Picture the scene: you’ve been together for four years, plugging away in your own manner with little in the way of success, when out of the blue you finally get a chance to strut your stuff in front of the big smoke cognoscenti.
Flush with nerves and expectation, imagine how it would then feel if, as early as your opening riff, it became crystal clear that, rather than finding your natural home, you had actually landed in enemy territory.
Such was the situation that Downpatrick’s newest rock alumni, The Answer, were confronted with last year, when they took their brand of traditional hard rock deep into the Babyshambles-fixated heartland of London’s indie scene for an all-important showcase gig. The natives, it seems, proved none too welcoming.
"The punters fucking loathed us," laughs lead singer Cormac Neeson. "We were rocking out and they were looking at us like we’d landed from space. The minute we saw these boys come in with their skinny ties and t-shirts, we knew that they’d hate us, but we weren’t playing for them."
The target audience was the record industry: "It was designed to let the labels hear us. Sure enough, Sony, Atlantic, EMI Publishing all showed some kind of interest. And it was from those gigs that our record deal developed. So, I think you could say that we had the last laugh."
As you imagine, since penning their deal with AC/DC’s label, Albert Productions, The Answer have had huge smiles plastered all over their faces. It’s the kind of progress that has eluded many of their Northern contemporaries. This, Neeson attributes to the band’s recent hitch-up with manager Dave Bedford.
A development that, in turn, can be attributed to a fortuitously-timed Chicken Korma.
"He was in Steve Lamacq’s house for a curry," says Neeson. "Wednesday night, apparently, is Steve’s night for going through his CDs and he thought Dave would like us. Dave used to manage The Tindersticks but he’s also a big Zep and Free fan, so he went nuts for us. He contacted us the next morning and told us that he’d like to hook up."
Neeson adds: "We were playing The Empire the following Thursday and he booked a flight, came over to see us and, within a month, we’d signed the contract. He’s been great – [he] knows the London scene back to front and has loads of contacts. It was just that bit of luck we needed. So we owe a big thank you to Steve and his local curry house."
Since then, the band have been steadily gathering around themselves an impressive team of experienced tour managers, promoters, and pluggers.
The benefits of which have been quickly apparent. New single ‘Keep Believin’’ is about to garner serious national airplay, while The Answer’s transit van, Judy Blue Eyes, has been busier than ever, taking the band to Brixton Academy for a support slot with The Darkness and to Donnington for the recent Download festival.
"The Darkness support was great," Neeson enthuses. "It gave us a chance to play to our kind of crowd. No one was sitting around trying to look cool, they all just wanted to rock out. It was a real good vibe – it gave us the boost we needed. And backstage at Download was an absolute fucking disgrace. Some of the biggest rock bands in the world and loads of free beer. I’m sure you can imagine what went on."
In fact, a great deal went on, says Neeson.
"I actually got turfed out," he reveals. "I was in the middle of the crowd, nowhere near a portaloo, and I was standing beside the big isle that ran from the soundstage down to the front of the stage. I flashed my pass at the bouncer and said ‘here mate, I’m bursting for a piss. I’m just gonna jump over.’ He said, ‘No you're not.’ I didn’t pay any attention and tried to leap over the barrier. Next thing I know I’m being carried, feet first, past the stage. I’m sure Ozzy gave me a sly wink."
Next up for the boys is a stint in London’s Olympic Studios – "where Sticky Fingers and Zep III got recorded" – to begin work on their debut LP.
"We’re going to be using the same desk that ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ was recorded on," he grins. "We’ve loads of ideas. But we hope that the album, at the bottom of everything, is just a really good rock and roll album."
The Keep Believin EP is available on Albert Recordings