We caught up with Cormac lead vocalist of Northern Irish hard rock band The Answer. During their career the band have played with such greats as Aerosmith, Whitesnake, and AC/DC. It was great to see them play such an energetic and fun set as the final main stage act of Hard Rock Hell Festival.
RAMzine: How do you like Hard Rock Hell Festival?
“[We are] first timers. It’s a great festival and a great idea. It gives rockers from all over the UK something to get their teeth into as we head full throttle into the cold, dark winter.”
RAMzine: How did you feel your set went?
“It went down well I think. We were up for it like never before as this was the last gig on a long European tour for us. Lovely big stage to get our rocks off on too. The crowd made a lot of noise and everybody seemed very happy – ourselves included… we had a fantastic time.”
RAMzine: How many dates was your tour? What’s it like to tour for so long?
“42 dates I think. It is a challenge as we didn’t have too many days off on this tour. We’re a band who physically give it everything we’ve got when we’re onstage so I’ve got quite a few cuts and bruises as a result. Thankfully the tour was a massive success which makes it all worthwhile.”
RAMzine: Have you taken a picture with you and the crowd at every single gig you have played? What’s the storey behind doing that?
“Pretty much every show on this tour yeah. It’s just an idea we had to give our fans something extra to remember the night. The day after each show we post the photo on Facebook and people can do whatever they want with it. I try to get the audience to strike the same ‘new horizon’ pose as the birdcage man on the front of the album cover.”
RAMzine: You recently released your new album ‘New Horizons’. How would you describe the it to music fans that have not heard it yet?
“Great songs – great grooves – real – no bullshit – rock n roll…. it’s pretty hard and heavy.”
RAMzine: You worked with Toby Jepson (lead singer of Little Angels) who produced the new album. What was it like to work with him?
“He brought a unique discipline to the process. He didn’t let us over do things with too many guitar and vocal over dubs. That was great because it tapped into the purity of our brand of R’n’R. Toby also knows how to write a good song which always helps.”
RAMzine: What made you choose ‘Spectacular’ as the first single of the new album?
“There’s a lot of what The Answer is all about tied up in that song. It’s got big riffs, bigger choruses and a positive feel good message.”
RAMzine: How has the band progressed since previouse album ‘Rise’?
“I think we’ve continued to get better at what we do across all four records. Our sound has become more consistent and our identity has got stronger with time.”
RAMzine: What’s next for The Answer?
“We’ve just released a bunch more tour dates for February and march which will take us back round Ireland, the UK and Germany. We plan to travel to Japan and the states before the summer festival season kicks in as well. We’re keeping busy.”
Thank You Cormac!
Catch The Answer on tour in 2014…
