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It was in this very room, a year ago pretty much to the day, when I last saw Hundred Reasons. That night I wrote that it amazed me that they are not playing venues much bigger than the 380 capacity Academy 2, and that sentiment still stands. The band are bigger than this. Much bigger. For them to still be playing venues this size shows either a lack of intent or a lack of faith on the part of their management, and someone really needs to pull their finger out, and promote this band on the level that they deserve.
As it is, Hundred Reasons are back on the baby stage at the Academy, and we (and they) have to make the best of it. Opener 'Break The Glass' is a superbly executed statement of intent, and 'If I Could' and the awesome 'Feed the Fire' complete the opening salvo. By the end of this initial triptych, the crowd are fired up and ready for the challenge laid down by Colin Doran and company - the challenge, quite simply, is to keep up with the band.
Standout track from their breakthrough album of the same name, 'Kill Your Own' defines the show as a whole. The attack is simply ferocious, and for the first time this evening, the security switch from 'bored' to 'worried'. It's relieving to know they occasionally do something for their money.
Throughout the gig, the performance is exemplary. Colin Doran controls the crowd with clinical precision, whilst the twin guitar work of Ben Doyle and Larry Hibbitt is alternates disturbingly between crushingly severe and unimaginably tender. The end result is a chaotic yet cathartic experience.
Obviously, the encore was planned, but even if it wasn't, Hundred Reasons would not have got away without one. The marvellously nihilistic 'Broken Hands' is yet another cause for the kids with more stamina than me to jump around yet again, whilst a storming take on 'The Perfect Gift' rounds off the set in riotous fashion, with Hibbitt ending the show in the middle of the pit, much to the delight of the assembled masses.
There are few bands on the circuit at the moment that have the power, presence or sheer life affirming quality to match Hundred Reasons. Tonight's show was quite simply a masterclass in the form, and to see them at such close quarters is both an honour and a tragedy. An honour, because there are few chances in life to see a band this good, in such a small venue. A tragedy, because the band deserve better than this. I have seen a lot of live shows in my time, and few have been better than Hundred Reasons.
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article by: Tommy Jackson
photos by: Tommy Jackson
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| published: 24/01/2008 09:09 |
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