Keo open up about debut album ‘Put A Smile On For Me’ at Reading 2026

Keo have spoken to NME about their upcoming debut album, ‘Put A Smile On For Me’. Interviewed backstage at Reading Festival, shortly after their performance, brothers Finn and Conor Keogh reflected on the London alt-rock four-piece’s 2025 EP ‘Siren’, which was mostly recorded live. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do ‘Thorn’ live,” explained Finn. “I wish we had, but that’s kind of why we’ve redone it now for the [album]. But for the most part, it was all done live. It was before we had any label backing or anything. So we just had to do what we could do in five days. I really like it, actually.” Finn was then asked if, as a self-proclaimed perfectionist, he was tempted to tinker with the recording after the fact. “There is the temptation,” he said, “but my idea of perfection, when it comes to music, is the sweet spot between sounding like a record and sounding spontaneous. So, I don’t obsess over a glossy, perfect-sounding record. “I kind of obsess over the perfect middle ground between that and a live performance – which is a really hard way to work, to be honest with you.” Conor added: “Sometimes the most well-played take isn’t the best take you’ll go for, either. It’s a lot about the ...