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TRAVIS + KEANE.
BRIDLINGTON SPA. 18/03/04.

Well, I didn't really know what to expect from Keane. I, like many others in the crowd, hadn't really heard that much by them. They were sooooooo amazingly good though!! I knew I was going to like them, but I wasn't expecting to like them quite that much!! I wasn't expecting them to be as good as what they actually were.
Every one of the 7 or 8 tracks they performed is good enough to be a top 5 single. The album is going to be one of the best of the year, I now have no doubt about that.
One of the things that makes Keane different and makes them stand out is the fact they don't use guitars. Drums, a piano/keyboard and vocals is all they need.
Frontman Tom is very good at his job. I thought he would maybe just stand there looking bored. But he was moving around all over the place and was clearly enjoying himself. He thanked the crowd for getting there early enough to watch them and told us that we were way better than crowds down London way.
It was obviously recent chart smash 'Somewhere Only We Know' that got the biggest response. Many people sang along to it. Before seeing them I thought that maybe Keane would just be a one hit wonder. If that was the case, it would be a real shame. I doubt it will come to that though, Keane look set for big things.
Last time I saw Travis it was at the massive Sheffield Arena. We were sat at the back and saw very little. We just found ourselves watching the screens at either side of the stage, it was just like watching tv really.
Tonight though I was stood on the front row and had a great view all night. Travis wandered on stage at 9pm and opened with 'Happy To Hang Around', taken from latest album '12 Memories'. It was followed by 'U16 Girls', 'Re-Offender' and 'Writing To Reach You'.
Somebody threw a t-shirt on stage. It hit Fran in the face, in the mouth in fact. It hurt one of his teeth, so he politely asked people to throw things to the side of him rather than at him if they had to throw things at all!! 'Sing' went down really well with the 3000 strong crowd. It was followed by new single 'Love With Come Through'. A total of 8 songs from '12 Memories' were performed.
Both the band and the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves. Dougie and Fran couldn't stop smiling. Fran often spoke with the crowd, even those sat down on the balcony! 'There comes a time in your life, when you're booking tickets for shows, when you need to decide weather to stand or sit, this is dedicated to all those of you sitting, Mid-Life Krysis'.
The track was followed by 'As You Are'. Fran spoke before the track about the first ever gig he went to, when he was 12 years old, after his friend won free tickets in a raffle!! 'Driftwood' was performed soon after along with 'All I Wanna Do Is Rock'. It still sounds so good. They concluded with 'Turn'. It was one of the many highlights of the set and saw Andy scale his amps. He was very energetic throughout the set, they all were.
I'd never noticed before how camp Dougie is!! Bless him and his dancing!! Made me smile! He even kissed Andy at one point!! Awwww!!
Fran returned to the stage alone for the encore. He didn't know what to sing but eventually settled for a version of '20'. It was not written in on the setlist. It was great to hear that track live, it was beautiful, just Fran and his guitar. He went on to perform a solo version of 'Flowers In The Window' too. I liked it even more than the normal version.
He was then joined on stage, one by one, by the rest of the band for 'More Than Us'. Fran told us about when they felt they had finally made it big, it was when 'More Than Us' was used on Eastenders!!
Dougie then took on lead vocal duties for new track and B-side 'Know Nothing'. He is a really good singer. He should sing lead vocals more often.
That left just two songs, the first of which was 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me'. Everyone sang along. It was a great atmosphere. It was a great atmosphere all night. No pushing or shoving, no fat b*stard men acting like dicks, no crowdsurfing. It was just a nice, relaxed atmosphere and a really nice night.
Travis concluded as ever with 'Happy'. The crowd went crazy. Afterwards, Fran jumped off stage and wandered along the front row shaking peoples hands etc. He shook my hand and at the same time placed his plectrum into it. I was so happy!! He actually put his plectrum into my hand, he wanted ME to have it!! Bless him. Was a great end to a great night. I even managed to get a setlist! Go me!!

BY MR MARTYN. MARCH 2004.

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