Entertainment

Noise Annoys: The Unholy Gospel Band on Sundays

The Unholy Gospel Band play at Aether & Echo in Belfast on Sunday afternoons
The Unholy Gospel Band play at Aether & Echo in Belfast on Sunday afternoons The Unholy Gospel Band play at Aether & Echo in Belfast on Sunday afternoons

CORMAC Neeson, flame-haired shouter with Co Down rockers The Answer, has a new Sunday job to keep him out of mischief while the band are home from tour for the winter.

The Belfast-based frontman will be getting spiritual with his side-project The Unholy Gospel band, a quintet who begin a new residency at Belfast city centre watering hole/restaurant Aether & Echo this weekend.

"It's basically borrowing the American 'gospel brunch' format," explains Neeson, who has seen his fair share of this sort of thing while criss-crossing the US with The Answer.

"I conceived the idea while touring America and passing through those great music cities like Chicago, Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans, places where you could be dandering down the street on any given Sunday and hear this great gospel music blasting from a bar on the main drag.

"You'd be handed a bowl of gumbo and a Bloody Mary on your way in and then sit back and enjoy all this great music."

If you like the sound of that, be advised that Belfast will soon have its very own version to help you sweat and sway your morning after the night before cares away: The Unholy Gospel Band will be at the service of saints and sinners alike every Sunday as the live soundtrack to an Unholy Gospel Brunch between 1pm and 4pm.

"I figured, Belfast is thriving with regards to the various folk bands, blues bands and country bands you can go and see, but an authentic gospel band is something that hasn't really been tried before," elaborates Neeson.

"Gospel music drawing on all of those genres could be a very natural fit for the city and Northern Ireland in general."

Having hatched his plan on the road in the US, The Answer man set about recruiting his fellow missionaries once back on Irish soil – and was delighted to discover that the project was not a hard sell for the folks he had in mind.

"All my first picks were up for it, which surprised me," Neeson enthuses of his fellow Unholy rollers.

"I've got Michael Mormecha from Mojo Fury and Malojian on drums and vocals, Claire McCartney from a band called Vokxen on keys and vocals – she's got a great booming voice that works well with my own – Andy Toman on guitar and vocals and Eamon Hanlon from Downpatrick on bass, who actually filled in for Mickey (Watters, Answer bassman) on a tour before Christmas.

"So it's a great line-up. We've also got a really good pot of songs to work from, so we're busy piecing the set together."

Indeed, you can expect to hear familiar gospel standards like The Old Landmark, Testify and Wade In The Water plus gospel-informed rock numbers like Angel From Montgomery, Mercedes Benz et al while enjoying Aether & Echo's authentically southern US-flavoured Unholy Gospel Brunch menu.

"It's an all-ages affair," comments Neeson of the residency. "We're playing for anyone who wants to enjoy the music, from Saturday night sinners to families on a Sunday afternoon outing.

"There's really nothing else to do in Belfast city centre on a Sunday afternoon apart from St George's Market, so hopefully we can provide something a bit different to come along and enjoy."

The Unholy Gospel Band make their debut this Sunday afternoon – but Answer fans should have no fear that their heroes have split. According to their frontman, the rocking Co Down bluesbreakers will be back with a new LP and plenty of touring in 2016.

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