Keo Release Debut Album Put A Smile On For Me

London four-piece Keo have released their debut album, Put A Smile On For Me, via Island Records.

The album began with a ten-day writing and recording session, before frontman Finn Keogh and guitarist Jimmy Lanwern returned to the material to produce and develop it further themselves. The result is a record that keeps plenty of the band’s live energy intact without feeling like they’ve simply pressed record and walked away.

And that suits Keo.

Put A Smile On For Me isn’t trying to reinvent guitar music. Instead, it leans into what the band already do well: loud guitars, strong melodies and songs that feel made to be played in front of people.

Tracks including “That’s Me”, “Pistol”, “Bird On The Wire” and “Be Happy” have already become part of Keo’s live world, and that comes across throughout the album. There’s a sense of momentum to it that makes the record easy to imagine translating into a packed room.

Keo have moved quickly. After building their following through the grassroots circuit, they’ve gone on to play major festival stages including Reading & Leeds and support Wolf Alice. Their October headline tour now takes them across the UK, with a London show at O2 Forum Kentish Town, followed by a headline date at O2 Academy Brixton in March 2027.

For a debut, Put A Smile On For Me feels confident without sounding overworked. Keo haven’t arrived with all the answers and that’s probably part of the appeal. They sound like a band still figuring things out, but doing it loudly.

Put A Smile On For Me is out now via Island Records.

Watch “That’s Me”

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