Review: The Answer, Bandwagon, In Case Of Fire

Published on GiggingNI.com

When the seasoned rockers are seen to be roaming the streets in their leather jackets, long hair and vast range of old gig t-shirts, you know something big is happening. Tonight the something was The Answer, Downpatrick rockers propelled to legendary status by their recent tour supporting AC/DC. Also on the bill were top local band In Case of Fire and Bandwagon, a band who are sure to be gathering some support after tonight. Mandela Hall, the venue for this rescheduled gig, gradually filled up and the atmosphere was electric, resulting in a truly memorable night.

First up were Bangor three piece ‘Bandwagon.’ Not dissimilar to tonight’s headliners, these guys were proper rock and roll, drawing comparisons with Whitesnake, Led Zepplin and Thin Lizzy. In recent times it has seemed that local rock and roll is less and less prominent in successful local bands, The Answer being the exception, but Bandwagon gave their steadily increasing crowd plenty of evidence that bluesy rock is not dead in Northern Ireland, and importantly, that there’s an audience for it. Front man Phil Edgar’s guitar playing was reminiscent of the likes of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson in the Live and Dangerous era of Thin Lizzy, and soulful, catchy vocal melodies blended perfectly into the mix. Edgars’s rapport with the audience was amusing and resulted in showing off of tattoos, adding to the light hearted nature of a band who were clearly enjoying themselves. The band’s favourite track of the night was a new one entitled ‘Barbara,’ but older ones like ‘Don’t Mess Me Around’ were no less entertaining and all went down extremely well with the steadily increasing crowd. A top class local band who, I believe, have the potential to become the next rock and roll band to emerge from the local scene.

By the time In Case of Fire were ready to take the stage, Mandela Hall was close to capacity and having replaced original support for the cancelled gig General Fiasco, they had a lot to live up to. With a ‘progressive rock sound’ it’s fair to say that they are a long way away from the styles of Bandwagon and The Answer. Despite this their performance was good, clearly a tight, well-rehearsed band who have been getting a better reputation with every gig they play. Arriving on stage with an excerpt from JFK’s speech in 1961 on the Bay of Pigs incident being broadcast left me, and others, confused as to the significance and relevance. Confused we remained as the band did not interact much with the crowd, and spoke only to thank their hosts The Answer and the audience themselves for listening. Each song was met with applause, but it seemed that more than a few were taking this opportunity to go to the bar, or escape for a smoke. Piercing vocals, heavy guitar and thundering bass and drums created a fantastic noise but personally, I felt that they weren’t the right band for the show, as did quite a few of the audience around me. A good performance from a highly thought of act who do what they do extremely well, but perhaps they’d have been better suited on another bill.

Finally the time had come for the return of the now world-famous Answer to their home turf. Lights went down and the volume went up as the crowd, as one, cheered their local lads on to the stage. For cancelling the original date Cormac apologised and proclaimed ‘we owe you a f***ing good show, and a f***ing good show is what you’re gonna get!’ Not one inch of the stage was left untouched as Paul, Cormac and Mickey commanded the attention of each and every person in the room and James’ bass drum dictated the pace of every thumping heartbeat. Songs like ‘Come Follow Me,’ and ‘Never Too Late’ were screamed back at Cormac by the adoring fans, while a more bluesy number, ‘Preachin,’ had every hand and foot clapping and stomping as one to the rhythm.  While comparisons with Led Zepplin are virtually impossible to avoid, The Answer have developed from their debut album ‘Rise’ and since then have created their own unique sound based on Paul’s talent on the guitar and Cormac’s sheer power in the delivery of his vocals and stage presence. For an encore Under The Sky was met with euphoric cheers, applause and somewhat unexpectedly…beach balls which were bounced around as the audience jumped to the music. Throughout, Cormac ruled the show, starting claps and having the audience sing back to him during a loose jam entitled the Belfast Blues. Confidence oozed from the four men on stage and gave them the necessary drive to put on the great show they promised. As the band said their final thanks to the local crowd who had supported them it was clear that these are four totally down to earth, amiable guys who are living the dream. Based on tonight’s performance it won’t be long before they headline the larger arenas around the world, and cement their name alongside the likes of Led Zepplin and co in the rock hall of fame.