Hundred Reasons are no strangers to the stage. With their first EP coming out in the dim, distant past of the year 2000, they’ve put in the hard graft and the tour bus-miles to be a polished act in front of a live audience, but for this final (ever?) live show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, they wanted to go out with a bang. They wanted to take it up a notch, and how do rock and metal bands accomplish that feat? They follow in the footsteps of Metallica and go classical. Not a full-throated orchestra, but the string section that joined Hundred Reasons for the middle part of their show added a whole new dimension to their music and made old songs new again.
Before Hundred Reasons took the stage, it was up to New York based four-piece Rival Schools to get the crowd warmed up, and while the audience was definitely more familiar with the headliners than the support act, Rival Schools did an admirable job of kicking things off with a slick and polished performance, which is impressive given the band’s penchant for going on hiatus for a decade or two. Their set list included almost all the singles the band has released over the years, and focused mainly on classics from their first two albums.
After a short delay, Kid Bookie has erupted onto the Key Club stage like a firecracker, leading the crowd in an immediate middle-finger salute, wasting no time to launch into his ferocious flow. Commanding the stage with the signature intensity that’s made him one of the UK’s most exciting live acts. His band, which features new recruits George on drums and Mike on guitar, locked in behind him and laying down a jagged, genre-bending backdrop that shifts from pounding riffs to eerie melodies with Bookie’s signature emo/hip hop lyricism overlaying the music. Early technical issues have tried to trip things up, but Bookie takes it in stride, laughing through the static with a sharp-tongued quip: “I came prepared, no shade, but I’m getting murdered out here.” The crowd roars in support, and just like that, the energy resets.
By the time hit song ‘Get Out’ hits, the red lights kick in, and Griffin Taylor’s (Vended) vocals are piping through the speakers, amplifying the intensity. The entire set is full-throttle. Bookie and his band tear through each track, delivering with venom, humour, and laser-focused rage. His ability to shift between rapping, singing, and screaming is an impressive feat, showing how talented this artist is. It’s worth noting: his bandmates are brand new. To get on stage just weeks into learning Bookie’s unique blend of alternative, punk, and hip-hop chaos is no small feat. But they hold their own, making it feel like they’ve been playing together for years. By the end, Bookie turns the volume up on his politics, leading chants in support of trans rights, calling for an end to the conflict in the Congo, and demanding a Free Palestine. It’s a powerful moment, raw, impassioned, and met with thunderous cheers from a crowd that clearly shares his fire.
Kid Bookie opens the Key Club stage like a man on a mission, technical issues and timing delays be damned. This is more than a performance; it’s a battle cry. And judging by the audience’s cheers, he’s got an army behind him.
Netting a huge spot opening for Pixies across their while UK run, local Brummie genre fusions two piece Big Special have the honour of playing to a damn near packed out crowd as they take to the stage. “It’s good to be home, give us a thumbs up, you’re never too cool for a thumbs up”. Having released their debut album POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES last year, Big Special pull together a concise thirty-minute showcase of their fusion of seething post punk, beat poetry and hip hop influences. Big Special ooze a lot of character live, quickly gaining the support of those in attendance as they tear into visceral screamer ‘SHITHOUSE’ early in the set.
They have a bit of an odd set up as a live unit, with drums and vocals performed live, while programmed backing tracks play from a sample pad by the kit. Plenty of 2012 peak air horn samples get thrown around, giving folks a good laugh between the careening energies of the band’s moody material. All things considered, they sound great, winning over scores of new appreciators in their home city with their burgeoning energy and clear appreciation for tonight’s headliners. Definitely worth catching across their various festival appearances this summer; however, it may make for a far more interesting experience if they experimented with a full live band in the future.
The room is already bursting at the seams by the time Moloch step out and break in to the first few notes of their heavy sludge attack. The Nottingham quartet look like they’re having the time of their lives, with vocalist Chris Broddick in fine voice spitting bile over hulking grooves. However, as time passes, the set lacks an element of dynamism that would have elevated the whole affair to the next level. Aside from the few of the choir at the front of the audience who are hanging on to every note, the rest of the crowd feel like they’re waiting for a break that never quite arrives.
First to the stage inside an unseasonably cold Kentish Town Forum (the air conditioning turned up to 11 is possibly a godsend for those who here to dance) Yorkshire’s goo have been steadily carving a name for themselves. Their sound is rich and immersive, with vocals floating above their warm, nostalgic riffs like smoke. Think early shoegaze textures with a confessional edge. The lead singer, softly-spoken, delivered vocals blurring the line between speech and song; delicate, intimate, and surprisingly powerful. With two guitarists layering atmosphere with precision, goo have an all encompassing sound. They’ve got a sizeable audience and even get most of the onlookers dancing and singing along.
Much like headliners Michael Cera Palin, Exeter indie four piece Soot Sprite have spent plenty of time making a name for themselves before releasing a full length album, dropping their first singles back in 2018. Now, just a week before their debut album Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon sees the light of day, the quartet is sounding more complete than ever, shedding their lo-fi bedroom pop origins for a thicker, shoegaze informed sound. Opening with their 2024 single ‘I Went Swimming’, Soot Sprite tore through an inspired mix of old favourites and brand-new material, veering between understated pop grace and My Bloody Valentine inspired shoegaze.
Flexing their indie songwriting skills with their album’s single ‘All My Friends Are Depressed’ and showing off their more vulnerable, intimate side with ‘Vicious Cycles’, Soot Sprite’s live set is sure to have built plenty of hype for their upcoming album.
