The Answer @ Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall – 2nd December 2009

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It’s been a long time on the road Northern Ireland’s best band — The Answer — given that their support slot with the mighty AC/DC (which included a gig in Birmingham) saw them clock up well over 100 shows. But that hasn’t dampened their appetite to keep on touring, and now they’re back in the Midlands with a show of their own.

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Kicking off with ‘Tonight’ they immediately show what key skills they’ve learned from the Aussie masters; The Answer are incredibly tight on stage, and pack a considerable punch for only four musicians jamming together. While singer Cormac Neeson may draw in people’s attention with his incredible voice and his straight-out-of-the-seventies look, it is the engine room of Mickey Waters and James Heatley that gives this band their power. The bluesy soloing skills of axeman Paul Mahon on top of all this is the proverbial icing on the rock and roll cake.

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The band rattles through their setlist, with older classics like ‘Come Follow Me’ and ‘Never Too Late’ mixed in with newer material such as ‘Cry Out’ and ‘Too Far Gone’ all showcasing their abilities as songwriters and performers. However, it is the terrific ‘Under the Sky’ that really draws people in, before a jamtastic ‘Preachin’ draws things to a close. They may now be taking a well-earned break, but here’s hoping they return to play another great show like this soon.

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Review and photography — Dave Musson

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