Keane: Strangers [DVD] [2005]

This DVD had been in my wish list for a long time before purchasing it very recently. I had bought Under the Iron sea back last September and then Hopes and fears last January so this was one DVD that I was interested in after becoming a big fan of the band. There's just something really melancholic in their music which is hauntingly beautiful.The DVD itself, especially the documentary part and the additional hidden documentary really gives us a look inside this band's music. It shows us what they're like when they're not on stage, their thoughts and feelings, and Tim's explanations of the songs are quite interesting. I would never have worked out This is the last time in the same way it's supposed to be read! There are great live performances from all over the world, and a good history of the band before they became famous, with archive videos, and their first gig which was in the same pub as Chris Martin from Coldplay. There are old recordings and performances of the band way back from 1998. There's a history of how the band came together, a past member, and how Tom came to join, which he modestly admits 'made the band'. If you are a Keane fan then this is a must have DVD for you.On the other side this is a really confusing and awfully constructed DVD! There are 2 discs with 2 parts of the documentary and also live recordings on each disc. Then there is also hidden 'interactive' sections on both DVD's.Instead of having the documentary all on 1 DVD, and then the live performances and videos on another it has all been split up and is pretty messy. I was really confused after going through both DVD's and not being able to find the tons of extras which were just not in the menu. The menu simply has the `Documentary' and `Live' sections. If you want to see the additional behind the scenes parts and the videos then this means you have to sit through the whole documentary to see them. The interactive section was something that I tried to ignore on first watch, but then that night I read the reviews here on Amazon with people who had encountered the same problem and went back and sat through the documentary all again until the interactive parts appear. The trick is to skip chapters to find what you need, but what I did was to sit through the entire documentary, wait for the arrow symbols to appear on the screen with the feature written next to them, and then press the corresponding arrows. It's really annoying and whereas the DVD company probably thought they were being really creative and the fans could get involved, it's pretty much a shambles. It's a terrible set-up and I just hope that no DVD's ever have this bright idea again. If the DVD had been constructed in the way I suggested then it would have been a brilliant collection of the band and a great compliment. I just don't understand why they couldn't have put this together in a simple and understandable way than to try and be smart and disorganised.There are lost of hidden sections, where all videos are included with Somewhere only we know and Everybody's changing UK and US versions. There are visuals, galleries and lots of behind the scenes stuff which you will be definitely missing out on if you don't go back and check out the interactive parts. Most of the DVD charts Hopes and fears because it was created in 2005, before Under the iron sea was released, but does include a couple of songs from Under the iron sea performed live, and a couple of live action creation parts of the genesis of the album. It's great seeing Tim walking into the studio and setting up the effects for the piano which was the basis and gave the unique sound for Under the iron sea.This 2 disc DVD is a very necessary part of a Keane fans collection, it's just a shame that it couldn't have been put together in a standard and much better way, than to be untidy just because the company thought they'd interest the fans more. They were wrong.

I love Keane a lot, and I feel this DVD gives and interesting insight into what touring was like for them. It also helps us to understand why the band began to feel the pressures which eventually led to them taking an unscheduled break in 2006 - Tim Rice-Oxley is shown trying to write in the back of the tourbus.The live performances are, as ever, wonderful. Keane are and always will be amazing live because of the sheer genius but simplicity of their music and their talent for it. Tom Chaplin's voice, while much improved today, still makes each and every song perfect.I particularly liked the little Bedshaped compilation. It is fascinating to see the band progress from shy, amateur performers to shy but incredibly talented professional artists. It also interested me to hear their story, told by them to us, about how they met each other when they were infants, progressed through school, fought outside music class, started a band, got jobs, started performing and lost their guitarist, Dominic Scott.One part of the DVD features them arguing about something (though it is never made clear what it is) which shows us they are just normal people and their world is not suddenly perfect because they're famous. There's also a sweet bit where Richard commends thousands of people for coming to see them in the rain although the band certainly didn't enjoy getting wet. It's nice to see that they don't take us for granted.The only problem I have with it is that for some reason I can't pause it, as pressing the pause and play button only turns the interactive mode on and off. Instead, I have to just put one of the side videos on while I pop out of the room, which isn't exactly practical unless it is a long video.Otherwise, if you are a Keane fan this is a must-have because it is factual and entertaining at the same time.

Went to watch Keane live recently and i was so impressed that i bought this dvd the following day.This 2 discs set offers an insight into the band via a documentary filmed in black and white of the lads out on tour,capturing the ups and downs of life out on the road living in the back of a bus and the frictions this causes amongst them.Entertaining all the same and they come across as very likeable,down to earth chaps.An obvious highlight here is the band performing a number of their songs live at venues from around the World.As has been mentioned previously,the menu takes a little time to work out but once done so you will find a number of hidden gems lurking around like an acoustic version of 'we might as well be strangers',the video's for 'Bedshaped','Everybody's changing','Somewhere only we know' amongst others.The producers of this dvd have perhaps tried to be a tad too clever in putting this together and for that reason alone it only gets 4 stars rather than the 5 their music certainly deserves.