Wednesday, July 21, 2010

RAVE - Keane at the Fox

Mumblings over Mehserle and Medical Marijuana were interrupted briefly for an amped up boy band with fans so rabid you'd think they were campaigning for or against those M's.

Tom Chaplin's voice is great, provided he sticks to his range ... nothing too deep or he'd bust his dramatically slimmer gut.

For me, Keane is like lobster ... many rave about it, but I don't crave the taste. Or maybe they're more like polenta ... inoffensive, but why do chefs see the need for it?

But wait, this isn't a restaurant review, it's a brief, non-emotional review of last night's show at The Fox Theater in Oakland, where Pavey, Gareth and I peered over the 50/50 Asian and white crowd. Not many of Oakland's finest here, because while Keane aspire to deep and soulful status, they appeal to a mainly keyboard-centric pop market.

They were excellent when they cranked it up a bit and Chaplin tried his Freddie Mercury moves on, but they're much better known for their melodies.

Replete with a bassist, to give their sound a bit of oomph on stage, they showed why they're so admired; more accessible than a cheap hooker, but nicer.

So nice, in fact, that vocalist Chaplin does a damned good impression of landowner Ralph, from the Fast Show (aka Brilliant, here in the USA, where most of the humor must be impenetrable).

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