Then, from the darkness of the stage, springs a forest of violet shafts silhouetting the dark, seated figure of what must be the band's driving force, keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley. He's hammering chords from a piano that sound like deep rolls of thunder and the concert is underway with all the gothic drama of "The Phantom of the Opera".

A full minute of sinister rumbling later and the other two members of the trio crash into action for the first time in Thailand, with "Put It Behind You" from the new album. This is the new Keane, darker and more energetic, and Bangkok's getting an early glimpse.

There's no sign of the gentle tinkling melodies of the first album in this opening number - drummer Richard Hughes looks like he's being driven by a hatred for his kit and Rice-Oxley is head-banging hard over his synthesiser. But there's the warm soaring voice of Chaplin that to many of the fans, whittled down to the hardcore few by the prospect of two hours spent in Bangkok traffic, is what makes Keane special.

And after the early excitement of the light show, there's another surprise: the sound. Unusual for a big Bangkok gig, you can actually make out different instruments, even a voice and, yes… lyrics!

In the small enclosed stadium, this meant that from the first, Keane sang to the crowd, not at them, giving the gig an atmosphere that Oasis or the Black Eyed Peas - who played across the road in the car park - couldn't get close to. And that, despite there being only enough fans on the night to fill half the seats at Impact.

The first big cheer of recognition from the crowd came with the opening bars of "Somewhere Only We Know" from their debut album, "Hopes and Fears". Keane songs are growers, and this ballad of intimacy has plainly had time to flourish in the hearts of their Thai fans, who by now were warming to Chaplin's willingness to engage them.

The lead singer roamed the stage, part bullfighter, part TV magician, expressing tenderness and emotion with a repertoire of whirls and flourishes as he sang.

He looked a bit less convincing, though, when the band swapped the intimacy of personal experience for the anti-war number "Bad Dream" from the new album.

After introducing it as a song about a pilot questioning himself as he's flying over enemy lines to kill strangers, Chaplin looked unsure in his delivery, then gratified at being able to leap back to the piano for the raucous chorus.

"Is It Any Wonder" showed why the band divide listeners down the middle, with as many scoffers as devotees. "Is it any wonder that I feel afraid/ Is it any wonder that I feel betrayed" they sang, after Chaplin had introduced the song, telling us it was about feelings of hurt and bewilderment on learning about the dishonesty of political leaders who we put our trust in, mentioning both Thaksin and Tony Blair as examples.

This pose of confused innocents led astray seems a bit lame for adults who are old and experienced enough to know better. A bit more anger and a bit less self-pity would have been welcome in this portion of the show.

Perhaps the guys aren't up on their politics because they spend their time learning new languages instead. A "Rao rak khun", surprised a crowd used to nothing more complicated from Western acts than a mumbled "sawasdee".

Introducing the slow, thoughtful "Hamburg Song" from the new album, Chaplin teetered on the brink of patronising the audience, something a lot of bands from overseas have no scruples about. But Keane's vocalist was making more effort than most, speaking enough Thai to dedicate the song to His Majesty the King with a "phleng nee samrap King Bhumibol", holding up his yellow bracelet for added effect.

The energetic momentum the threesome generated from the start didn't leak away with any of the slower songs.

When they broke into "Crystal Ball", another new song, they demonstrated a steepling wall of sound that guitar bands with twice as many members as Keane have trouble producing. And with Keane, of course, there isn't a guitar in sight.

As engaging as the performances of these darker songs from the new album are, they all suffer from the same weakness - the wall of sound builds to a gut-wrenching crescendo and crashes down in to a chorus that lacks that killer punch: where's the great hook?

This is one reason that Keane is often compared unfavourably to fellow piano-friendly band Coldplay. But, on the evidence of their performance at Impact Arena, it might serve Keane's detractors to have another listen, especially to the new album.

While Coldplay may have the catchier tunes, Keane is out in front lyrically. The year and a half of touring that they call their time  under the iron sea has given them a steely edge.

Maybe what we were seeing in Muang Thong Thani was Keane's coming of age - they certainly had enough scorching moments to step out of the shadows of Coldplay. By the time of their last - and best - song, "Bedshaped", the crowd were long since convinced.

Earlier, local boys "Goose", playing songs from their just-released album, repayed the promoters faith in such a new band, turning heads with a guitar-driven mixture of distortion and melody.