Might As Well Be Old Friends

British trio Keane took the stage under whirling red, green and white lights and started right in with the chiming, rousing "Can't Stop Now." After another song or two, singer Tom Chaplin said, "We're so glad to be back in this fair city." What? Did he really say that? Yes, throughout their set at the TLA on Monday night, Keane—well, just Chaplin; the rest of the band didn't speak—were unfailingly polite, gracious and confessional. (Chaplin spoke of a breakup before "She Has No Time" and his realization that he didn't know his lover at all before "We Might As Well Be Strangers".) Unnerving sincerity at a time when half-drunk indie rockers mumble through the motions or angry nu-metalheads scream their way through their radio hits. And a radio hit Keane has in "Somewhere Only We Know," which was met with deafening cheers and a happy singalong. But really, it was in the rest of the set that the band made it look easy for a singer, keyboard player and drummer to dominate a huge stage and fill it with gorgeous melodies and soulful singing. "Bend and Break" and "Everybody's Changing," arguably the strongest tracks on the band's current record, rang out blissfully to the sold-out crowd. Later, Chaplin decided to dedicate a song to the city of Philadelphia because it was "sort of sunny and upbeat." Gotta love this guy.

Keane Sept. 27, TLA

—Lori Hill

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