Metal gurus

Cormac Neeson, of Downpatrick hard rock hopefuls The Answer, has just seen his entire career flash before his eyes. In a little under four hours the quartet are due on-stage in Cardiff, where they’re supporting Whitesnake. Right now, though, the band are hunkered by an English midlands roadside, contemplating the dead hulk of their tour bus and frantically awaiting the arrival of a tow-truck. Will they make curtain up? Neeson sucks in his cheeks and pulls a face – honestly, he’s not sure.

“Our bus has snuffed it and, right now, it remains to be seen whether we make it in time,” he ventures, a picture of charm despite his plight. “Apparently the cavalry is on its way, so all we can do is wait. Maybe I’ll do the crossword or something.”
Should they leave Whitesnake out on a limb, it’ll be a rare setback for The Answer, whose career has been a story of rapid triumphs and powerful patrons. Signed to the same publishers as AC/DC, they’ve benefitted from an impressive fan base: Jimmy Page is a fan, as is Philomema Lynott, who invited them to play her son’s beloved bass guitar. With friends like these, who needs media cheerleaders?
“At the Classic Rock magazine awards, we were sitting next to Jimmy Page and he was a real, real gent,” recalls Neeson who picked up a ‘Best Newcomer’ award that night. “He was exactly as I’d imagined him to be. Obviously we were all a bit dumbstruck at first, but he was very easy to talk to. You hear all these stories about how wild he was in his youth, but I think he’s outgrown that.”
As for Phil Lynott’s bass, the band were playing a Lizzy fundraiser in Belfast – part of the campaign to erect a Lynott statue in Dublin – and Philomena was so blown away she insisted bassist Micky Waters try out the master’s legendary Mirror five-string.
“It’s the same bass he’s playing on the Live And Dangerous cover,” recalls Neeson. “So it was amazing to actually see it in front of you. You were holding a slice of rock history in your hands.”
On their riff-heavy debut album, The Answer make blatant their debt to AC/DC. However, it was coincidence rather than fate that led them signing to the proto-metal god’s publishing house.
“We’d signed a manager and were playing showcase gigs in London,” says Neeson. “A lot of labels were looking at us, but AC/DC’s guy was a Northern Irishman and a straight talker and that’s what won us over. He set out a five-year plan and it seems to be working. Our album’s only out a few weeks and already it’s sold 3,000 copies so I think we’re going places.”