Interview: Andy Gilmour (Hundred Reasons)

You might not believe it, but it’s been seven years since Hundred Reasons released Ideas Above Our Station – the band’s seminal post-hardcore album which yielded the hit singles, “Silver” and “If I Could”. Since then, Hundred Reasons have suffered label woes and the loss of a founding member, yet they plough onwards. The band still command a loyal and fervent fanbase, and have just finished touring in support of Quick the Word, Sharp the Action – their fourth studio album, which is re-released on April 20th.

Prior to Hundred Reasons’ show at Edinburgh’s “alternative music venue”, Studio 24, I was lead up some narrow stairs and into a small room with the band’s bearded bassist Andy Gilmour. We grabbed some unusually heavy chairs, positioned them accordingly, and discussed the current tour, Quick the Word’s upcoming re-release, and what’s next for a band that refuses to give in.

Stereokill: First off, how’s the tour been so far?

AG: Yeah, really good. We haven’t toured for what must be at least a year and, the fact is, it’s nice to do it again. We all went in to practise for a couple of days before we came out; and literally it’s like, you’re there practicing and then… ‘right, off you go!‘ Today is the seventh show in a row – I don’t think we’ve ever done seven gigs in a row before – and we’ve had no days off; tommorow is the only one we’ve got. So it’s, like, going from nothing to seven gigs in a row!

Stereokill: That’s nuts.

AG: Yeah, they’ve all been completely different from one another, which is quite good because you don’t know what to expect. One of the shows, Sheffield, I didn’t quite know if we were going to pull it off or not, and then come the actual show the crowd made it awesome. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens tonight. *laughs*

Stereokill: I’ve seen that the band are using Twitter on this tour, to connect with fans for setlist suggestions.

AB: Well, [guitarist] Larry [Hibbitt]’s been the Twitter expert. I still don’t quite get it, but I’m sure I’ll probably be on there at some point myself. For this one, Larry’s been beavering away and trying to be up-to-date. Not quite as full on as, say, Stephen Fry – you can practically learn his whole life story!

Stereokill: *laughs* So Larry’s been using Twitter for setlist suggestions?

AG: Well that was before we came out. We’ve got one set that we’ve been doing the whole tour, which seems to work really nicely. It’s good because there’s a lot of old and new stuff – which is fair play to Ben [Doyle, guitarist], our new guy, who’s had to learn a lot of the old stuff.

Stereokill: Quick the Word, Sharp the Action is the first album that you’ve recorded with Ben. Was it strange not having [founding guitarist] Paul Townsend in the studio?

AG: It was just different, really. Paul had his way of recording stuff, and Ben’s got his way of recording stuff. Paul didn’t like the studio. He preferred playing live, and didn’t enjoy the whole recording process. Unlike Larry, who loves recording, Paul found it really stressful. He could go out on tour for ages and be absolutely fine, but get him in the studio for two weeks and he’d start pulling his hair out. Ben puts his head down and gets it done. They’re just different. I’m not going to say that either of them is better; they’re two completely different guitar players. I would not want someone to come in and pretend to be Paul, or have someone play like Paul.

Stereokill: Can you tell our readers why you’re re-releasing Quick the Word, Sharp the Action?

AG: We originally released the album on V2, and then two weeks after its release they got bought by Universal and dissolved. So the album was, literally, out for two weeks, which is just rubbish, really. We wanted to re-release it, get it back out there and actually give it a proper run – which is what this tour is for: to promote the album and the new single ["I'll Never Know"].

Stereokill: What can you tell us about the album’s new bonus tracks?

AG: When it came to the extra tracks, we wanted to make it worth people’s while. The first track on there is a song we’d recorded for the Gran Turismo soundtrack, and that’s the only place it’s been for ages. It’s quite an old track, but it’s one that a lot of people are into and interested in – so we thought “we’ll stick that on.” And the other ones are slight variations on other tracks. It’s an eclectic mix, I think.

Stereokill: Quick the Word was originally released in 2007, and your last tour was in early 2008. What has the band been up to since then?

AG: Well, I didn’t actually do that 2008 tour, because I was on maternity leave. So it’s been a long time for me.

Stereokill: You must be quite glad to be back out on the road.

AG: Yeah, it’s definitely nice. We’ve had a lot of good shows so far and all the people that have came down have been really, really good. We’ve got tonight, Oxford and London – so we’re almost done, really. Sorry, what was the question again? *laughs*

Stereokill: What have you guys been up to since the last tour?

AG: Nothing much. A lot of working. We have to earn a living, like the rest of the planet. *laughs*

Stereokill: Are you guys itching to record new material?

AG: Well we’re trying to. The thing is, three of our members go off and do back-lining – so they’re off jet-setting around the world, looking after other people. We’re trying to get the chance to get together and write some new music. We want to work towards getting another record out.

Stereokill: When, roughly, can fans expect another album?

AG: At the end of the day, we’re doing it at our own pace. When we actually have something to release we’ll release it. I can’t really give a date. So far, we’ve only had one proper practise where we were actually writing. We came out with one really good song, but to do a whole album’s worth is tough; it’s going to take a while. If we get the chance to, it might speed up. We’ll have to see, I guess.

Stereokill: What do you consider high-points in your career thus far?

AG: Winning ‘Kerrang Best Album’ [in 2002], and most of the Reading Festival appearances. They were pretty special – especially 2003, that was pretty awesome. We were in a tent and were on just before the headliners. It was one of those ones where the band and the crowd completely clicked together. It was black, like night-time, people had their lighters out; it was just amazing. One of those nights. Yeah, those are the ones that stick out in my mind as being something a bit special.

Stereokill: Out of the band’s four studio albums, which is your favourite? What album are you most proud of?

AG: Kill Your Own.

Stereokill: Are there any particular Hundred Reasons songs that you consider your favourites?

AG: It’s weird, I’ve got favourite tracks from all of the records, but I think my favourite track that we’ve ever recorded is “Breathe Again”, which is the last track on Kill Your Own. We actually managed to do a grand song without sounding up our own arses.

Stereokill: Am I right in saying you played organ on “Breathe Again”?

AG: Yeah, I played church organ at the end of it. *laughs* I dabbled enough to make it sound cool.

Stereokill: What would you say your favourite albums of all time are?

AG: I’ve got two that jump to mind, which I pointed out the other day. One of them is Superunknown by Soundgarden, and the other is Somewhere in Time by Iron Maiden.

Stereokill: Finally, are Hundred Reasons concerned with achieving commercial success once more?

AG: I don’t think we’re actively trying to get it. We all like playing the music, really. We realise that we’re not a young band anymore, so we doubt very much that something is going to explode, but you never know. No one can see the future, we’ll just have to see, I guess. At the end of the day, all it takes is one song, and, the next thing you know, you’re back up there again. It’s happened before and it will happen again.

Quick the Word, Sharp the Action is re-released on April 20th, while the band’s new single, “I’ll Never Know”, is released online April 13th. The song’s comic book influenced video can be viewed here.