Nevertheless, I found myself wandering up into the Swansea Uplands to the unassuming Uplands Tavern. It's a pretty nondescript place from the outside. Just another pub. However, that belies the actual size of the place which is actually quite large.

Arriving at 7.15pm, I was pleasantly surprised at how big a crowd was already milling around inside. Looking across the bar, I could see the band putting the finishing touches to their stage set-up. I purchased my first of many Guinness of the night and settled down on a stool near the stage.

I watched the band as they nervously chatted amongst themselves. It was pretty obvious that they were anxious how they would be received as each member kept getting up, sitting back down, getting up again … and all of them watching the growing crowd. Curiously, the only one of them who seemed to be revelling in the surroundings was Rachel – maybe because she was back in the familiar stamping ground she had inhabited so many times before whilst fronting Karnataka.

Whatever, at 9pm promptly, the intros began and the (by now) large crowd waited in anticipation as The Reasoning took to the stage.

They quickly launched into their first number 'Awakening', seemingly anxious to blow the cobwebs out of their system. You could sense their nerves throughout the song, but they soldiered on which some beautifully melodic vocals from Dylan, Gareth and Rachel, interjected by some splendid guitar breaks. Without pause, they then launched straight into 'Chasing Rainbows'.

On completion of these first two songs, the band were met by a rapturous applause, showing the band that they were going down a storm. Next up was 'Playing The Game', another upbeat track that really started to rouse the crowd, followed up by 'Aching Hunger'.

Next up was the airing of my personal favourite of theirs – 'Sacred Shape'. Dylan's vocals were spot on. Curiously not sounding as 'Gabrielesque' as he does on the samples on their myspace page. However, that is not a criticism as the seamless binding of harmonics between Dylan, Rachel and Gareth are really tight and totally in tune with each other. Something that a great many of the major acts fail to achieve live.

The rest of the band then took a break as Gareth slowed proceedings down with a beautiful keyboards and vocal track called, ironically, 'Beautiful'. The band then returned to join him onstage for an excellent rendition of 'Fallen Angels' which saw the completion of their first 45 minutes on stage.

I don't know whether it was due to the chorus of approval the band got from the crowd during the interval, but when they came back for the second half, the nerves were gone and they really began to let rip and show what everyone knew they were capable of.

Kicking off with 'Within Cold Glass', the band then breezed through three Karnataka songs – 'Time Stands Still', 'After The Rain', 'Talk To Me' - with Rachel really coming into her own. It was pretty obvious that a lot of the crowd were previous Karnataka fans as many were singing along with her. But, as with any good event, time flew by and we soon found Rachel announcing the last song 'Shadows Of The Mind'. It was a spectacular finale to an excellent set. But if the band thought the crowd were going to let them leave the stage that easily then they were very much mistaken.

It didn't take them long to get back on the stage to perform a rip-snorting version of Deep Purple's 'Stormbringer'. It was certainly an unusual version of the classic number, but one which the crowd greatly approved of.

And there ended the night.

The Reasoning were quickly mobbed by everyone once off-stage. They had gone down well and they had confirmation of it. Most of them were heartily accepting their first beers of the night (they were curiously tee-total until off-stage). All of them looked hot and tired, but all of them had a smile on their faces which showed to me that they had enjoyed performing as much as the crowd had enjoyed being entertained.

For me, it was time to wander out into the wind and rain of Swansea to find a taxi home. After a quick word and a few brief handshakes with the band, I was gone into the night.

Would I go to see them again ? Definitely

Should you go to see them ? Absolutely.

In summary, it was an understandably nervous start, but they got tighter and better as their confidence grew. They are an excellent 6-piece unit, often leaning toward the harder side of prog with the dual guitars (Dylan and Lee) integrating neatly with the keyboards of Gareth Jones, and augmented by a solid rhythm section of Matthew Cohen and Vinden Wylde. The mix of vocals between Rachel, Gareth and Dylan make for a hauntingly beautiful effect over it all. Everyone acknowledged that they had played a very good set. They can only get better. The launch party of their new album takes place in Cardiff next month, followed by a few more dates around the UK. If you have the chance, catch The Reasoning in concert. You won't regret it