 
 This
was one of the most anticipated shows of the year
so far which had a N Ireland band headlining the
Mandela Hall. The Answer are still on tour with
AC/DC, having supported them all over America
and Europe. This was their homecoming. They were
supposed to play on the 20th April but at the
last minute, it had to be rescheduled. I’m
sure the guys were totally gutted. They are undeniably
the darlings of the rock world right now. Because
of the rescheduling, there was extra time for
any remaining tickets to sell. This helped the
show to sell out.
First on stage were Bandwagon, a three piece
rock band from Bangor. They were last minute replacements
for Swanee River who’s guitarist had a prior
commitment. Their sound is not unlike The Answer’s
and they benefited greatly from the slot because
they were in front of fans of their type of music.
They got up, hit the crowd with some really good
blues rock and were gone. They only got about
five songs to impress the crowd and they succeeded,
plugging their website along the way.
 Next up was In Case Of Fire, a three piece alternative
rock band from Portadown. They were originally
billed as support for the rescheduled show from
April. The other support band, General Fiasco,
could not play the June date. ICOF have quite
a progressive edge which made me wonder why they
were there. They are a really good band but they
were just out of place between the two oldschool
type bluesy rock bands. They may have been there
because of their moderate touring success in recent
months, I don’t know. I enjoyed them, though
their sound was quite distorted towards the end
of their set. They have quite a commanding presence
but their intensity meant that they didn’t
interact with the fans which a lot of people did
not like. They came out, played, thanked The Answer
and left. They are all young guys and have a bright
future ahead of them but they just were not the
right fit for this show.
Next it was time for The Answer to hit the stage.
The anticipation and excitment in the crowd was
plain to see. They got a huge cheer and came out
with big grins on their faces. Cormac said that
they owed Belfast a great show and they delivered.
Their albums are great but hearing the songs live
is a whole new experience. From ‘Under The
Sky’ and ‘Come Follow Me’ on
Rise to songs like ‘Tonight’ and On
And On’ from Everyday Demons, they had the
crowd dancing around and singing along for the
duration. They were clearly enjoying themselves
and it was clear that this show was special to
them, it was their homecoming. Cormac’s
manic dancing is legendary and is best viewed
form the front row. The whole band are impeccably
professional while having that very rare approachable
factor which makes them classy guys. Everyone
in attendance knew they were watching something
very special, a band on the brink of superstardom.
Bandwagon 3.5/5
In Case Of Fire 3/5
The Answer 5/5
Review By Craig Young |
