Live Review

There was an air of excitement in Islington as people made their way to the Hundred Reasons gig at the Islington Academy, eager to kick start a great rock show.

The venue was plunged into darkness as the band stormed on stage. Kicking off their set with Kill Your Own the crowd flew into a frenzy. A mini mosh pit front centre showed the older crowd at the back how its done. Frontman, Colin Doran, screamed into the crowd who lapped up his every movement, screaming along with the lyrics. Moving on to their next song, Ill Never Know, the band get comfortable on stage and relax into their set. Followed by Feed the Fire and The Perfect Gift, the gig was in full swing with sweaty teenagers emerging from the moshpit in a flurry of excitement. When they got to single, Oratorio Doran stood back, microphone in the crowd and let the audience sing along in his place. The band looked proud to have the fans in awe of them, knowing every word, and after screaming are you ready for a mosh pit? they launched into Falter.

The one thing I really liked was the diverse mix of people in the crowd; young teenagers to the opposite older over 40s crowd. Hundred Reasons appeal to a large spectrum of music lovers which shows their longevity and proves their ability to stick around longer than other one-album-wonders.

You cant falter their live performance. The band are true professionals and sounded as well performed as on cd. Drummer, Andy Bewss performance was flawless and the concentration of guitarists Larry Hibbitt, Andy Gilmour, and Ben Doyle on their part was clearly etched on their face throughout. Despite remaining focused on their act, they seemed to genuinely enjoy being on stage together which is refreshing since many bands you see can seem to grow tired of playing the same songs after constantly touring.

The only flaw Id place with this gig was something a lot of rock bands fall into when playing live. At some points I had to question the Surrey bands background as Doran fell into singing with an American accent. Somewhere in the transnational accent confusion I was disappointed that their live performance had been Americanised and this became my centre of focus rather than the gig itself.

However, Hundred Reasons delivered on my expectations. They put on a great live show and this was reflected in the reaction of the audience loyal fans thrilled to see their favourite band in an intimate venue. They proved themselves to be a great rock band who have kept their passion for the music despite having been together for over 8 years and I will definitely take the opportunity to catch them again live.