Keane

I've done my best to dislike Keane (because teenaged girls like them), but those singles are damn good, no way round it. My favourite new singers/bands this year are "A Girl Called Eddie" and Katie Tunstall. It's been the year of ballads and melody, for me; they just keep coming (the new Feeder single!). But what happened to the great dance-music era of the 2001-3? Hardly anything decent this year - hip hop triumphant. It all goes in cycles, I suppose. d.beswetherick.

J.Prince said: I don't want to hear people shouting on my radio/cassette. There's enough anger in the world without choosing to listen to it in my free time too. Without anger, where would we be, though? At least once a week I put on "Right to Work" and march round the house hollering it at the top of my voice and fuck the neighbours. A bit of "Fuck You" music is essential, or we turn into lettuce-fed rabbits. d.beswetherick.

Keane are playing Jonathan Ross tonight - in about twenty mins!!

Sounds nothing like Morrissey, but is equally ugly.

I've been wondering who that little fat bloke on the new Band Aid record is. Having watched the end of Jonathan Ross, it's all become clear. Off to play golf, tally hooo....

So you can only make good music if you're good looking?

No. But his voice sounds angelic, and he looks like a troll. It's just a surprise, thats all. As someone in total adoration with Michael Stipe, I'm hardly one to insist on good looks.

"I've been wondering who that little fat bloke on the new Band Aid record is." Surely his looks are irrelevant when you consider his talent as a singer? And he's hardly little, he's a tall guy.

Oh for God's sake. Did I say that I thought he was a bad singer? I said I had been wondering who he was that's all. And his voice isn't bad, just don't like the music much. Sorry if I touched on a sore point, Jeff.

Mrs Bob number 3 was very keen on Keane. A Thai girl, in her early twenties, she was also very passionate for our sumo-sized friend Mr Buddha. I wonder if her two passions were in any way related ? Ah, the third Mrs Bob...Where is she now, I wonder ?

I am indeed keen on Keane – I love the singer’s emotional voice, and it is refreshing that he isn’t, as J. Prince said, stereotypically handsome. The group look nice and normal and musically sound accessible and understanding.

yep, liked them when i heard their first single, pretty good debut album

Hrmmm. I downloaded what I thought was to be their first album in about March this year, and loved it instantly. When the album came out, I bought it, and found it was different to that which I had downloaded, and not quite so good. It did have the glorious "Bedshaped" (which aly insisted was called bitchin') on it though. The one I'd got originally, was made up of early singles and B sides. I still prefer it to the real album though, and to be honest, I've even gone off that a tad. I read something a while back, can't remember where, which said that the best albums are those which grow slowly and persuade you to love them... the ones you fall in love with at first hearing are simply lust based, and you tire of them easily. I think there's something in that... I got the Snow Patrol cd at the same time, didn't really care for it overly much, and now love it. It's way better than the Keane one.

I don’t actually mind his looks – he appears cuddly! He’s like Alison Moyet – quite normal to look at, non-skinny – but most importantly; strong, emotive vocals. The most important thing for a singer to have is a good voice ; )

Band? Isn't he that gobshite awful footballer that Ferguscum employs?

I am not keen on Keane. Elevator music, worse than coldplay.

Oh I don't know if it's worse than Coldplay, but elevator music yes. The sort of thing you'd play if you had really bad flu and couldn't cope with anything challenging. A bit like own-brand ice cream.

I was in the bathroom when Keane's 'Bedshaped single' came out, it was playing on one of those crappy lynx bath-set radios I invariably get for xmas. This song was on, and I ended up throwing my slipper at the radio in order to shut it down. It smacked off the wall and the batteries fell out, but the fecker was still playing the song. I had to sit through the ENTIRE ARSEBLEEDING SONG (and was in an appropriate position to do so). Worst of all, for the video they got the same bloke who did the animation for Sepultura's thrash classic 'Roots Bloody Roots.' His wife probably can't bring herself to look at him now. The best uk band of the last year was probably Bloc Party, who no doubt appear on Jools by now, due to substantial airplay on the class 120 minutes. I approve that Britain gets its own version now instead of having to listen to Phish at 2am. My TV highlight of the last year was seeing the Fall doing "Big New Prinz" circa 1990 last week. Other than that, there are the pretty awful 'Selfish C*nt' , who I suppose are an Izzardian take on the Sex Pistols and Suicide.

tsk...you angry young men never change... tsk...

Let's get this straight, he *is* skinny. Just has a chubby face, that's all.

It's true, Rachel, that in general I can't "cope with anything challenging" in terms of music. I don't want to hear people shouting on my radio/cassette. There's enough anger in the world without choosing to listen to it in my free time too. My favourite bands include: S Club, Busted, and (since this year) Keane. I've never felt the need to be "cool" in the type of music I like. When I was at school my favourite band for years and years were U2. Before I went to secondary school I was big on Abba, and still love them. U2, I've gone off since the early 90s. But as Bono himself once said: "With every new album we lose many old fans and gain some new ones" (paraphrasing: I don't memorise the great man's quotes by rote!!).

Yeah, he is skinny... when i saw them on Jonathon Ross the other night, his face put me in mind of a russet apple. He seems to dance very enthusiastically too. Especially for a semi ballad type song. Sweet voice though.

Ha ha good analogy. They were brilliant on Ross. I just love this music. It's so rare for me to find a band I like this much. I mean I like every song, including all the b-sides and so on. So it's one thing that's made me happy this year.