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Keane reckon they survived a rocky spell during the recording of their "darker" new album ‘Under The Iron Sea’ because of the sheer quality of the music they were making.

The band told NME earlier this year that they nearly split during the making of the LP, out June 12. But despite the awkward atmosphere in the studio, the band were bought back together by what they were creating.

Frontman Tom Chaplin told NME.COM: “One of the great things about music is that it’s what brought us together in the first place. It was out geeky way of expressing ourselves. We were never very good at talking about stuff, we’d just turn it into music.

“Having that album to make and making it has definitely helped to reconcile a lot of the troubles we had. It’s good to be back in that place again.“

Drummer Richard Hughes added: “We never had a holiday – we took it all into the studio! But we survived it.”

And the band all agree that the tensions made for a better record than their massive selling 2004 debut ‘Hopes And Fears’.

Chaplin insisted: “It’s big step up in every way. We’re not the sort of band that’s scared of change. All the bands we grew up loving are like that – Depeche Mode, Radiohead, The Smiths. Bands that didn’t fear changing and always broke new ground.

“It’s definitely very different and rightly so. Whether it’s Tim (Rice-Oxley)’s new piano sounds or the funkiness of the drums – all the performances are much more raw and intense.

“We’re kind of darker. It’s very much a raw, visceral spontaneous record. All three of us felt we had much more to contribute this time. We all had much more to bring to the party.”

Keyboard/piano player Rice-Oxley said: “We’re actually playing 11 out of the 12 songs live, which we never did with ‘Hopes And Fears’ (2004 debut album). It’s good to do that and not have the crowd going to the bar. They do seem to be getting into the new songs straight away.”

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Date/Time	Venue	Town/City	Seetickets	Viagogo
Mar 09, 2012 19:30	De La Warr Pavilion	Bexhill-on-sea	Tickets not currently available.	Buy Keane Tickets from £34
Mar 09, 2012 19:30	Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion	Bexhill, East Sussex	Buy Keane Tickets	Buy Keane Tickets
Mar 10, 2012 19:30	Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion	Bexhill, East Sussex	Buy Keane Tickets	Buy Keane Tickets
Mar 10, 2012 19:30	De La Warr Pavilion	Bexhill-on-sea	Tickets not currently available.	Buy Keane Tickets from £45