The Answer (ire)

Just a month before the release of only their second single, 'The Answer' scooped Classic Rock's Best New Band award. To say they were a little more than surprised is a gross understatement. Stunned would be more accurate. "We're over-whelmed to win this award" says Neesen at the Classic Rock Awards 2005, "especially as some of our greatest idols are sat in the room watching us collect our award, drinking champagne. As well as that we got to have our photo taken with Jimmy Page. What a great night." This seal of critical praise came after a jaw-dropping performance supporting 'The Darkness' at Brixton Academy in December 2004, a high profile support slot on the Alter Bridge tour, a talk-of-the-festival set at 'Download' and then the release of their debut EP 'Keep Believin' on July 25th 2005. Although chart ineligible for the official Top 40 – it reached the dizzy heights of number 12 in the Rock Chart, and number 30 in the Indie chart on 7" sales only. Not bad for four shaggy-haired, rock-obsessed musicians from Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. It all started five years ago. Due to the successes of his father's Beat group 'The Freshman' (3 albums on CBS and tours with 'The Beach Boys'), Mahon had a taste of what could be and decided to form "a great rock band" with his school mate Micky Waters. Determined to find only the best people available to make up the band Mahon and Waters waited patiently for Heatley (drummer for 'Ash' when Rick was completing his A-levels) to finish his Psychology Degree, and tracked Neeson down in New York where he was singing in various Blues bands and working at pizza joints. Sold by the dream, the four of them got together and called themselves 'The Answer'. Raised on a heady diet of 'Led Zeppelin', 'Free', 'The Who', 'Black Crowes', and many others, 'The Answer' adopted the spirit of their idols and produced a contemporary take of bluesy, riff heavy hard rock with soul-filled vocals and good time grooves. This caught the attention of indie rock label, Albert Productions, home to 'AC/DC's' record deal and publishing worldwide, who promptly snapped them up and set about building a team around them. Plaudits include a certain Mr. Jimmy Page (he watched them side of stage at a recent London gig), George Young (from early AC/DC production team Vanda & Young and Phil Lynott's mother, who booked them to play at a Phil Lynott memorial benefit gig in Dublin and allowed Waters to be the first since Lynott's death to open his bass case and play the revered black iconic bass axe! (it's the same black bass that appears in the video to 'Keep Believin') Its safe to say that 'The Answer' have all the ingredients to be the "Best New Band" in recent years. The UK press already thinks so…and so should you. "The Answer are superstars already, it'd be cruel not to make their dreams come true." (Kerrang!) "…soaring feel-good and instantly classic rock that acknowledges it's influences but brings something new to the table too." Classic Rock "The Answer offer a retro sound with screech-tastic vocals and big-hitting guitars." The Independent