Konichi-wa KEANE fans!
Firstly, apologies for the radio silence – life on the road and particularly for a tour manager can be somewhat relentless as we fly around the world, but now seems the perfect opportunity to catch up with you whilst we glide along effortlessly on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo. As I look around my boys are all engrossed in their Macs, headphones on and shiny new prototype sneakers glistening proudly on their foot-rests. Richard’s boxset DVD of choice on this tour appears to be The Shield whilst Jesse’s is Little House On The Prairie and I’m pretty sure I saw Tim taking in The Wire. I have to say it’s a nice feeling to be able to catch a train between shows – no tour buses in this part of the globe so we spend a large chunk of our time hanging around airports, which is not the most relaxing of environments.
It’s been just shy of 2 weeks since we arrived in Australia for the first time in 5 years. The last time the boys were here in 2004 was only my second outing with them and we’ve been together ever since! I must love those guys!
Despite everyone’s jet-lag fears most of us have escaped relatively unscathed. There is something about the warmer climate countries that encourage you to get up early and enjoy the day more. Having lived in LA there is nothing quite like getting up at 6am, going for a run as the sun comes up and washing down some healthy granola with a freshly-squeezed orange juice. The pace on this tour has been fairly relaxed compared to the norm which has allowed more time to see the cities we are visiting and enjoy the local culture. Beth’s even managed to fulfill her childhood ambition by hugging a koala – aaawwwww! I’ve taken to finding a picturesque jogging route whenever I can, which is a good way of getting your bearings in unfamiliar surroundings whilst benefiting from burning some calories at the same time! When you get to 48 you gotta work a little harder on these things you know!
The venues are somewhat more intimate than what we’ve been used to of late, but no less enjoyable. The brightly coloured wardrobes may have stayed back in the UK and Tom’s gold jacket may have been laid to rest, but the boys have looked no less dapper on these shores and thrived on getting up close & personal with y’all which has made for some exciting shows along the way. The reception at the shows has been so raucous the boys even came back on AFTER Bedshaped at the 2nd Sydney show leaving their VIP pals alone in the dressing room to drink the band’s beer whilst they ripped it up on stage performing Under Pressure! (hint – if you scream loudly enough & long enough after Bedshaped you see what happens!).
So, after a spider-free trip (although a dirty big 4" long cockroach did fall on me from a tree one night) everyone was sad to leave Australia but rest assured it will NOT be 5 years until the band’s next visit…
Limited flight options meant we stayed in Brisbane the day after our last show so the boys showed some dedication to their art by getting up bright & early to spend the day in a studio working on a couple of new tunes – and thumping they are too, which bodes very well for the future!
Arriving into the kaleidoscope of neon that is Osaka soon brightened everyone’s spirits despite a fairly arduous travel day! One of the most exciting parts of our job is experiencing the shift in cultures from country to country and it doesn’t get more exciting & diverse than Japan! It was a lightening quick visit this time and a couple of great shows (fear not we’ll be back in August sharing the same stage as Beyoncé at Summer Sonic Festival – looking forward to that!) but nevertheless we managed to make the best use of our 2 days here and the crew still had just enough time to spend all their per diems in Tokyu Hands!
Stage times in Japan are early so it allows time after the show to venture out and sample the local cuisine. We spent our last night in Japan at Gonpachi which the film buffs amongst you will know was Tarantino’s inspiration behind the famous fight scene in Kill Bill! No time for a karaoke bar but the boys were still recovering anyway from their very late night jaunt to one in Brisbane where they entertained the locals with some classic renditions of ‘It’s Raining Men’, ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’, ‘Clocks’ & ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’! I’ll leave you to ponder who song what!
An all too short yet fabulous and inspiring trip out to Australia & Japan then – thanks KEANE fans!
Thanks also to team KEANE for yet another job well done…
On the flight home now, supping on a peppermint tea and plotting the next few months of touring – it’s no easy being me!
Looking around the cabin the boys are still engrossed in their Macs although Tom appears to be fast asleep with a wee smile on his face – probably dreaming up some way to wind me up – it’ll NEVER work Tom 🙂
Later dudes…..
CD
TMTTS