The honesty, of relatable life experiences, wrapped up in musical beauty, is the standout feature of Chaplin’s ‘Midpoint’ project, produced by Ethan Johns, and will resonate with audiences around the UK during the October tour and long afterwards. 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. 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. The pop songs here are sparsely made, with minimal guitars and drums allowing Nesbitt’s strong vocals to do much of the heavy lifting – and for the most part, it works. Pressure Makes Diamonds is the album’s standout moment and a cutting reflection of what it’s like to be a woman approaching 30 in the music industry. “Every year I’m getting closer / To my career being over / ’Cause my sex appeal is lower,” she says, in a style reminiscent of Marina. Older Guys is similarly smart pop with a message about men taking advantage of young girls.

I mean in a way, um, it kind of says everything I wanted to say about the album, it just like everything about it. 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. 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. 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!Keane frontman, Chaplin, has an enigmatic – at times ethereal – voice, both as a singer since Keane burst onto stages with ‘Hopes and Fears’ in 2004, and more recently in the sharing of his mental health journey. His first solo project, the silver-certified Wave, reached the top three in 2017 and was followed by a Christmas album featuring a mix of originals and classic covers. ‘Midpoint’ has been a few years in the making for Chaplin, and absolutely worth the wait. Here’s why. 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] I’ve learned about myself, and all the ways in which I might be happier, and I’m better equipped to deal with what life throws at me. Of course, things still gnaw away at me, but I don’t want to revert to type again, and I like that life now goes on in a more measured fashion. I like,” he suggests, “that sort of bobbing-along notion. It suits me.” 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. 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.”

His self-titled third album has been promoted as his most personal, and while there is no doubting his sincerity and commitment to the issues that fuel his lyrics, I am not sure the autobiographical emphasis does him any great favour. He has spoken frankly about experiencing suicidal thoughts since the age of 13, and on Billy Idol-style punk charge The Funeral, he fulfils teenage fantasies of witnessing his own burial. Sweet Heroine makes a bit too much of the most overused drug pun in pop history (heroin/heroine) in a dubious song of addictive love that does at least find Yungblud making the admission “I really need to call up my mum”. Tom Chaplin: A suitable case for treatment". The Guardian. 27 August 2006 . Retrieved 16 December 2016.

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. The classical elements intertwined with Chaplin’s distinctive songwriting is what makes the album unique, despite feeling nostalgic to that of Elton John and The Beatles. It radiates such positive energy, and feels very wholesome and true to Tom himself. 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.

In January 2022, Chaplin appeared on the third series of The Masked Singer as "Poodle". He was fifth to be unmasked. Following that event, he said in an interview that he was working on his third solo album, that would be coming out later in 2022. 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. 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] 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.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 has been with his wife for 20 years now. They have two children, an eight-year-old, and a two-year-old.