Although, on a sweltering summer's evening in Somerset I could think of many reasons to stay outside and enjoy the balmy weather, I could think of another Hundred Reasons to go inside to enjoy a sweaty rock-gig at Bridgwater's Palace.
 | | Permanent Bullet Trip |
First up tonight was local band, Permanent Bullet Trip. I must admit that until the run-up to this show, I'd never heard of them. Judging by the amount of people who were watching them, I don't think they are particularly well-known in their home town either, as the venue was still sparsely attended as they played. Nevertheless, my interest was piqued when I realised they number in their ranks a guitarist with the name Tom Sellick. I was hoping to perhaps witness on stage the iconic moustache and Hawaiian shirt of Magnum PI, rather than a young oik with dreadlocks and Batman T-shirt playing the six-strings. However, I soon recovered from this disappointment and got on with watching the set. Musically, I must admit I quite enjoyed Permanent Bullet Trip's style - heavy, groove-laden nu-metal - but these lads were not afraid to try something new. They added depth to their sound with some jazzy guitar-interludes and funky bass-riffs, which was particularly evident during a number called (I think) Held Flat, and thus ensured their material didn't become boring. Now, although I liked their sound, I felt the weak link was a vocalist who was very one dimensional in his approach, possessing a gruff, somewhat tuneless, style which was at odds to the above-average material. He lacked stage presence too, and his fashion sense left something to be desired. When he announced the final song, Fifth Layer, and asked if everyone was sweaty yet, I thought that perhaps if he'd removed his gloves and several layers of clothing, he would have felt much cooler than he looked, and the song could be renamed Single Layer. Despite this criticism, as an opening band they weren't bad, and definitely showed potential. Sharp End First
 | | Sharp End First |
Next up was Sharp End First, who possessed a more controlled image than Permanent Bullet Trip, with all members of the band, apart from the stripped-to-the-waist drummer, wearing matching black, short-sleeved shirts. This was probably the heaviest band of the night, and their songs went by in a blur of mosh-heavy screamo-metal. Given their enthusiasm, they did unfortunately find it difficult to provoke much crowd activity, despite the energetic performance of the guitarists, who threw their instruments around and indulged in the required synchronized posing of bands of their type. When vocalist Flit promised a T-shirt to the hardest dancer of the night, a feeble response ensured that a goth girl (dancing rigidly, whilst holding her head in a way that suggested she was suffering an intense migraine) walked away with the prize.
 | | Sharp End First |
I must admit that although this outfit caught my attention, and were accomplished at what they did, they were overly generic, and in a scene where you definitely need to show something original to put yourselves above the crowd, I felt they failed. The addition of some severely out-of-place falsetto vocals, which even had the DJ looking on in bemusement (particularly on set-closer Warchie - whatever that means!), really grated on my nerves. Easykill Penultimate band tonight was Easykill, who, I believe, originally got together in St Agnes in Cornwall, though now spend much of their time in London. They were a total unknown to me, so I was looking forward to checking them out.
 | | Easykill |
Apparently they have a debut album recorded for release later in the year, and have a fair bit of touring experience under their belts, and this was obvious in the confident way they performed. Indeed, they were the first band of the evening to elicit much response from the thus-far muted-crowd. Pretty boy vocalist Kye in some ways reminded me of a young Johnny Depp. As he swayed around the stage, tattooed, scruffily attired and with a mop of unkempt long hair, he exuded an understated, but obviously charismatic, aura and definitely attracted the attention of a few young ladies at the front! Behind him, the rest of the band churned out some bombastic rocky-numbers, with an accomplished bassist and a guitarist who could play a mean lick or two. The drummer too was pulverizing his kit, as though he was a salesman trying to demonstrate its resilience.
 | | Easykill's young Johnny Depp! |
There was some audience participation as everyone was encouraged to clap along during one number, and I would have held my lighter aloft if only I had one. The final song was the (s)punkiest of the set, culminating in the guitarist leaping from the bass drum as Kye finished exhausted sitting on a stage monitor, and the band left the stage to a wall of feedback. Good stuff. Hundred Reasons And so finally, it was time for the night's headliners Hundred Reasons. When they first arrived in 2000, these guys, from Surrey, were hailed as the British saviours of emo-rock, but without a doubt they have outgrown that and proved that they are indeed a cut above the rest. With six top-40 singles behind them, they faced a few hitches, during which they were dropped from their label due to poor sales of the second album. Overcoming their issues, they have now resurfaced with a new single and album on V2, and appear to be back with a vengeance.
 | | Hundred Reasons |
Tonight's show in Bridgwater is the official warm-up gig for their Download Festival appearance, before they head off for a European tour. Hundred Reasons have mastered the perfect balance between melody and heaviosity, with the occasionally balladic moment to break things up a bit. Sure, I guess you'd say that their style is neither groundbreaking nor exceptional, but that misses the point because it is hugely entertaining, with both the band and their fans having a great time. From the moment they hit the stage, they had the dance floor filled with eager fans, pogoing and moshing away, while a chorus of voices sang along at all the appropriate moments. Front man Colin Doran, with his lanky body and curly mane of ginger hair, appeared as a likeable, mad-Muppet character, leaping around the stage or bellowing into his microphone as if his life depended upon it. Meanwhile guitarists Larry Hibbitt and Paul Townsend made full use of the available stage space, with the latter incorporating some Chuck Berry-style moves as the sweat poured from him, and his eyes rolled back into his head. A crowd-pleasing selection encompassed songs from all three albums, including Drowning, The Perfect Gift, What You Get, If I Could and Harmony and Falter - I'd say that the live environment is definitely the way to most appreciate the Hundred Reasons sound. The newer material, from the recent third album Kill Your Own, charged along like a herd of out-of-control elephants, with some soaring guitars and thundering drums. Live Fast, Die Ugly in particular was a belter, and probably their heaviest song ever.
 | | Hundred Reasons |
Unfortunately, 15 songs and an hour later, it was all over. Despite the crowd baying for more, there was no encore and the house lights come on. From tonight's performance Hundred Reasons easily demonstrated that they have developed into a fully-fledged rock band, and can hold their own against the likes of the Foo Fighters or Queens of the Stone Age. As the sound of the Arctic Monkeys' Bet You Look Good on the Dance floor blasted out from the PA, I glanced around to witness two bouncers, who would have given Max and Paddy a run for their money, jumping around, mock-fighting, and grappling each other to the floor - what a perfect end to a perfect gig! For more info on Midnight Mango gigs, click on this link:
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