Admittedly, it takes us a bit of effort to find the actual section of the forest where Keane are playing, but having to trek around acres of woodland in the glorious summer sunshine is hardly a chore. And by the time we eventually find the right place in Staffordshire’s Cannock Chase Forest, Keane are just about to hit the stage.

Ever the unlikely frontman, Tom Chaplin shows us he’s back on form with a soaring, perfect vocal that even impresses my Ronan-Keating-fanatic mother. He announces that tonight’s show in Cannock Chase is the last night of their current Forest tour and states that they’ve been “very lucky to have played in such beautiful surroundings.”

Set shows how Keane’s sound has evolved in surprising ways over the past few years

As is perhaps to be expected from this show, a ‘greatest hits’ set is on the menu, taking in numbers from all of their albums and their most recent EP Night Train, showing how much their sound has evolved in some surprising ways over the past few years.

The numbers Again And Again and You Haven’t Told Me Anything from Perfect Symmetry are perhaps the best examples of this, with their churning, gutsy and experimental use of synthesizers. These tunes are just as well received by the 5,000 strong crowd of fans as their massive early hits from their stellar debut Hopes And Fears like Bend And Break and This Is The Last Time, which are wisely interspersed throughout the hour-long extravaganza.

Boasting huge, dramatic soundscapes, it’s hard to believe they’ve never used guitars

Thankfully numbers from Under The Iron Sea also make an appearance, with Is It Any Wonder? and the oddly moving Hamburg Song both taking top honours here. Boasting huge, dramatic soundscapes, it’s honestly difficult to believe that Keane have never relied upon using guitars to bolster their tunes. Yet time and again, they’ve managed to team enviably good pop songs with great lyrics and have even picked up an Ivor Novello or two on their musical odyssey. It’s definitely something to be admired.

Chaplin again stops to thank the Forestry Commission for “allowing us in to let us play and, well, make a fucking racket.” You might think that a typical Keane crowd would gasp in horror at the use of casual profanity, but on an incredibly hot summer evening with the sun setting over the trees, it’s just savoured and enjoyed. Wood you have believed it?

Related posts:

1. Alkaline Trio, Nottingham Rock City, 2 June 2010
2. Review: Sonar Festival 2010 - Day Three
3. Review: Sonar Festival 2010 - Day Two

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