Keane almost quit when frontman Tom Chaplin went into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse last year, his bandmate Tim Rice-Oxley reveals.

But pianist Rice-Oxley insists the struggle has made the group appreciate their talents and potential - and helped them come back stronger.

He says, "We've all been pleasantly surprised by how good it's been. In fact, it's been better than ever before, which none of us dared to expect. Coming so close to losing everything made us appreciate that we've got something very special."

He adds of Chaplin, "He's been through a lot, but he just see...

The Who and Keane are proving to be a big draw at the inaugural Knowsley Hall Music Festival in Liverpool, England - the first 10,000 tickets sold in just over hour this morning.

The groups will headline the weekend event, which will also feature The Zutons and The Coral, in June.

Promoter James Barton says, "This is an amazing start and way beyond what we expected on the first day."

And The Who frontman Roger Daltrey can't wait to make history at the stately home show.

He says, "Liverpool was the most memorable gig we played last year for me. The crowd was singing the s...

The Who and Keane have been confirmed as headliners for the first Knowsley Hall Music Festival in Liverpool, England.

The two groups will join local acts The Coral and Pete Wylie & The Mighty Wah! at the two-day festival in June , where promoters hope to lure 80,000 music fans.

The Knowsley Hall site, the ancestral home to the Earls of Derby since 1385, is set in 2,500 acres of landscaped parkland.

Knowsley Hall will mark The Who's second major festival appearance of the summer - the group will also headline the Glastonbury Festival.

Visit The Who's Starpulse Page for a...

...In April, Billy Corgan announced that Smashing Pumpkins will reunite and begin recording a new album... Rihanna released her sophomore disc, Unfaithful, featuring the single S.O.S., which includes a sample of Soft Cell's Tainted Love... and Cee-Lo and DangerMouse's collaboration, Gnarls Barkley took the U.S. by storm, as their hit single Crazy stormed the charts and took off as one of 2006's most popular tunes.

Bands that released new albums include: The Flaming Lips, Daft Punk, Gorillaz, Blue October, Lacuna Coil, Lamb Of God, Pink, Queensryche, The Vines, Eagles Of Death Metal, Qu...

Pop hunk Justin Timberlake and duo Gnarls Barkley were the big winners at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in Copenhagen, Denmark, last night, taking home two awards each. American acts dominated the awards, with only three non-US acts - French DJ Justice Vs Simian and English bands Muse and Depeche Mode - winning in the main categories.

Timberlake hosted the main part of the awards in the city's Bella Center, while Kelis introduced the performances in the outdoor stage at the Radhuspladsen (City Hall Square). Timberlake opened the show with a medley of "Sexyback," "My Love" and "Lo...

Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has attacked emo bands including Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco and My Chemical Romance. The rocker believes the rock sub-genre is a negative influence on emotionally confused teenagers.

He tells MTV, "I keep hearing how emo music is bringing kids together and that it's got these positive messages and all that, but if it's damaging teenagers and if it's making them depressed, how can that be a good thing? All it causes is moaning teenagers. There's nothing positive from it. It may upset people, but emo is dead in my eyes. F**k emo. Just enjoy the world...

Justin Timberlake is to host this year's MTV Europe Music Awards. The SexyBack singer will also perform live at the prestigious ceremony, along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nelly Furtado and British band Muse. Full nominations list below!

Justin said: "I'm really excited to be hosting. I'm working on several ideas with MTV at the moment and there are some great new interactive parts to the show. We're going to take over the city! It's going to be an amazing night. Anything can happen and no one is safe!"

Host Justin is nominated for two awards this year - Best Male and Best Pop...

Happy Birthday to "Home Improvement" actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas (1981), pop star Pink (1979), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (1975), actor David Arquette (1971), model/tv host Brooke Burke (1971), musician Neko Case (1970), solo artist and former 'til Tuesday singer Aimee Mann (1960), "The Fall Guy" actress Heather Thomas (1957), The Cars guitarist Benjamin Orr (1947; d. 2000), the Grateful Dead's original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945), The Association bassist Brian Cole (1942; d. 1972), country legend Patsy Cline (1932; d. 1963), "The Pink Panther" series star Peter Sellers (192...

Crank it up, gamers! The football pre-season kicks off with a bang as Electronic Arts reveals the 35 songs that will be featured in Madden NFL 07, becoming the de facto soundtrack of the 2007 football season. The bone-crunching action and heart-pounding adrenaline of the grid iron is intensified by the game's one-of-a-kind mix of rock and hip hop. Full List Below!

"Year after year, the music selected for inclusion in EA's smash hit football series invariably becomes the soundtrack of the football season, moving beyond the game to turn up in football stadiums and on live TV broadcasts, ...

Happy Birthday to The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti (1980), "Galaxy Quest" actor Justin Long (1978), Keane bassist/keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley (1976), actor/comedian Wayne Brady (1972), actor Anthony Montgomery (1971), The Bangles bassist Michael Steele (1955), comedic actor Dana Carvey (1955), "24" actor Dennis Haysbert (1954), "Leave it to Beaver" star Jerry Mathers (1948), Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (1941), actor Stacy Keach (1941), "M*A*S*H" actress Sally Kellerman (1936), and "Tarzan" portrayer Johnny Weissmuller (1904; d. 1984).

After the successful release of 2004’s Hopes and Fears, the UK's Keane has since recorded 12 brand new tracks for their new album, Under The Iron Sea, scheduled for release on June 20.

The new album was recorded at The Magic Shop in Soho, New York, and back at Helioscentric Studios, near Battle.

In making this record we tried to confront all our worst fears, to ruthlessly scrutinise ourselves, our relationship with each other, with other people, and with the world at large, and to make a journey into the darkest places we could find.

It made for an incredibly intense atmosph...

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton cites Pete Doherty as her muse for her upcoming musical effort later this year. The 25-year-old socialite, who is releasing an album on Warner Music, was desperate to meet the troubled rocker at the Brit awards last week, but he managed to avoid her.

She says, "My main influences are Babyshambles, Keane and Madonna. I wanted to meet Pete Doherty when I was in the UK for the Brits but he wasn't at any of the parties."

In other news, Paris has given her upcoming pop career a sexy boost by signing up Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin as her choreographer. ...

If U.S. teens could decide, the 48th Annual Grammy Awards would result in a return of former chart-toppers, according to a new Harris Interactive survey. Teens gave the nod to the alternative group Green Day's comeback, picking the single "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" as Record of the Year. Also back on the rise, Mariah Carey was chosen by teens for the Song of the Year with "We Belong Together". Fall Out Boy was teens' pick for the Best New Artist award.

The Harris Interactive YouthQuery(SM) omnibus of 1,092 U.S. teens, aged 13 to 18, was conducted online from December 14 to 20, 2005.
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