales for the show had been a bit light but they certainly picked up as the venue was pretty full come showtime and the audience were really into it. Places like Phoenix are notoriously hard to break even on the smallest scale so on their debut show Keane really appreciated the fact that so many people had come to watch them play. The venue was incredibly hot and dark so I couldn’t really get much footage or photographs tonight. But it was a good show; again a great reception from the crowd and the band had a great time.

Highlight for me was the moment during the vocal synth solo in Bedshaped when Iain came sprinting through the crowd and out the front door. Before he missed his final cue he came tearing back through the venue and into his sound booth. After the show I asked what technical issue had caused such an incident and was everything okay. Iain laughed the laugh of a very relieved man. "Ooh Nooo. I just really badly needed a pish."

When the band came off-stage I sat on the bus with Tom for a while chatting before he went outside to sign albums for the people gather in the lot.

After the show we ducked into the biker bar next door. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I walked in… would it be like The Blue Oyster Bar in the Police Academy films? Or would we be greeted by the sinister twang of a banjo… No in fact it was dead cool with a very nice lady behind the bar who poured a fine pint of Guinness. We stuck around for a few then headed to the day room at a nearby hotel for showers as we have an epic 17 odd hour drive ahead of us to Denver Colorado. Right now I’m sat on the bus in my bunk. My eyes are killing me – from all the sunlight today perhaps? Oh well, not like they’re vital to my career or nothing… Well we sat up for a good while, nursed a few more drinks, watched South Park and now I’m thinking of sleep and anything else that will help pass the time till we get to Denver…]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=187&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/187 Wed, 09 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=173&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/173 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
Stood on the roof of The Standard Downtown surround by hordes of men and women sporting that fixed look of surprise only a gallon or two of Botox can supply, it was hard to keep a straight face. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world it was so ridiculous and entertaining. I walked off to a dark corner at the back of a swimming pool at one point and looked back on everyone. There was Tom and Iain sat against a wall feet up drinks in hand laughing and chatting to some friends, Rich had wasted no time in making himself at home on a waterbed and was currently deep in conversation with Ken and Barbie which I could see he was finding hilarious, and there in amongst the throng of people was Tim, scratching his head and at turns smiling and furrowing his brow and all that was surrounding him. It was an unlikely sight, Keane plonked in amongst all this glitter and bad house music. Tim and I chatted for a bit. You had to admit the view off the rooftop was stunning. The buildings rose above us like a scene from Bladerunner. Thousands of illuminated windows and behind, the night sky burning orange at it’s lowest point and rising into a murky blue high above us. Once the stunning view had been taking in and the house beat worn thin, we knocked back our drinks and bid our farewells to the beautiful people and staggered off into the night looking for drinks and entertainment where everyone’s heads weren’t in the clouds.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=170&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/170 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
The gig was a real celebration as Hopes And Fears had it’s US release today. We had a little party at a beautiful house up in the hills of Sliverlake before the show. I drove up to the party with my friend where we cut a dash to the bar and spent some time catching up with a lot of the guys from the record label that I hadn’t seen since last November over many glasses of Vodka and gobfuls of Sushi. I was looking forward to seeing Tim, Rich and Tom for the first time since we celebrated Hopes And Fears entering the UK charts at number one in a classic low-key style with a small transistor radio and a few bottles of champagne up on Hampstead Heath a couple of weeks ago. Soon enough Rich and Tom arrived and came straight over to say hi. I didn’t see Tim until after the show.

Anyway showtime rolled around and we all headed off towards the venue. It was pretty empty but about 10 minutes before the band hit the stage the floor was suddenly swamped with punters. They sounded amazing and got a great reaction from the crowd.

After the show everyone split up in different directions. The band went over to the Troubadour to watch The Cardigans, some people went back up to the house in the hills and I stayed on at Spaceland to watch a band called Destroyer.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=175&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/175 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
Ok so we’ve been in LA for over a week now. In case you wondered why I haven’t done a day-by-day diary as yet, it’s because that for the best part of the past ten days the band and I have been pretty much doing our own thing. They have been staying up the road from me here in Hollywood, working their press schedule and preparing for the tour whilst I’ve been staying with friends and meeting up with Tim, Rich and Tom when time has permitted. Tomorrow the tour proper starts and the diary will be a much more detailed affair. Anyway here is a round up of the past few days. ]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=180&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/180 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=174&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/174 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=177&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/177 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
After the in-store the band signed stuff for a good hour and when the crowd had ebbed away we all went out for dinner. On the way to the restaurant we past a couple of fellas who were offering for the small fee of fifteen bucks to allow you to beat them over the head with a broomstick while everyone was busy being amused Tom was actually searching his pockets for fifteen dollars… I told him for a more affordable five bucks you could kick them in the nuts. “That’s genius!” he cried and we dragged him up the road along the seafront and into the restaurant. ]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=172&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/172 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
It only seemed like 4 months had elapsed, and DVT had surely set in when I saw Los Angeles sprawling out beneath the airplane. It’s a pretty overwhelming view. The city and its outer suburbs are vast. I dragged my gear out of the terminal and onto the Super Shuttle, which took me around the terminal three times in a desperate search for ‘just one more fare’… then home.

I perked up soon enough. Before I knew it I had my belongings stashed and I was back out propped up at a bar, fighting the jet-lag with a Margarita and trying hard not to make eye contact with the dead cobras that floated in the Tequila bottles above the bar, positioned in a coil, head back, tongue out, waiting to strike.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=179&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/179 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=176&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/176 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=171&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/171 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=178&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/178 Thu, 03 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane
â??Oh - thatâ??s not gonna workâ? laughed Tom to himself. Tim looked out of his bunk, mock expression of disapproval, shaking his head. I wished Tim a happy birthday and soon enough we were in the car heading to the Radio Station.

I took some photographs while the band rehearsed and warmed up. The thing I love about Rich is he'll always put in the strangest requests. Today it was, "Alex, could you reach in my bag and pass me some Gorilla Snot?" I don't even want to know...

Caught up with Adam, the bands manager, who had just flown in for a few days. The live session went really well. Only hitch was that one of the strings in the CP-70 snapped and caused a few sound problems but the band took it in their stride. We all wanted to hang out in LA but we really needed to get to San Diego before the rush hour kicked in. We sat up watching an Eddie Izzard DVD then I went to lie down in my bunk and watch it there, it was only around 3pm but I woke up at 7pm in San Diego outside the hotel.

We all split off and got settled. Iâ??m sharing my room with Greg. We watched a documentary about some fella who can bend steel rods by resting them against a wall at one end and below his adams apple in his neck at the other and pushing. A spot of deep breathing and he was well away. The presenter was all like, "Oh, don't try this at home!" Yeah mate, impaling myself on a metal stick will be the first thing on my mind after you sling your hook.

We all met in the lobby to go out and celebrate Timâ??s birthday. We sat outside at a nice restaurant and had a meal and some drinks. Later in the night we ended up in a bar on the roof of a hotel that had been converted into a beach. We sat on the sand and drank Margaritas. I tried to dig down in the sand to see how deep it was. Tom never made it to the roof/beach bar otherwise Iâ??m sure we would have ended up burying him in the sandâ?¦ Anyway more laughter and drinks followed before drifting back to the hotel and sleep.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=183&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/183 Wed, 02 Jun 2004 08:00:00 GMT Keane I’m sat on the bus. It’s 11am and we’re driving through New Mexico. Last night whilst rocking down the freeway on our 18 hour drive to Denver Colorado the front tyre of the bus blew out. All credit to our driver Steve who must have nerves of steel and managed to hold the bus steady (front tyres are ‘never’ supposed to go…) and avoid hitting the lorry driving alongside us when the tyre exploded and the bus naturally veered toward it. If the truth were told we were very lucky not to get into more trouble… Apparently it took about a mile for us to slow down and stop safely though I have to admit to sleeping through the whole incident… In fact only Rich woke up so I guess it sounds more dramatic than it actually was given you probably wouldn’t have heard the tyre blow above the din of the snoring inside the bus… It took 3 hours for us to get a new tyre sent out and put on the bus and for us to get back on the road again so we’re a bit behind time. To be honest it was dramatic for a moment but then the news came through from the UK that Hopes And Fears has reclaimed the number one spot in the UK album charts. So any pre-occupation of close shaves with Beelzebub were tempered with celebrations about the continued success of the record. Right now it’s 4.20pm and we’re all sat at the back of the bus watching the endless plains of Colorado out of the window and drinking away all the beer on the bus we’ve accumulated over the past couple of days. Tom has just staggered off to watch TV in my bunk and Greg is worried that the combination of ibuprofen and alcohol in his system is going to make his stomach bleed. Earlier we took a break at a truck stop. Everywhere there were fellas in Stetson’s and big belt buckles eating beef jerky. I love the landscape here. Like something out of a Spaghetti western (if only they weren’t all filmed in Italy.) Actually it reminds me of the film The Misfit’s, one of my favourites, so in homage to that movie I’m taking B&W Polaroid’s out the window. Ok. Back to the beers.

Well I’m sat in my hotel room in Denver. The rest of the drive went smoothly. Tim spent much of it strumming away on his guitar, singing softly into a Dictaphone recording ideas for new songs. Everyone else drifted back and forth from their bunks resting, watching TV, chatting away. Drinking beer eating snacks… After I’d checked in I was stood in the hotel lobby when the fire alarm went off. There was no fire but soon enough the lobby was full of firemen. One of those days… In early evening everyone split off again. I had to go to Kinko’s to get some passport photos. The hotel Guest Services guy drove me in the hotel car. He was a good dude and we listened to The Postal Service as we torn around the city. By the time I got back I found Geoff and Rich in the hotel lobby. They had gone for a drink and Rich had forgotten his ID again… Rich never remembers his ID. Anyway he had it now and off out they went. Tom and Greg went to the gym. Iain went out in search of a decent bar, Tim went for some dinner and Colin and Steve went out together for some food.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=188&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/188 Mon, 01 Jan 1900 08:00:00 GMT Keane
It only seemed like 4 months had elapsed, and DVT had surely set in when I saw Los Angeles sprawling out beneath the airplane. It’s a pretty overwhelming view. The city and its outer suburbs are vast. I dragged my gear out of the terminal and onto the Super Shuttle, which took me around the terminal three times in a desperate search for ‘just one more fare’… then home.

I perked up soon enough. Before I knew it I had my belongings stashed and I was back out propped up at a bar, fighting the jet-lag with a Margarita and trying hard not to make eye contact with the dead cobras that floated in the Tequila bottles above the bar, positioned in a coil, head back, tongue out, waiting to strike.]]> http://www.keaneband.com/diary.aspx?did=169&aid=404 http://www.keaneband.com:/Diary/169 Mon, 01 Jan 1900 08:00:00 GMT