Ahead of the band's current tour of Asia, we asked their Facebook fans in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand if they had any questions for them. The answers were then posted to those fans on Facebook. And now we thought we'd put them here on km.com for you all to see.
TOM
Q. Is there any Keane song that Jesse still can't play?
Patt Path
A. I think the question should be "Is there any Keane song that Jesse can play?"
Q. My question is "Would you be playing songs from your previous albums too or would your concert focuses more on Strangeland?"
Nur Alia
A. We're playing songs from all albums but there are so many good songs on Strangeland that it's a shame not to play as many of them as possible!
Q. What was the best moment you had together?
Luvena Natashia Susanto
A. Singing karaoke in a bar in Australia. Tim doing 99 Problems by Jay-Z.
Q. Which is the Keane song which is the most meaningful to you
Jo-Anne Chang
A. I love In Your Own Time off the new record. I also love Everybody's Changing and My Shadow. Bedhaped is very good. All of them, in fact.
TIM
Q. Tim, don't you think about composing film music? Music is really important in a film, if I could see the film with your music, it would be fantastic!!
Miho Habuka
A. That's a good question. I have been asked to do a couple of things. The problem is it's incredibly time-consuming and I hardly have enough time to write songs for Keane when we're touring! Also I feel that it's a very specialised area and I need to learn more about it. I do sometimes have ideas for instrumental pieces, and have recorded one or two of them - I think they sound ok! So I hope to do something one day.
Q. What is your favorite Asian food?
Bert Manalo
A. Well, I'm not an expert but I have to say that I absolutely love eating sashimi when we're in Japan. It feels very pure. I remember the first time we went to Tokyo our record label took us to quite a fancy restaurant and the waiter came out with a fish that was still twitching! It was slightly alarming, but it doesn't get much fresher than that…!
Q. To Tim, what do you think about cows?
Patt Path
A. I love cows. When I was a boy I had a polaroid photo of a cow that I took on my bedroom wall for many, many years. She was trying to lick the camera I think! I love going to see the cows being milked at our local farm, and there's a beef herd that grazes along the river next to my house. They're very gentle animals, and I think their digestive systems are one of the wonders of the natural world.
Q. Why are most of your songs about melanholy and struggles? Even the upbeat ones are somehow sad and tragic. Don't get me wrong. I love your songs and cant wait to hear you play them live!
Bee Bucao
A. It's hard to say. You might just argue that I'm a melancholy sort of guy! But it's probably not quite that simple. The songs I like tend to be sad ones, so I've probably just grown up thinking that's what a good pop songs should be. I remember Thom Yorke saying that our generation was part of a "culture of complaint", which I think is true generally. I suspect it may be something to do with the fact in the UK that we haven't been blighted by world wars and serious hardship for the last 60 years or so - so there's not so much of a genuine need to keep the spirits up and distract people from everyday misery and fear like there was for people in the first half of the 20th century, and indeed people dealing with the fallout from WW2. It's a theory, anyway…! On a personal level, I just find those sorts of songs more interesting. I think sadness tends to be more complex than happiness.
RICHARD
Q. What impressed you most last time in Thailand?
Toffee Nopnida
A. We visited a massive Temple complex that pretty much blew my mind.
Q. Hi guys! So, it's your first time to have a concert in the Philippines. What do you expect from the crowd and from everything else? xx
Angelica Mae Felipe
A. It's going to be so fun to be there! I am sure the crowd will be amazing, and singing along as much as everywhere else, but I don't know what to expect - that's part of the fun of touring.
Q. What took you so long?
Nils Karczewski
A. Good question, and one I have been asking for a while. I am sorry, but I am so pleased we are finally coming to so many new places. I know there are more to visit, too - turns out it's a big planet, with lots of cities… and there are still more to come back to, but that's what I love about touring.
Q. How do you maintain the drive and the passion in doing what you love?
Patrizia Marcelo
A. It's fun! I get to travel the world with a group of friends, then go home and hang out making music - doesn't take much to realise I'm one of the luckiest people alive.
Q. What kind of image do you have in your mind about south korea?
Ah Reum Kim
A. I remember being in Seoul the last time we played there, it being really hot, and the crowd still giving so much energy - that really sticks in my head. I remember people with towels over their heads to help keep cool between bands, and even someone in a motorbike helmet. It was a great show but I can't wait to come back and play a full headline show. I also went to a beautiful temple and garden, where I took quite a few photos - I think I put them on the photoblog. I hope I'll get some more this time around.
JESSE
Q. Which song is the best to play amongst Keane's ?
Hyunjoo Park Hi!
A. Is It Any Wonder? or Sovereign Light Café.
Q. Will Mt Desolation be releasing another album? Do the guys have any side projects lined up?
Chrissy Priya Chandran
A. Maybe one day but I think we're all eager to get on with the next Keane album first.
Q. What song(s) do you listen to this week?
Puranut Wisutjindaporn
A. Window (Mirror) Shadow by Adrian Orange & Her Band and Kyrie from Missa Luba by Les Troubadours Du Roi Baudouin.
Q. If you were given a chance to collaborate with an Asian artist, who would you choose? *hint: someone from the Philippines perhaps?* :D
Charmie Saligumba
A. Anyone who isn't famous and plays an instrument that we don't hear in England!
Q. What are the three most interesting items on your tour rider for your visit to Asia?
Tara Kostecki
A. Our tour rider is embarrassingly boring and predictable I'm afraid! Local beer, water and some fruit that rarely gets eaten!