Hundred Reasons / God Fires Man

For a band that have seemingly been around forever, it amazes me that Hundred Reasons are not playing venues much bigger than Academy 2. The room is, however, packed out, and this is of great benefit to the atmosphere inside. On walking into the room, the heat and the anticipation hit me, and it was clear that everyone was in high spirits for this gig. There were other matters to deal with first though.

New York four piece God Fires Man opened proceedings, and despite not grabbing the crowd immediately, it was clear that by the end of the set they had gained a few fans, this reviewer included. Unsurprisingly, they play edgy post-hardcore, in a much similar vein to tonight's headliners. Stand-out tracks included 'Bombs223', an edgy, chaotic, harmonic masterpiece, and the superbly titled 'Braille Graffiti', a softly spoken, calmly delivered statement of intent which may just get the crowds bouncing at Download if the band are given the chance this summer. On this performance they surely deserve it.


But really, we are here for Hundred Reasons. Taking the stage to almost religious devotion from their crowd, they immediately launched into 'If I Could', and the already incendiary atmosphere was raised by just a few notches. This was quickly followed by a superb take on 'Dissolve', before we were treated to the crushing 'Feed The Fire', surely the stand-out track from last year's superb 'Kill Your Own' album.

One of the joys of this gig was that the band really seemed to enjoy themselves, and from my side of stage position, the interplay between the band was fascinating to watch. Hundred Reasons are clearly a band at the height of their game, and loving every minute of it. The crowd loved it as well, and the venue clearly helped; the smaller room at Newcastle's shiny new Academy really is perfect for gigs like this. It is small, sweaty and cramped, and it feels like a proper gig atmosphere. Bands seem to love it, and this often shows in their performance, with Hundred Reasons being no different.


As the 'new' album has been out for so long now, all of the tracks played tonight felt familiar, and this clearly helped the performance, and the front row sang every word back to vocalist Colin Doran, who, it is only fair to say, threw everything into this performance, exchanging sweat with the front row at every available opportunity, and throwing shapes that would make much more experienced showmen envious.

Other highlights of this impressive show included 'Perfect Gift', 'I'll Find You', and a dauntingly fierce take on 'Live Fast, Die Ugly' to open the three song encore, to the delight of the assembled masses.

It seems a shame to say it, when this gig felt so right in this venue, but it would be a shame if Hundred Reasons don't make the step up to the next level. If only they were given the exposure they needed, they would surely break through into whatever passes for the alternative 'mainstream' these days, and many more would be given the chance to hear their exemplary brand of heavyweight emo.

FUTURE GIGS

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