A timely reminder from Surrey, Hundred Reasons are still alive and kicking.
Hundred Reasons have had a turbulent few years, since an early rise to fame with 2002’s Ideas Above Our Station the band have fallen off many people’s radars. This show was the tour’s finale and marked something of a comeback.
Openers Canterbury appeared strikingly young but was not overwhelmed by the sizeable crowd. They dealt in frantic pop akin to Johnny Foreigner [who appeared later in the bill] but were more direct in their approach, opting to keep fuzzy guitar lines confined to a danceable rhythm.
Johnny Foreigner was more spasmodic in delivery with duelling boy/girl singers eager to step over the other’s lines. As always they appeared a band in a rush, threatening to spin out of control. Whilst their set list ignored much of their excellent Waited Up ‘Til It Was Light debut, the new songs beguiled. Johnny Foreigner is one of the most exciting prospects in British music.
After Johnny Foreigner’s overblown synthesized drama of a finale Hundred Reasons erupted onto stage with ‘I’ll Find You’. Undeniably this was a high point of the set but by no means did the rest disappoint. Indeed it was crammed with tunes, songs you’d forgotten they’d written alongside others you’ve never heard. In particular ‘No Way Back’ from the Quick the Word Sharp the Action soared, Colin’s voice the epitome of anthemic.
Everything is much louder than expected, offering a reminder that Hundred Reasons are every inch a rock band, a band that fit in to no other niche that rock itself. Endearingly honest, theirs is a triumph of substance over style. They look and feel ordinary, their music is never too dense and their lyrics rarely obtuse. There is an unflinching resolve to be a rock band and to have fun; happily it seems there are still people who can relate to that.
Predictably the group finished with biggest single ‘I’ll Find You’ and the place went absolutely nuts. Even if they never produce another record as good as Ideas Above Our Station, Hundred Reasons remain a national treasure that we must not neglect.
Rating: 4.5/5