Some bands strive so hard for authenticity when trying to recapture what they imagine to be the 70s spirit of blues-drenched, bellbottomed rock’n’roll, that it ends up having the opposite effect and starts to look and sound like they’ve been raiding the dressing-up box, the scent of pastiche and patchouli lying heavy in the air. Others, though, don’t have to try too hard because they naturally have the essential spirit running through their veins, their motivation nothing more and nothing less than a pure and deep love of the music, and an innate understanding of how to conjure it from their souls. It’s impossible to fake. The Answer are very much in the latter category.
The Northern Irish quartet have been missing in action for the past seven years, having made the sensible decision to step back and reset for their own mental, physical and creative wellbeing. The break has clearly done them the world of good, because is a joyful explosion of restless grooves, warming Hammond, chirping harmonica and beautiful, flawless harmonising from their female backing singers, the glitter to counter and complement the grit of frontman Cormac Neeson’s earnest rasp.
