Solas (album)
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The Answer are a
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band from
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
and
Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Down Cathedral, Its cathedral is sai ...
,
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, Northern Ireland, UK. They have achieved success with their debut album ''
Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
'' selling in excess of 30,000 copies in the UK and Europe, 10,000 on day one in Japan and 100,000 worldwide.


History


Formation

The Answer were formed in 2000 by guitarist Paul Mahon, whose father was a jazz trumpeter and member of seminal
Irish showband The Irish showband () was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the 1950s to the 1980s, with its peak in the 1960s. These bands typically had seven to ten members, including a rhythm section and a brass section with various combinations o ...
The Freshmen, who released three albums on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
and toured with the likes of the
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...
. Aged 18, Paul knew he wanted to put together a rock band and mentioned it to bassist Micky Waters, an old school friend who had been in numerous cover bands around
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
. James Heatley, who had played as
Ash Ash is the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the ...
's stand-in live drummer in 1993, was recruited to be the drummer for The Answer. Paul called him up only to find that he was about to take his finals at University, so the trio waited whilst James completed his degree in Psychology. In late June 2000, the four of them got together for their debut rehearsal. 2001 was spent writing, rehearsing, gigging locally and building up a set The Answer. By 2002, the band had attracted the attention of MCD promotions in Ireland, (the company who recently bought out the Mean Fiddler Group, alongside Clear Channel), who put them on as openers at the Witnness Festival that year. Eamonn Keyes, owner of Doghouse Studios recorded them before they were signed.


Early recognition

In 2005, ''
Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
'' magazine voted The Answer as Best New Band 2005, which brought them even more exposure. The Answer then went on to co-headline the first
Nokia Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...
'New School of Rock' Tour, with
Tokyo Dragons The Tokyo Dragons were an English, London-based hard rock band. They achieved success in the UK and worldwide after releasing two successful albums and touring with Nashville Pussy, The Quireboys, Status Quo, Do Me Bad Things and Winnebago ...
and The Sound Explosion. Shortly afterwards, in November 2005, came their second official release – the single "Never Too Late". They supported
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
at an intimate show at the
London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England, that operated from 1976 to 2009. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in t ...
on 17 January 2006.


''Rise'' (2005–2008)

Afterwards came "Into the Gutter" which was released on 29 May 2006 via 7" vinyl and download only, shortly followed by debut album ''Rise'' released on 26 June 2006. The album received acclaim from ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' and ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'' amongst others, and was nominated for ''Classic Rock'' magazine's 'Album of the Year' and Best British Newcomer at the 2006 Kerrang! awards. The Answer played several festivals over the summer months, as well as a support slot with
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...
throughout their UK tour. The band also managed to secure themselves another support slot with
Paul Rodgers Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is an English-Canadian singer. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free (band), Free, Bad Company, The Firm (rock band), the Firm and The Law (English band), the L ...
at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in early October 2006. This was followed by a co-headlining tour with fellow Rockers
Roadstar Roadstar was a British rock band formed in 2002. The group originally went under the name Hurricane Party and disbanded in April 2007. A year later several of the members, together with Sid Glover, formed Heaven's Basement. In 2016, former band ...
on a tour across the UK and Europe, with further support coming from American blues-rock band
Rose Hill Drive Rose Hill Drive is an American rock band. The group is often aligned with other bands that are reviving traditional hard rock and early metal–psychedelic. Combining hard-driving rock and blues with modern touches and arrangements, they are of ...
. The band was once again touring, with dates in Australia and across Europe before eventually returning for dates in Ireland and to start work on their follow-up to ''Rise''. The band were an opening act for
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
on 24 June 2007 at
Hyde Park Calling Calling Festival (formerly Hyde Park Calling and Hard Rock Calling) was an annual music festival, formerly held in Hyde Park, London, from 2006 until 2012, and from 2013 in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. In September 2013, Hard Rock I ...
. The single "Be What You Want" was released on 19 March 2007, and is currently available via download-only. The Answer decided to re-issue the ''
Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
'' album as a promotion for their summer shows and because there had been so many people complaining about download only singles. A second disc adds to the original ''
Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
'', featuring all the relevant b-sides that had not been released physically and some tracks that were recorded for the album but left off. The second disc has 15 unreleased songs on it and was released 18 June 2007. They also
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...
the
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
song "Sweet Emotion" for a free ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
'' CD. This was included on the second disc of the Special Edition of the ''Rise'' album. The summer of 2007 also saw the band support The Rolling Stones at huge open-air gigs in Belgrade (Serbia), and Düsseldorf (Germany), and The Who in Dublin (Ireland). They played a live set at the Planet Rock Radio Christmas Party, on 11 December 2007 at the
Islington Academy The O2 Academy Islington, formerly known as the Carling Academy Islington, is an indoor music venue situated in the N1 Shopping Centre accessible via Upper Street and Liverpool Road, in the London Borough of Islington. It is run by the Academy ...
, London, during which they were joined on stage by
Paul Rodgers Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is an English-Canadian singer. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free (band), Free, Bad Company, The Firm (rock band), the Firm and The Law (English band), the L ...
(vocalist for
Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the difference betw ...
and
Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...
). Recordings of this concert were released as '' Live at Planet Rock Xmas Party''. The band played at a
Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...
memorial benefit gig in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, when
bass player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low bra ...
Micky Waters played Phil Lynott's black bass, becoming the first person to do so since Lynott's death. The same instrument is used by Waters in the
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Keep Believin'".
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drummer), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar, ...
's lead singer
Joe Elliott Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August 1959) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of the hard rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of the David Bowie tribute band the ...
is a fan of the band and during an interview with AOL has cited them as a possible influence to the way their forthcoming album will sound. Former
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
guitarist
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
is also a fan and has attended several of the band's gigs and stated so at the 2005 ''Classic Rock'' magazine Roll of Honour Awards.


''Never Too Late''

The band finally began to establish some inroads with American audiences when they signed with the indie label
The End Records The End Records is a record label in Manhattan that specialized in rock, heavy metal, indie, and electronic music. History Early years (1998–2005) The End Records was founded by Andreas Katsambas in Pasadena, California, with the goal of ...
for U.S. distribution. As part of the agreement, the Answer released an EP in 2008 called ''Never Too Late'', which contained a track from Rise as well as a song, "Highwater or Hell", that would appear on their forthcoming full-length album ''
Everyday Demons ''Everyday Demons'' is the second studio album by Irish rock band The Answer (band), The Answer. It was released on 2 March 2009 in the UK and 31 March 2009 in the US. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at #25. Style and composition Acco ...
''. Also aiding their visibility, the group were named as the opening act for the North American leg as well as the European leg of
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
's
Black Ice World Tour The Black Ice World Tour was a 2008–2010 concert tour by Australian rock band AC/DC, in support of their fifteenth studio album '' Black Ice'', which was released on 20 October 2008. This tour had 8 legs around the world lasting more than 2 ...
which began 28 October 2008.


''Everyday Demons''

In June 2008, they played a short set at the Isle of Wight Festival. A few days later they went to L.A. to record their second album with John Travis. ''
Everyday Demons ''Everyday Demons'' is the second studio album by Irish rock band The Answer (band), The Answer. It was released on 2 March 2009 in the UK and 31 March 2009 in the US. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at #25. Style and composition Acco ...
'' is now commercially available worldwide. Sharing mixing duties are
Tim Palmer Tim Palmer may refer to: * Tim Palmer (film historian) (born 1975), English film historian * Tim Palmer (journalist), Australian journalist * Tim Palmer (1943-1997), British technology journalist * Tim Palmer (physicist) (born 1952), English physic ...
and Mike Fraser.


Tour with AC/DC

The Answer opened for
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
on the 2008 and 2009 legs of the
Black Ice World Tour The Black Ice World Tour was a 2008–2010 concert tour by Australian rock band AC/DC, in support of their fifteenth studio album '' Black Ice'', which was released on 20 October 2008. This tour had 8 legs around the world lasting more than 2 ...
, and was probably the most worldwide exposure the band has received to date.


Late 2009–2016

The band played some small headline shows in between their dates with AC/DC in North America in August 2009. This was followed by a 15-date tour of the UK during November/December 2009 and a 3-show Spanish tour in March 2010. On 3 October, the band released its third studio album ''
Revival Revival most often refers to: *Resuscitation of a person *Language revival of an extinct language *Revival (sports team) of a defunct team *Revival (television) of a former television series *Revival (theatre), a new production of a previously pro ...
'', and a DVD, titled '' 412 Days of Rock 'n' Roll'', containing performances from opening AC/DC's
Black Ice World Tour The Black Ice World Tour was a 2008–2010 concert tour by Australian rock band AC/DC, in support of their fifteenth studio album '' Black Ice'', which was released on 20 October 2008. This tour had 8 legs around the world lasting more than 2 ...
. The DVD also came with a bonus CD of live recordings and two new studio recordings. The Answer were to be undertaking a co-headline tour of the UK and Europe through late autumn and winter of 2016 with The Dead Daisies.


2017–present

The Answer conducted a UK tour based around the new single "In This Land". The tour's set list was dominated by the new album ''Solas'' (2016) but featuring some of the band's most well-known pieces such as "Waste Your Tears", "Demon Eyes" and guitarist Paul Mahon's favourite "Come Follow Me". The nine day tour featured venues such as Limelight Belfast, Manchester Band on the wall and Southampton Rescue Rooms. The band was followed by a solo documentary maker called Philip Thompson. Thompson followed the band's tour and filmed an exclusive behind the scenes film that gives fans an in depth look into what the band get up to when not on stage. The film features the band's music throughout and also highlights the areas of what life is like for a touring rock band. The film was set for release in May 2017.


Songs in other media

The song "Never Too Late" is featured in the ''
Guitar Hero World Tour ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall installment in the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was launched in North A ...
'' video game. The song "Into the Gutter" is featured in the soundtrack to the video game " Pure" The song "Piece By Piece" is featured in the video game '' Dirt: Showdown''.


Discography


Studio albums


Other albums


Singles and EPs


References


External links


The Answer official websiteAnswerTV – Official Videos on YouTube
with Rock Radio Northern Ireland

at Rocklouder
BBC Cormac Neeson InterviewInterview with Paul Mahon
at Onemetal {{DEFAULTSORT:Answer, The Hard rock musical groups from Northern Ireland Musical groups established in 2000 Musical groups from County Down Musical quartets from Northern Ireland Albert Productions artists