Keane star Tom Chaplin: ‘Trump, Putin and Netanyahu need psychoanalysis’

As Christmas traditions go, chocolate for breakfast seems like the best one you could possibly choose – but what else does Keane frontman Tom Chaplin think of the festive season?

From kids using smartphones, to despotic leaders, to Taylor Swift’s famed Eras tour, Chaplin, writer of modern Christmas classic Midnight Mass, has told all about the highs and lows of 2024, as well as his hopes for the coming year.

As part of our My Big Year series, here is the past year, according to Keane’s Tom Chaplin.

BIG ISSUE: What has been the standout moment of 2024?

TOM CHAPLIN: Biden introducing Zelensky as Putin. I feel that says it all really. 

What do you think the world got right this year?

Live music. 

• Keane’s Tom Chaplin: ‘There’s a natural sense of perspective that comes with getting older’
• Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody: ‘I’d tell my younger self to just be happier’

What do you think the world got wrong this year?

Misinformation, disinformation, war and politics. The erosion of expertise. Climate crisis paralysis. 

Did you get Oasis tickets?

No. 

What is your cultural highlight of 2024 – book, film, podcast, TV show, live event, radio moment?

Book – Young Mungo (just catching up on 2022!); film – Wilding; podcast – The Skeptics Guide to The Universe; live event – Glastonbury (mostly because we played it!), honourable mentions for Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. 

What is the oddest family Christmas tradition you keep?

We always have chocolate for breakfast. 

What’s your big issue for 2025?

Banning social media and smart phones for kids under 16. World peace, as ever. An end to homelessness. Psychoanalysis for all despots, especially Trump, Putin and Netanyahu. 

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