Thanks to supergroup Keane, the East Sussex towns of Battle, Bexhill and Hastings will forever be remembered as “Strangeland”. The name of the band’s fifth consecutive No1, Keane revisit the places they spent growing up in Battle and share the journeys that helped shape their lives.
Now you can follow in their footsteps and take a tour of their Strangeland. A Keane Trail has been launched by The Battle Marketing Group, funded by Rother District Council in collaboration with 1066 Country Marketing. With input from the band, the website www.keanetrail.org.uk connects Tim Rice-Oxley’s lyrics with the landmarks they refer to. An exclusive interview with lead singer Tom Chaplin and drummer Richard Hughes reveals an enlightening encounter with Roger Daltry in Battle and both discuss their memories of years spent in the area.
The website’s online map shows each landmark with postcodes for SatNav users. There’s also a downloadable PDF map. Fans are encouraged to take the Strangeland tour and later interact with the trail via its Facebook and Twitter accounts, posting their own photos, videos and stories from their visit.
Liz Honey of the Keane Trail working party, said: “We’re lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country and we wanted to share it in a new way, with a new audience. Battle in particular is most often celebrated for its history but has so much more to offer than just 1066. The Keane Trail helps us demonstrate that, not only does Battle have a substantial past, but the present and future are filled with beauty, character, independent traders, contemporary arts, live music, unique events and its very own super-group. That’s got to be shared!”
Visit www.keanetrail.org.uk which will also link you to further information about 1066 Country.
