A sold out Friday night at the Ebbw Vale Steelhouse is nothing really out of the ordinary, but what is out of the ordinary tonight is the Rock 'n' Roll band about to set foot on the Steelhouse stage.  As headline act tonight is a group that have leapt from relative obscurity over a matter of years ago into what can very easily be considered the premier league of rock.  After spending the majority of 2008/2009 touring the globe as special guests of AC/DC on their 'Black Ice' tour and now as album number three 'Revival' hits the shelves the accompanying extensive UK tour rolls up in Ebbw Vale for a solitary welsh date (and a tip of the hat to the Steelhouse crew for pulling this one off) yes that's right please welcome one of Belfast's finest musical exports The Answer.....

But first up onto the stage cometh tour support Gentleman's Pistols blasting out their own twisted brand of 70's stoner rock. Belting out tunes like 'Lisa' 'Widow Maker' 'Sherman Tank' and 'Some Girls Don't Know What's Good For Them' vocalist/guitarist James Atkinson leads the way in his own left handed Charlie Manson imitable style. And with an overall Rock Goes To College vibe banging it out of the PA it's easy to forget that really is ex-Carcass/Napalm Death guitar-fella Bill Steer up there driving the red hot atmosphere with some classic foot stomping Sab's inspired grooves.  Their set's intensity builds to the point where well deserved applause rings out around the venue long after the guys have disappeared from view, and leaves many a person around me declaring Gentleman's Pistols to be the best band ever to have played the Steelhouse....That is until.

You can almost feel the anticipation moving the foundations of the Steelhouse as Thin Lizzy blasts over the P.A. and the room moves as one.  Then as the lights dim the intro tape kicks in and its time as singer Cormac Neeson bellows "Ebbw Vale are you alright?" Bounding onto the stage for opener 'Under the Sky' the South Wales valleys come together as one to welcome The Answer.  This really is the business, as 'Trouble' cuts to 'Into The Gutter' and then the musically infectious new single 'Vida (I Want You)' batters the Steelhouse audience around the head full on. 'Tornado' comes complete with some Welsh Rugby comments to keep the masses enthusiastic on the eve of their Nation's big game the following morning whilst 'Evil Man' is followed by some twiddly fretwork from the fingers of Paul Mahon to keep the guitar aficionados happy.  With his cool persona and feel for the guitar the rock 'n' roll action is intensifying by every passing second 'Too Far Gone' gives way to 'Comfort Zone' and 'Piece By Piece' comes counterbalanced with some grand crowd banter and participation. 'Preachin',  'Why'd You Change Your Mind' and 'One More Revival' bring the set to an electrifying and sweat drenched end and the final crescendo from the Belfast lads is almost drowned out by the screams and cheers from every corner of the room.  The boys returning triumphantly for encores of 'Sometimes Your Love' and 'Waste Your Tears' safe in the knowledge that tonight at least Ireland totally conquered Wales.

The Steelhouse live reviews will be continued ...............but it's gonna take something really special to better this..

Love It Live!