Hundred Reasons
Live Review: Hundred Reasons
Astoria 2, London
Wednesday 23rd January 2008
By Roshini Isweran
In the Astoria's sister venue, with all its grubby charm, an eclectic crowd has gathered to see Hundred Reasons headline their only London date on the final leg of their current tour. The tour was intended to coincide with the release of Hundred Reasons' fourth album Quick the Word, Sharp the Action in October 2007, but following a rocky period in the band's history, the autumn dates had to be rescheduled for January this year. Tonight, however, their fans appear not to have been put off by the wait. After energetic support from Flood Of Red and From Autumn to Ashes, the crowd is baying for the headliner's uplifting brand of alternative rock as chants of 'Reasons!' precede their entrance.
The band have had an eventful year by all accounts. Guitarist Paul Townsend left at the end of 2006 and was replaced by Ben 'Royal' Doyle. Last year, lead singer Colin Doran was diagnosed with nodes on his vocal cords and was forbidden to speak by his doctor for three weeks, forcing the band to postpone their tour. The birth of bassist Andy Gilmour's baby meant he had to skip the tour altogether leaving Curtis Mead to take on bass duties. On top of all this, Hundred Reasons were left label-less soon after the release of their latest album as a result of V2 being sold to Universal. Thankfully, this largely unfortunate series of events has done little to dent the band's ability to put on a great live show.
From the minute the boys bound on stage, their energy never seems to wane. They come out all guns blazing and play an accomplished set, with new songs like Slipping Away fitting snugly alongside old favourites like If I Could. They have incorporated a darker element into their sound with metal influences coming to the fore in many of their new tracks, kicking off some impressive mosh pit action. The standout songs are still those from their first album, Ideas Above Our Station. These are clearly the tunes the crowd have come to hear. During the wistful Falter, Doran points the microphone at the audience who, on every cue, obediently sing back to him as if each one of them were on the original single.
Their euphoric sound is so massive that at first it's difficult to pick out Doran's vocals, but this is probably more to do with the venue than the performance and it's a small sacrifice for the resulting visceral experience. It soon becomes easy to immerse yourself in the gritty guitar melodies and Andy Bews' relentlessly inventive drumming.
It's a testament to Hundred Reasons' resilience and their fans' respect for them that they have exhibited so much staying power in the face of adversity. Their fans' vehement support is especially evident when, during the final song Silver, an over-enthusiastic crowd surfer strips down to his Hundred Reasons hot pants before triumphantly riding the wave of unsuspecting audience members to the stage.
For more details about Hundred Reasons, including any forthcoming tour dates, see their page here on Ents24
