Hundred Reasons
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1999 in London, England |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
| Website | hundredreasons |
Hundred Reasons is an alternative rock group originating from London, England, established in 1999. The band members consist of Colin Doran (lead vocals), Larry Hibbitt (guitar and backing vocals), Andy Gilmour (bass guitar), and Andy Bews (drums).
Between 2000 and 2001, they released three EPs: EpOne, EpTwo, and EpThree. Their first full-length album, Ideas Above Our Station, arrived in 2002, receiving both critical praise and commercial success. This album featured singles such as "I'll Find You", "If I Could", "Silver", and "Falter". In 2004, they followed up with Shatterproof Is Not a Challenge. After parting ways with Columbia Records, the band signed with V2 Records and launched their third studio effort, Kill Your Own, in 2006. Following this release, guitarist and vocalist Paul Townsend departed and was succeeded by Ben Doyle for the fourth album, Quick the Word, Sharp the Action (2007).
After a hiatus, Hundred Reasons marked their tenth anniversary with live shows in 2012 and reunited briefly in 2014. They reassembled once more in 2021, culminating in the release of their fifth album, Glorious Sunset, in 2023.
The band has secured six singles within the UK Top 40 and achieved two albums reaching the Top 20.
Formation and early output: 1999–2004
Established in London in 1999, Hundred Reasons drew inspiration from a diverse array of bands including Hum, Cave In, Stapleton, Guns N' Roses, Faith No More, Orange 9mm, Far, Soulwax, Helmet, Minor Threat, Youth of Today, Fugazi, and Quicksand. By the year 2001, they had issued three EPs—EpOne, EpTwo, and EpThree—alongside a split EP collaboration with American punk group Garrison.
Their debut album, Ideas Above Our Station (2002), reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold after selling over 118,000 copies. It also produced multiple UK Top 40 singles.
The subsequent release, Shatterproof Is Not a Challenge (2004), attained Silver certification by selling more than 65,000 copies within four months despite extensive touring efforts. Nevertheless, Hundred Reasons were dropped by Sony BMG in June 2004.
Later albums and lineup adjustments (2005–2009)
In September 2005, Hundred Reasons signed a deal with V2 Records and unveiled their third studio album, Kill Your Own, in 2006. Following this release, Paul Townsend exited the band in August and was replaced by Ben Doyle from the Lucky Nine.
October 2007 saw the arrival of their fourth album, Quick the Word, Sharp the Action. Shortly after its release, V2 Records was acquired by Universal Records, which left Hundred Reasons without label support. The band later issued a remastered edition of Quick the Word, Sharp the Action in 2009.
Break period and reunion performances (2009–2014)
After reissuing their fourth album, Hundred Reasons entered a lengthy hiatus. In a 2022 interview with NME, frontman Colin Doran described Quick the Word as signaling an end to that phase amid waning momentum. During this time, members pursued separate paths: Larry Hibbitt focused on music production; Doran moved into education; Bews relocated to the United States; and Andy Gilmour joined Freeze Atlantic.
In April 2012, the band announced plans to perform their debut album Ideas Above Our Station at Banquet Records' Big Day Out event as well as at the 2000Trees Festival. Initially, Paul Townsend was set to rejoin for these shows but by May it was confirmed he would not participate. Drummer Joe Birch from Hell Is for Heroes stepped in for summer performances.
Hundred Reasons reunited once again in 2014 to appear at the Sonisphere Festival.
Glorious Sunset (2022–present)
On 25 October 2022, the group revealed their first new track in fifteen years, titled "Glorious Sunset". The accompanying full album, sharing the same name, was officially released on 24 February 2023.
The band announced on 4 March 2025 that their concluding headline show would take place on 7 May 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Band members
Current
- Colin Doran – lead vocals, keyboards (1999–2012; 2014; 2021–present)
- Larry Hibbitt – guitar, occasional lead vocals (1999–2012; 2014; 2021–present)
- Andy Gilmour – bass, backing vocals (1999–2012; 2014; 2021–present)
- Andy Bews – drums (1999–2009; 2012; 2021–present)
Former
- Paul Townsend – guitar, occasional lead vocals (1999–2006, 2012)
- Ben Doyle – guitar (2006–2009)
Timeline
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id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_Vocals id:Bvox value:pink legend:Backing_Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
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layer:back color:album at:05/20/2002 at:03/01/2004 at:03/20/2006 at:10/15/2007 at:02/23/2023
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bar:Doran text:"Colin Doran" bar:Hibbitt text:"Larry Hibbitt" bar:Townsend text:"Paul Townsend" bar:Doyle text:"Ben Doyle" bar:Gilmour text:"Andy Gilmour" bar:Bews text:"Andy Bews"
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width:11 bar:Doran from:01/01/1999 till:11/24/2012 color:Vocals bar:Doran from:07/24/2014 till:07/25/2014 color:Vocals bar:Doran from:07/23/2021 till:end color:Vocals bar:Hibbitt from:01/01/1999 till:11/24/2012 color:Guitar bar:Hibbitt from:01/01/1999 till:11/24/2012 color:Bvox width:3 bar:Hibbitt from:07/24/2014 till:07/25/2014 color:Guitar bar:Hibbitt from:07/24/2014 till:07/25/2014 color:Bvox width:3 bar:Hibbitt from:07/23/2021 till:end color:Guitar bar:Hibbitt from:07/23/2021 till:end color:Bvox width:3 bar:Townsend from:01/01/1999 till:09/15/2006 color:Guitar bar:Townsend from:01/01/1999 till:09/15/2006 color:Bvox width:3 bar:Townsend from:02/09/2012 till:05/08/2012 color:Guitar bar:Townsend from:02/09/2012 till:05/08/2012 color:Bvox width:3 bar:Doyle from:09/16/2006 till:11/14/2009 color:Guitar bar:Gilmour from:01/01/1999 till:11/24/2012 color:Bass bar:Gilmour from:07/24/2014 till:07/25/2014 color:Bass bar:Gilmour from:07/23/2021 till:end color:Bass bar:Bews from:01/01/1999 till:11/24/2012 color:Drums bar:Bews from:07/23/2021 till:end color:Drums
</timeline>
Studio albums
| Year | Album information | Highest chart rankings | Certification | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UK Rock | UK Indie | SCO | |||
| 2002 | Ideas Above Our Station
|
6 | 1 | - | 7 |
|
| 2004 | Shatterproof Is Not a Challenge
|
20 | 1 | - | 22 | |
| 2006 | Kill Your Own
|
79 | 3 | 4 | 94 | |
| 2007 | Quick the Word, Sharp the Action
|
100 | 4 | - | - | |
| 2023 | Glorious Sunset
|
- | 5 | 10 | - | |
Live albums
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Live Bootleg
|
| 2005 | Live at Freakscene
|
| 2012 | Year Ten: Live at the Forum
|
| 2023 | Live at Hammersmith
|
EPs
| Year | EP information | Highest chart rankings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | SCO | ||
| 2000 | EpOne
|
90 | — |
| 2001 | EpTwo
|
47 | 42 |
Garrison / Hundred Reasons
|
— | — | |
EpThree
|
37 | 38 | |
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart positions achieved | Album association | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Rock |
UK Indie |
SCO | ||||
| 2002 | "If I Could" | 19 | 3 | — | 19 | Ideas Above Our Station |
| 15 | 2 | — | 18 | |||
| 38 | 5 | — | 44 | |||
| 2003 | "The Great Test" | "29" | "4" | "—" | "29" | 'Shatterproof Is Not a Challenge' |
| 2004 | "What You Get" | "30" | "1" | "—" | "32" | |
| "47" | "6" | "—" | "46" | "Non-album single" | ||
| 2006 | "Kill Your Own" | "45" | "2" | "2" | "23" | Kill Your Own |
| "111" | "3" | "11" | "46" | |||
| "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| 2007 | "No Way Back" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | 'Quick the Word, Sharp the Action' |
| 2009 | "I'll Never Know" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| 2022 | "Glorious Sunset" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
| "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| 2023 | "Replicate" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |
External links
- Articles with short description
- English post-grunge bands
- Musical groups formed in 1999
- English alternative rock bands
- Kerrang! Award recipients
- English post-hardcore bands
- 1999 establishments in England
- Musical groups reunited in 2021
- Musical groups disbanded in 2019
- British emo bands
- Musical groups disestablished in 2019