Viewpoint: Drinking & Hundred Reasons, Jan 2001
By: Natalia Thorpe
So we start our night at 7pm: walking into Kingston to go to a friend's birthday
meal at a restaurant, the plan then to get slaughtered and somehow make
it to local venue, The Peel, to see Hundred Reasons play a local headline gig. I don't
normally review gigs at my local as the bands that normally play there are fairly mediocre and we all know
that the band in question is there purely for entertainment purposes and will never gain any
fans outside of the area. However, seeing as the music-press tipped this band for the top and
seem to adore them, we decided to check this show out.
The last time that I saw them play this
venue, I think I passed out as it was an all-day event and they were on pretty late in the
day. 'Nuff said. So, we trekked into Kingston passing all the trendy bars and clubs, but one stood out and
caught our attention. I saw hair in it (yes, the hair of someone I recognised). We promptly
tapped on the window and he invited us in; it was the C & A (clothes-shop chain in UK) leaving-party. The
store had shut down today and it was drinks on tap: who were Emily and I to say no to some free alcohol to celebrate a British institution's final day in business?
Well, a few drinks later, we stumbled our way into the restaurant to celebrate my friend's birthday. Feeling quite bloated, we
did not order any food, simply waiting for the wonderful 'Tequila Sunrise' and 'Sex on
the Beach' cocktails to arrive to our table. After half an hour, Emily had gone home and I was completely
wasted, waiting for Daisy to turn up so we could go down to The Peel. By this point, the time was
8:15 pm. Daisy duly arrived and we started to walk in a very slow - and not particularly
straight - manner to our nearby venue. Upon arriving at about 9pm, after a journey that took three quarter's
of an hour and should have taken fifteen minutes, we found The Peel packed
solid. We hustled our way in and decided that after all that walking we were thirsty again.
Therefore, it was Snakebite time...
I was soon feeling very merry. I paid my money and waited for
the band to come on and it didn't seem that anyone in the crowd was a particular fan of the
group. The show had a more 'come and support your locals night as we might never see them
here again'-type feeling to it. I found a stool at the back of the room and
stood on it with a friend so that we could get a better view of the bands onstage.
I forget the support band; they were made up of ex-members of Spy Vs Spy, but I confess
to possessing no clue as to what they sounded like. According to a mate, however, the Albini-styled Ursa, also playing, were worth checking out. Though we didn't see them. Oh well.
Hundred Reasons soon came on. Sadly, all I managed to gain from my
notes when trying to write a report on their set was that the singer had 'frizzy hair' and in fact should not be the frontman as the
guitarist is 'much fitter'. Oh dear. I went on to say that some of their songs started off like Travis before
launching in to a dodgy Deftones style. Hmm. They also seemed to 'fit into the vein of At the Drive-In, Idlewild and Seafood'. I personally couldn't see why they had generated so much attention, but mind you, I couldn't even see properly so my views aren't likely to be the most trustworthy.
However, from hazy recollections, Hundred Reasons were astounding to watch, providing just a refreshingly fun and strong night out. Features that certainly worked in their favour aside from this were that the extra nice guitarist (for
there are two) has got immensely enthralling sideburns, and the lead singer bears a striking resemblance
to a fraggle... They'll obviously be massive. Oh, and the less said about my journey home. The better.