No Tigers In Sight
Walking on stage with an air of The Darkness' glam stylings and a singer with hair that's still residing in the 1970s, The Answer launch in to their catchy mix of lavish glam rock riffs and lush vocals. It takes only seconds to realise the talent of guitarist Paul Mahon as he effortlessly walks his hands up and down his fret board moving seamlessly between sections of each song. As he stands there, he looks as if the stage was the place that he was born to be. If you take this and combine vocals that capture the spirit of original, true rock 'n' roll with a bassist that pushes the limits of what you would normally expect from such a band and a drummer that strikes each beat as if it were his last then you have The Answer.
Despite playing to a Bristol Academy crowd that are quite literally packed to the rafters, on the last night of the Alterbridge tour, the crowd, for the mort part, simply nod their heads in a polite way biding time until the headliners appear. Despite this and the fact that there is a 20 foot Alterbridge banner behind them, The Answer don't let it halt their performance for a second.
Launching in to 'Preacher' is where the Alterbride fans have to step back and realise that they're witnessing a truly special band. With a very different sound that pushes the boundaries of rock and (almost) country, The Answer are more than another wannabe Led Zeppelin/Darkness combo that are here to jump on the next bandwagon; they're a band that have a much deeper and experimental edge in their music that they need to focus on if they are to truly shine,
Every member of The Answer own the whole stage as if it were their own and as if this is a crowd of 1,500 people that are here just to see them. Guitarist Paul Mahon throws himself around as if there were tomorrow one moment whilst the next second he focuses on his guitar so intently that you would think the world depends on it. This shouldn't be mistaken for apprehension whilst playing - but instead you are left feeling that this is a musician that has actually put themselves wholeheartedly in to their music rather than simply constructing songs in a clinical way.
By the time that the end of the set comes around, this is a crowd truly won over as the cheers for The Answer echo throughout Bristol Academy. The Answer may not be a band that are about to change the music industry, but if they allow themselves to push the boundaries of their music then who knows what the future will hold for them. One thing's for sure - they're better than The Darkness and don't even need flying tigers to pull it off.
'Never Too Late', the latest single by The Answer, is out now and rated 10/13 at Room Thirteen (click here for review). You can buy the single now here.