There was a moment when Hundred Reasons teetered on the edge of global success; their debut album had peaked at number six in the UK charts, they were delivering well-received performances at Reading and Leeds, and they had the backing of one of the world’s largest record companies, Columbia.

So why on earth have Hundred Reasons spent the last few years sinking into relative obscurity, while their potential classics have been left trying to thumb a lift at the roadside as truck loads of emo scenesters drive on by with little or no regard for any of the post-hardcore scene?

Tonight there is an unmistakeable degree of professionalism present with Hundred Reasons. Practice has no doubt left them with a very tight and proficient set-up. They’ve been around for a good few years and have had the time to hone their skills, yet they must be slightly frustrated by the fact their chances of success have dwindled more and more with each passing year, to the point where their importance on the UK music scene is vastly overshadowed by the latest emo trend.

One of the few things that sets Hundred Reasons apart from the rest of the crop is front man Colin Doran’s distinctive guttural vocals, tearing the band away from the type of irritating Americanised wining that their music would typically be associated with. A rather enthusiastic crowd takes every opportunity to echo Doran’s cries, giving the performance a much fuller sound than would otherwise be expected.

Doran uses the gig as an opportunity to introduce their new guitarist, Ben Doyle from The Lucky Nine; he’s been drafted in to replace Paul Townsend, who departed the band last year. By no means does Doyle’s performance hinder the band, and he certainly manages to fill Townsend’s shoes amicably, but he doesn’t bring any new dynamics to the group either. Still, it’s early days, and we may be seeing more of the guitarist’s influence on the band’s next release.

Throwing a punch from the outset and launching with one of their most recognised hits, it soon becomes clear that Hundred Reasons are more than a throwback group that fell at the last hurdle and just missed out on the emo scene. There aren’t many more immediate openers than ‘If I Could’, and it does the job of hooking the crowd right from the beginning.

Despite the new album barely grazing the UK top 100, it has been around for a fair while and the new material is met with equally enthusiastic cries. The seminal ‘Kill Your Own’ is quite easily a slice of their best material for years: moulding a Linkin Park-style intro into a gritty metal backing, this could easily go down as one of their most infectious anthems to date.

Of course, Hundred Reasons aren’t without their softer side, and ‘The Chance’ is an example of one of the band’s gentler moments. Directed by a drifting melody and a pounding drumbeat it makes for a rather pleasing interval in the set, even if it does sound rather like Hoobastank trying to corner the market on soft rock ballads.

The aggressive aural assault that makes up most of ‘Live Fast Die Ugly’ brings an energetic boost to the performance, although energy is something this gig never really lacks. The crowd manages to work themselves into a frenzied little shuffle of ‘polite moshing’. If you’ve never seen this, it’s a non-contact sport that’s usually played in slightly more upper-class establishments.

It looks as if nobody’s going to leave the building before the encore, and when Hundred Reasons return to dedicate the next three songs to all the ‘hardcore fans’, they’re talking to everyone. They get help from support act God Fires Man on ‘Falter’, but even then the band are drowned out by the crowd, who sing back with religious devotion.

It’s an unavoidable admission that Hundred Reasons are brilliant live, so that’s one reason to go and watch them. Do you really need 99 more?