To most of us, the name Keane conjures up the image of a rather angry footballer from Cork. If the hype surrounding this three-piece from Sussex comes to fruition, however, they'll soon be filling stadiums of their own. Their debut album is certainly a respectable start, mostly made up of well-crafted, Coldplay-esque ballads such as the swooning single 'Somewhere Only We Know'. Keane don't use guitars, relying solely on piano, drums and Tom Chaplin's crystalline vocals, and the result is an unusually stark sound that complements their soul-baring songwriting. The only problem is that before too long, the sheer lack of variety on offer becomes a serious problem. And with lyrics that often err on the wrong side of blandness, the band fail to give the listener much sense of their own personality. Keane have talent in spades, but they're not yet playing to their full potential. Maybe, like Roy, they should push themselves a little bit harder.
