Words by DJ Monk. Photos by The Dark Queen.
When an artist steps away from a project in which they have been deeply involved for most of their adult life, it can be a cathartic experience, but also a revelatory one, in terms of allowing the individual concerned to explore new avenues for their creativity. And so it has proven for Cormac Neeson, best known to UR readers as frontman of high-octane Northern Ireland hard rockers The Answer, who have been on an extended hiatus for the last two years. Not that the charismatic singer has been idle in that time: far from it. In addition to pursuing various outside business interests, including vocal coaching, he has used the opportunity to not only hone his songwriting skills but to take them in a different direction, resulting in the deeply personal ‘White Feather’ album, released earlier this year.
Tonight saw him rounding off what has been a busy and productive year by returning to his spiritual second musical home, a venue whose stage he has graced on many occasions, although, as he himself admits, usually in a rowdier, and much louder, fashion than this show delivers. Tonight, we are not faced with Neeson the rocker. No, this evening we are graced with the company of Neeson the storyteller, both in terms of the songs he sings and the tales he relates. It is also a much smaller audience than one would expect, no more than 40-50 people: a far cry from his days playing to tens of thousands in stadia in far-flung corners of the Überverse. But that is part of the beauty of this particular performance: those who have made the effort are genuinely here to listen to the man and what he has to say and sing.
As a result, Neeson delivers one of the best vocal performances ever seen in this intimate venue. His voice is rich and clear, as he runs the full gamut of his range, singing from the very depths of his heart and his soul. He is more than ably backed by The Unholy Gospel Band, a collective of musicians with whom he explores his love of blues and gospel music on a weekly basis in a Belfast city centre bar (well, when he’s not out on the road, of course), who allow the nuances of these deeply personal songs – several of them are about his oldest son – to flow and ebb around the room. Of course, the ‘White Feather’ album gets a complete airing – although he does resist the temptation to which many other artists succumb by not performing it in order – along with a smattering of well-chosen covers, including Blind Willie Johnson’s ‘John The Revelator’ and Nina Simone’s ‘Sinnerman’.
Tonight showed that music works best when it is at its most personal. The vast majority of us can identify with the experiences which Neeson extrapolates in his lyrics, and the stories he tells of his journey to this point in his life. It was a cathartic and revelatory performance from a songwriter who is blossoming in the freedom that flying solo allows him.
- ‘White Feather’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
www.facebook.com/cormacneesonsolo
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © The Dark Queen/Über Rock. You can view our full gallery of photographs HERE.
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.