The alternative rock band Keane emerged out of East Sussex in 1997 with an infectious piano-rock sound. After making several rounds on the UK touring circuit the band finally caught the attention of Fierce Panda Records, who offered to release the band's single "Everybody's Changing," in 2002. The single sparked commercial attention in both UK and US as well as a bidding war between major labels to sign Keane. The band chose Island records and released its debut album Hopes and Fears, in 2004 to immediate acclaim. Often referred to as the band with no guitars, Keane differentiates itself from most other rock bands by using a piano, rather than guitars, as its lead instrument, and its formula of emotive piano riffs and understated synthesizers captured widespread audience on the band's 2004 world tour. On Keane's follow-up records, particularly 2006's Under the Iron Sea and 2012's Strangeland, its music took on more mature themes such as religious violence and war, and while Keane's darker material hasn't achieved the same amount of success as its earlier material about love and heartbreak, the band has earned critical acclaim for its emotionally accessible songwriting.
