Midpoint

Product Information

Tom Chaplin has become that most unfashionable of things: a middle-aged man. But unlike many pop stars, rather than enter a state of denial, the Keane frontman has decided to confront the inevitable head-on with Midpoint, his third solo album. Chaplin married his girlfriend Natalie Dive in June 2011. [9] He has a daughter born on 20 March 2014 and a son born in 2020. [10] The family lives in Wittersham, Kent. [11] Chaplin uses a Hammond XK2 organ for "Hamburg Song" and " Nothing in My Way". Since May 2006, he has used a Yamaha CP60M for live piano parts in " A Bad Dream", " The Frog Prince" and " Crystal Ball". [6] Having said that he intended to make a solo record during Keane's hiatus, Chaplin stated in January 2016 that he was recording his debut solo album in Los Angeles, California, with 40 songs written and whittled down to an album's worth. He announced in late June that the album was complete and that it would be out soon.

Chaplin's father was headmaster of Vinehall School in Robertsbridge, so both friends were schooled there along with Richard Hughes, who would later be their bandmate. I’m in love again / And tomorrow I’ll be sad,” blubs Yungblud on his latest single, Tissues. As a soundbite, it offers a fair summation of the 25-year-old Yorkshire pop-punk singer-songwriter’s entire oeuvre. Set to a shamelessly borrowed Cure riff (from 1985’s Close to Me) and a slappy 1980s beat that would make A-Ha blush, Tissues is delivered with the snarly angst of someone who positively revels in his own and other people’s misery. “I don’t want you to hide your issues / Blow them into your tissues / Give ’em to me,” chimes a jaunty singalong chorus that may have more squeamish listeners dashing for the bathroom to wash their hands. Chaplin has been with his wife for 20 years now. They have two children, an eight-year-old, and a two-year-old. Chaplin does not look particularly mired in regret. In fact, he seems radiant. Years of psychoanalysis have helped him accept not only who he is, but also how best to temper any proclivities that still percolate below the surface. He continues to see his therapist weekly. He also took part in Band Aid 20's re-recording of " Do They Know It's Christmas?" in November 2004 doing a solo on the line "feed the world", something that had not been done on previous versions where all artists sung.

On The Go

Tom began writing these new songs two years ago when Keane’s 2019 Cause and Effect tour was interrupted by the pandemic. The songs, all founded on reflection and imagination, were recorded in six weeks at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath and Paul Epworth’s The Church in North London. Keane's Tom Chaplin: 'Golf has helped me overcome drug problems' ". NME. 17 March 2010 . Retrieved 16 December 2016.

T HE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “ Tom Chaplin, frontman for the band Keane, has released his new solo album Midpoint. Produced by Ethan Johns, this emotionally charged collection features 13 new songs sung with beauty and grace. Where Coldplay have got to now,” he continues, “seeming to chase – oh God, am I going to get into trouble for saying this? – to chase something that’s, well, that’s gone, with all those collaborations and working with certain people… I just feel I’d much rather Chris wrote an album about midlife himself, because I’m sure he’d have a lot to say.” Chaplin was invited to join the band by Rice-Oxley, after he finally convinced the other two, in 1997, when the name The Lotus Eaters was changed to Cherry Keane, after a friend of Chaplin's mother. 'Cherry' was later removed from the name. Ultimately that instrumentation wins out though, and though in places it is intriguing to think what a more experimental Chaplin album would sound like, there’s nothing here that would scare the horses on Radio 2. And his own songwriting is certainly not a million miles from Keane leader Tim Rice-Oxley’s – in quality as well as in style. In fact, it really hits the spot more often than it misses, and it’s certainly stranger and more interesting than more cynical recent acts like Ed Sheeran who’ve taken this template and run with it.With Rice-Oxley and Hughes, Chaplin then attended Tonbridge School. Studying there, they met Dominic Scott (who was a founding member of Keane but left in 2001). During his time at Vinehall, Chaplin acted in several school plays and was part of the school's choral group. He also played the flute while at school. Chaplin attended the University of Edinburgh, prior to dropping out to pursue a career in music. [ citation needed] The lingering narrative that nevertheless clings to them is that they could indeed have replicated Coldplay’s success if only they hadn’t bottled it. The truth is a little more complicated.

Midpoint is a further demonstration of Tom Chaplin’s versatility as a songwriter, showcasing his brilliant musicianship, through intimately acoustic piano-vocal compositions. The collection of songs are sonically warming and engaging, and show Tom’s creativity throughout. During their stint in London, Chaplin shared a flat with Rice-Oxley in Stoke Newington and they tried to get money for rehearsal time. Chaplin worked at a publishing company where his chief responsibility was to carry boxes. Take Chaplin’s declaration on New Flowers, in which he tells us: “I don’t need no fast life on the road / I just want to savour my time getting old” (which stretches belief, given that he has announced UK tour dates). Or the dodgy metaphors on Gonna Run, a ballad whose lyrics aim for something of the style and wit of Bernie Taupin, but fall short with: “I’ve left so many lies in a box behind the door / I’m afraid they’re going to break out and pin me to the floor.” Meanwhile, in 1995, the trio of Scott, Rice-Oxley and Hughes started their first band, The Lotus Eaters. It was a cover band that played U2, Oasis and The Beatles at Sussex pubs. Tim Rice-Oxley invited Chaplin to join the band as an acoustic guitar player. A short time later, in 1997, the band's name changed to Keane and Chaplin became the lead singer.He has played acoustic guitar in such songs as "Your Eyes Open" since the 2006 UK tour, and during 2007 played acoustic solos of "Broken Toy" and "The Frog Prince". He played guitar on Keane's third album, Perfect Symmetry and has been the lead guitarist in live shows for the album. Tom plays three different Fender Telecaster guitars: one red, one white and one light blue. [7] Tom Chaplin: A suitable case for treatment". The Guardian. 27 August 2006 . Retrieved 16 December 2016. Tom Chaplin is heading out on tour this October, and we couldn’t think of anything better than catching these magnificent songs live – don’t miss out! Leona Lewis: 'Things with Simon Cowell got messy' 27 November, 2023 Ian Broudie: 'Three Lions was misunderstood' 03 November, 2023 Pete Doherty: 'If Mark Blanco's mum believes I killed her son, I should meet her' 27 October, 2023 I mean in a way, um, it kind of says everything I wanted to say about the album, it just like everything about it.