Review: Keane in Cascais Music Festival

On an extremely warm night, with the temperatures being around 30º degrees, a stage, a very friendly ambience and according to Tim Rice-Oxley’s own words it was a perfect night for a Keane’s gig. Thirty minutes after the predicted hour, Keane start another amazing show full of love, joy and a lot of music, connected with the good vibration of the Portuguese crowd that made everything to make them feel welcome.

Keane

Starting with the energetic You Are Young, the second show that happened in Portugal this year started perfectly with an invitation to the audience to give their best to another big night.

Playing very appealing songs, the band played Bend And Break and Day Will Come. Here it’s possible to see how warm the Portuguese crowd is, showing to know all the lyrics by heart, including the most recent Strangeland.

Returning to the classics with Nothing In My Way, the band pulls out big screams from the public that instantly recognises the song taken directly from Hopes & Fears, one of the most acclaimed Keane albums, surprising the people with the beginning of an ‘a capella’ song included on the Deluxe version of the last record, the amazing Strangeland as an introduction of the brilliant On The Road - like they did a few years ago, with the b-side Fly To Me and Leaving So Soon?.

For the entire night, the smiles were a constant on every member of Keane. The expression of the singer Tom Chaplin was the reflection of the band. It was clear on Keane a very humble feeling, a genuine happiness and without any doubt a huge surprise with the crowd’s reception, they didn’t shape yet with how much Portugal loves them and still get surprised, this time with bows from the members totally surrendered with the people in front of them.

Tom Chaplin

On a calmer moment, Keane flew until the first album with We Might As Well Be Strangers and after, a quick trip to their third record, represented by the same-titled Perfect Symmetry, with an emotional performance by Tom Chaplin, like always.

Silenced By The Night was received with euforia, certainly one of the most expected songs by the crowd followed by their huge hit Everybody’s Changing where the fans entered the action and sang the chorus, even after the end, leaving the band speechless and totally amazed with what they were witnessing.

The Starting Line touched the most sensitive with an almost surreal presentation from the band, Tom Chaplin’s voice echoed and the lights made all the present people feel like they were on some other dimension. Returning with the jumps with Leaving So Soon? and one of the most acclaimed songs from Strangeland, Disconnected, sang with one voice and synchronization between audience and band that once again were overwhelmed, leaving big compliments to Portugal.

Returning to Under The Iron Sea, Keane touched on the fans’ hearts playing the powerful A Bad Dream, where there was time for some piano “duets”, placed in front of each other, where Tom and Tim shared an intimate moment, showing why they are more than just a band; after, the crowd was presented with the hits This Is The Last Time and Somewhere Only We Know.

During 'A Bad Dream'

And as there are gestures that never change, Tim Rice-Oxley introduces Is It Any Wonder? on the best way.

And now that Jesse Quin is getting more and more comfortable with the Portuguese fans, we got an endless energetic performance.

Jesse Quin

The show seemed to end with the melancolic Bedshaped, but it was just a brief farewell that sounded like something more.

With all the support from fans, that sang the chorus very enthusiasticly, Keane returned excited and somehow overjoyed with the crowd in front of them, for an encore that lasted until the end of the show.

Before the second song of the encore, Tom decided to delight his fans when he accepts to take a picture, asked on a very showy yellow card, and with all his humility and sympathy, comes down near the front row and takes the picture.

On the same path as Bedshaped, they played Sea Fog - one of the most beautiful moments of the night, where everything fit perfectly with the atmosphere connected with nature and a very positive energy allied with an incredible spirit.

After, Sea Fog there’s the friendship anthem, the amazing Sovereigh Light Café.

To highlight Tim Rice-Oxley’s amount of happiness, that was always enjoying himself and truly smiley during the show, probably incredibly proud to see so many people singing his songs on a very harmonious way.

Tim Rice-Oxley

Crystal Ball was the promised final song, to end up brightly a huge night fulfilled with emotions that these four members got us used to, being followed by an extraordinary audience that soon followed all the frontman’s wishes.

Before they left, there was time for a quick visit to the front row, from Richard Hughes and Jesse Quin, to accomplish some fans requests.

Richard Hughes

After an enthusiastic and exhaustive calling, there’s time for na unexpected encore with My Shadow, a song from their Night Train EP. It was absolutely a magical way to end this show in Cascais, with a promise of return “somewhere in October or November” - promised confirmed on the next day.

note: co-written with Keane Portugal
Special thanks to Paulinha Minhava for the pictures.