East Sussex-based Keane is an English alternative rock group that was founded in 1995. While attending Tonbridge School, they became friends. Currently, the band consists of Jesse Quin (bass guitar, acoustic/electric guitar, backing vocals), Tim Rice-Oxley (piano, synthesizers, bass guitar, backing vocals), Richard Hughes (drums, percussion, backing vocals), and Tom Chaplin (lead vocals, electric/acoustic guitar, piano). Dominic Scott, the band’s founding member, and guitarist departed in 2001.
The debut album by British band Keane, Hopes and Fears, was released in 2004 and quickly became a major international hit. The album, which topped the UK charts and was the second-best-selling British album of 2004, won the 2005 Brit Award for Best British Album. One of the best-selling albums in the annals of UK chart music. Their second album, Beneath the Iron Sea, was released in 2006 and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. It also topped the UK album charts. Perfect Symmetry, their third album, was released in October 2008.
Keane is distinguished from most other rock bands by using keyboards as the lead instrument rather than the guitar. With their second and third albums, their use of various synthesizers and a distorted piano effect became a common element in their music. Almost 13 million records have been sold globally by Keane.