Trish Keenan

Patricia Anne Keenan (28 September 1968 – 14 January 2011)

Keenan attended Archbishop Grimshaw Roman Catholic school, currently known as John Henry Newman Catholic school. She worked a range of catering jobs after school until at the age of 21 when she moved to Moseley, a bohemian enclave. She studied Creative Writing at Birmingham University while working on her music career.

With Broadcast, Keenan released a total of five studio albums, including The Noise Made by People (2000), Haha Sound (2003) and Tender Buttons (2005); Keenan wrote the latter while her father was dying of cancer.

Keenan lived in and near Birmingham throughout her life, and her music career was based there. In an interview with Billboard, she said: "There's really a down tone in Birmingham. People here definitely underplay themselves. There's definitely a lack of confidence, and almost a resignation and defeatism among musicians here."

Artistry Musical style Keenan possessed an alto vocal range. Music critics noted Keenan's vocals as "childlike" and "alluringly aloof", often "woven within squishy analog synths, pastoral melodies and mod-style rhythms." In a review published in Spin in 2001, Keenan's vocals and instrumentation alongside bandmate James Cargill were likened to being "stuck in a time warp—the sound of '70s wife-swapping parties with beanbags and unhappy children serving sausages on sticks". Keenan often explored cut-up lyric techniques, inspired partly by her interest in the occult. As the band progressed, however, Keenan's stage fright receded: "I used to get nervous like the whole of that day of the show, and now it only happens the moment I walk onstage," she said in a 1998 interview. "When you listen to me sing my first line, you can always tell my heart is in my throat. Headlining gigs is a confidence booster." It was reported on 14 January 2011 that she had died in the hospital. A statement by Warp Record Label said: "This is an untimely, tragic loss and we will miss Trish dearly—a unique voice, an extraordinary talent and a beautiful human being. Rest in peace."

Within hours of her death, a link was posted on Broadcast's Twitter to a mix of psychedelic, folk and world music that Keenan had made for a friend prior to leaving for the band's Australian tour. Shortly after, an intimate short film Keenan recorded on Super 8 was released, which showed festival-goers at the 2007 Moseley Folk and Arts Festival.