Keane - Celebrating 20 Years Of Hopes And Fears - Utilita Arena - 08 May 2024

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The evening started with the support act The Lathums who are a indie rock band from Wigan.

They played a number of heart warming tunes and were well appreciated by the sell out crowd.

Keane celebrating their 20th anniversary of their debut album Hopes and Fears played a flawless set of 22 songs starting with Can't Stop Now and ending with Bedshaped.

Highlights included Bend and Break, Your Eyes Open, Everybody's Changing, Is It Any Wonder, This Is The Last Time and Somewhere Only We Know.

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Tom Chaplin is an accomplished frontman and he owns the stage, the other band members  are also note perfect with the both excellent Tim Rice Oxley on Piano and Richard Hughes on Drums.

A Keane concert is not so much about the visual but about the music.

The band known for their likeable demeanour gave their best adding a personal touch to the evening.

Here's hoping to see them celebrating Hopes and Fears on it'.s 30th anniversary.

Razorlight - Great Hall - 7/4/2023

The support act were Afflecks Palace a four-piece band from Manchester. They played an entertaining set showcasing their debut album "Only Light in this Tunnel is the Oncoming Train" Set highlights were "Dancing is not a Crime" and "Shut up". They have been dubbed in the press as Nu-Manchester. They were joined on stage by members of the Indie band Pastel whose song "Soho" proved popular with the crowd.

I had not seen Razorlight since 2005 when they supported Oasis, From the outset of Razorlight as a band they have been known for their high-energy live shows. Lead singer Johnny Borrell is a charismatic frontman with a commanding stage performance. They instantly captured the crowd’s attention with a mixture of swagger and enthusiasm. They started the set with "Rip it Up". The set highlights were "Stumble and Fall", "In the Morning", "Wire to Wire" and the classic "Golden Touch". The high-energy set finished with the slower "America".

The set only lasted 80 minutes but the band complimented each other with their high musicianship, infectious hooks and rhythms.