After show openers Logan, who were good and delivered a strong set, if a touch lacking in confidence enter the discovery of the year, The Answer, who swaggered on stage and proceeded to lift the feckin’ roof off.

Being stood with Eckerslike and missus, me old mucker Mick and my missus, we were collectively treated to the raw beauty of a band who have stumbled on a hybrid sound of the Black Crowes, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. Five or six tunes that stunned us into silence, I’m reviewing the CD they had on sale at the gig and making mention of the release of the new single “Never Too Late” through Albert Productions. The band are fresh and ooze class, the sound is stripped down and raw and not lacking in energy.  The “Keep Believing Ep” showcases four tracks that bounce out of the speakers and live they are delivered with an attitude and confidence. 

This band, in the near future, will release a massive selling album, I’m utterly convinced. So it  doesn’t matter what the question is, The Answer is the future.

This was the first gig I’ve been to since the birth of our son last summer and in a cruel sense of irony we got stuck in a twenty-mile tailback on the M6! I couldn’t believe it – 6.30 on a Sunday, in the middle of November, and we were reduced to a crawl…for an hour an a half. Hence we didn’t arrive till late and missed the support bands. 

And according to fellow reviewer Steve Atky a band called The Answer were very good indeed. So much so that he went and bought their mini-CD from the merchandise stall. Arriving late we just caught the tailend of their slot and it sounded bluesy, in a Led Zep kind of way and they seem well worth checking out. 

So what of Alter Bridge? Well I still can’t get me head round the fact that they really are named after an actual bridge. You can’t imagine a new band in Britain calling themselves ‘Clifton Suspension’ really, can you. But somehow it works. A bit like the band themselves. 

Life after ‘Creed’. You better believe it. This band are going to be massive. They have the three basic ingredients that all stadium rock bands require: A genuine guitar hero in Mark Tremonti; a good frontman with a superb recording and live voice, and of course some bloody good songs and signature riffs. Ok that’s four if you count the riffs but you get the gist of it. 

Starting quite naturally with the title track of their debut album (One Day Remains) the band pile-drived into an admittedly short set due to the lack of available material. Tremonti’s guitar was noticeably muddy in the mix for the first few numbers – something that really shouldn’t be happening with all the gear available these days. But things improved and I have to say I was well impressed. 

With songs like the brilliant Zeppelin-esque ‘Watch Your Words’ and the stadium rock ballad ‘Broken Wings’ there’s something for everyone. And yes there were a few member’s of the fairer sex present. My only real niggle was the appearance of two cover-versions: ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ and Zep’s ‘Rock ‘n Roll’. OK they may only have the one album out but I can see this sort of thing down the Dog & Duck on a Saturday night. 

Still they got things back with a brilliant encore that included a stonking version of ‘Open Your Eyes’ and really all Alter Bridge need to do for world domination is bring out a second album. This lot have star material but are refreshingly down to earth. I wish them well.

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