Answer drummer injures hand, band reschedules tour dates...

Irish rockers-on-the-up The Answer have had to post-pone a string of April UK club shows due to a broken bone in drummer James Heatley's left hand. The band is currently preparing a stand-in drummer for their support slots with AC/DC this week.

The affected April headline shows will be:

20 - Belfast Mandela Hall
24 - Nottingham Rescue rooms
25 - Glasgow Grand Central

The band have quickly rescheduled those dates as follows:

29 June - Belfast Mandela Hall
2 July - Glasgow Grand Central
3 July - Nottingham Rescue rooms

In a statment singer Cormac Neeson said: “We are bitterly disappointed to have to postpone our UK headline shows especially for all our fans who have been waiting so patiently for so long. We have left the decision to the absolute last minute in the hope that the medical problem with our drummer James might get better. Unfortunately his hand is now in a cast and he is in immense pain. He has struggled using pain-killers to get through the recent 30 minute support sets on the AC/DC tour and whilst he could perform a short support set, it is a medical impossibility for him to perform a full one hour and fifteen minute headline set at present. We are all very upset that we cannot play our full headline show and have rescheduled the postponed shows as soon as we could.

"Furthermore and as a token of our appreciation to all our disappointed fans we will provide a free and new limited signed tour poster for everyone who has purchased a ticket and this will be distributed at the rescheduled shows. Once again we are very sorry at not being able to perform but you know we would never postpone any show unless it was an absolute necessity and in this case we are all hoping that James will make a swift and speedy recovery."

In other more positive news, the band has announced a massive UK headline tour for Nov/Dec 09. Check out www.theanswer.ie to see if they're playing your town!