Greetings from the Keane camp! Here is the second of our trips down memory lane, looking back at the time we began to get songs together for Hopes & Fears. In the summer of 2001 we decided to move out of London after a series of disappointments but with the prospect of a balmy autumn in Northern France with our new friend (and mad musical brain) James Sanger. Many of the songs for the album materialised around this period and we enjoyed several months of real fun and creativity, as well as gaining loads of experience in James’ sprawling (and chaotic) farm house in Barneville-Carteret.

We had many happy days camped in the garden, making music, barbecuing fresh mackerel caught on our fishing trips and getting drunk in the quaint local bars! James employed many innovative approaches to recording, as well as letting us loose on
his huge collection of vintage synths.

At this point, it’s probably best to hand over these "never before heard" demos to you and also an interview I did with Tim, which will hopefully enlighten you all as to how the record was shaped.