Simon Rushworth
With latest album Everyday Demons winning rave reviews Stateside and another clutch of AC/Dc dates on the horizon there’s never been a better time to be in The Answer!
In the second part of our exclusive interview we talk to Cormac and Paul about their new pals in the biggest rock and roll band on the planet and their plans for the future.
Plus they give us their hot tips for the future as we turn out attention back to the burgeoning rock scene that’s sweeping Northern Ireland right now.
Enjoy!
rushonrock: Has there been much chance to get to know the AC/DC guys?
CN: Oh yeah. Not so much with the stadium shows because a lot of the time they’re straight in the car and away after the show. But they’re very approachable guys and they made us feel very comfortable on the arena tour in America. Brian and Cliff often come down and have a drink and see how we’re getting on and the two brothers will always stop and talk to you for half an hour ion the hallway. It’s been an added bonus to get to know the boys as well as support them.
rushonrock: And are you still watching the headline act after all of this time?
CN: Aye. I’m very well versed in the ways of the AC/DC Black Ice set! It’s a great show to watch.
rushonrock: Is the rest of the year mapped out?
CN: The final leg of the AC/DC tour and then our own headline tour takes us all the way up to Christmas time and we finish up in the middle of December in the Ulster Hall in Belfast which should be a great way to kick off the Christmas season. We’ll have a short break over Christmas and then we’ll have to cover Europe, Australia and Japan one more time before we get back into the studio and start nailing down the third album.
rushonrock: Everyday Demons will end up played to death eventually then?
CN: I think we’re working especially hard this year to do that record justice. I think we’ll look back in a few years’ time and say that 18 months was the hardest we’ve ever worked in our lives. But it’s not impossible to balance a big support slot with your obligations as a headline band trying to promote your second album. You just have to keep your head down and work like a motherfucker.
rushonrock: Can you see the day when a new generation of bands will have the fan base, the records and the budget to go out on huge arena and stadium tours like AC/DC and Metallica have done in the past year?
CN: I don’t think the Black Ice tour and stage show will be the last of its kind by any means. The fact that AC/DC are selling out huge venues the world over is proof that people want to be entertained in a particular way. It’s down to an individual band’s discretion. There’s maybe a lack of hunger to entertain on such a grand scale – these big gigs are like theatre productions. I know The Answer would gladly create that platform one day and give the people a show they’ll never forget. The bigger you get the more interesting you’re gonna make it for the audience. I think it’s our obligation, and the obligation of many other young bands out there, to keep that ethos of entertainment alive. It’s just a great celebration of rock.
rushonrock: You’re at the forefront of the New Wave Of British Classic Rock but who else is on your radar?
CN: Even in Northern Ireland there’s a lot of good bands coming up. We just brought over a band called Swanee River from Derry to support us on our latest UK dates and they’re very bluesy rock. There’s a band from Dublin called Glyder who we love and we’ve had In Case Of Fire from Northern Ireland supporting us. They’re more prog rock which is great too.
rushonrock: So is the Northern Irish scene every bit as healthy as your fellow musicians Ricky Warwick and Andy Cairns would have us believe?
CN: Definitely. There’s bands selling out big venues which beforehand, for one reason or another, very rarely happened. Maybe Ash. That might be it. There’s definitely a much stronger foundation over there now which bodes well for the future.