British singer-songwriter Elton John is to perform at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on Nov. 27 and at BEXCO in Busan on Nov. 29. / Coutesy of Access Entertainment

By Rachel Lee

Among the most awaited artists of this season are two British rock giants ready to enchant Korean audiences.

Rock band Keane and singer-songwriter Elton John are coming to Korea for concerts next week and November respectively, according to Access Entertainment.

Keane will give its first solo Korean concert at the Olympic Handball Arena in Seoul on Monday as the seventh artist of the “Culture Project” hosted by Hyundai Card. Past participants include Damien Rice, John Legend and Jason Mraz.

This is the band’s first performance since 2009 when it was invited to the 2009 ETP Festival, founded by Korean musician Seo Taiji.

Founded in 1997, the English group was originally comprised of Tim Rice-Oxley (piano, bass), Tom Chaplin (vocals, guitar), and Richard Hughes (drums). Jesse Quin (bass) officially joined them in February 2011.

The band released its fourth studio album “Strangeland” in May this year, which provides its usual melancholy-plus-uplifting formula. It is the first record in four years and the first to feature Quin as an official member.



Keane’s debut album “Hopes and Fears” topped British music charts upon its release in 2004. The group created a sensation in the music industry with its uniqueness in using piano and synthesizers as lead instruments instead of guitars that are commonly used by most other rock bands.

The group has since become one of the world’s award-winning, influential musicians comparable with other internationally acclaimed rock bands such as Oasis and Radiohead. Its second and third studio albums “Under the Iron Sea” (2006) and “Perfect Symmetry”both reached No.1 in the U.K. albums chart.

Keane has written such hits as “Somewhere Only We Know,” “Is It Any Wonder?” and “Everybody’s Changing” and worked with big names including Kylie Minogue and Gwen Stefani. It has also won numerous awards including the Brit Awards and GQ Awards.

“Keane’s unique, sentimental rock melody will best suit this autumn,” an organizer said in a statement released by the agency.

Elton John is to perform at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on Nov. 27 and at BEXCO in Busan on Nov. 29. The concerts are part of his “40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man Tour,” which marks 40th anniversary of the release of his mega hit “Rocket Man.”

This is his first performance here since a 2004 concert at the Olympic Stadium, which attracted about 25,000 fans.

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947, Elton John has released over 180 albums and sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time along with The Beatles and Queen.

During his four-decade career, he has captured the world’s attention with tracks including “Your Song,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Nobody Wins,” “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest World” and “Candle in the Wind.”

In 1996, the artist was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. He has won countless awards including six Grammys, four Brits Awards and the Polar Music Prize.

The composer recently topped the charts again with “Good Morning to the Night,” in which he collaborated with Australian electronic duo Pnau for the 2012 London Olympics.

Tickets for Keane range from 99,000 to 125,000 won and for Elton John from 77,000 to 250,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488.