Bad Touch, Shake A Leg - album review
Norfolk lads Bad Touch have dropped their third collection of classic rock party pieces laced with that happy-go-lucky, whisky-tinged feeling of festival fields draped in lazy sunshine.
The five-piece put a lot of faith in the rock 'n' roll sounds of yesteryear, but do so with oomph. This isn't just a tribute to an era past but a collection of their varied influences amalgamated for their own take on the sound.
It's the kind of feeling the hit rockstar movie Almost Famous evokes. Glamour, fun-time lifestyle, groupies and booze (and other such substances). This is what rock should be like, right?
These guys can put a delicious riff together. Take Me Away encapsulates this perfectly on this album. The rising, almost singing guitars from Rob Glendinning and Daniel Seekings that accompany the choruses - and in a lovely little interlude - will have fingers reaching for air equivalents everywhere.
There is nothing glum here. Even when we slow things right down on Believe In Me that same uplifting, foot tapping, backstreet Deep South American diner feeling shines through. A harmonised sing-along chorus is carried by the guitarists as George Drewry punctuates throughout with his hard-punching percussion.
That boy-meets-girl-and-grows-up vibe is provided by I Belong. This is our 'serious' song that sounds part Lynyrd Skynyrd with its sliding guitars that explode into a gravelly AC/DC chorus that allows Stevie Westwood to open his lungs and raise the octaves and decibels. Again, this includes a meandering little guitar solo - there are so many tucked away throughout that each listener will pick a different favourite.
Perhaps this writer's is the arrogant swagger of Show Me What It Means. Here we have the cymbal-led percussion of big stadium rock. You can see the hair flying now. Those guitars show off throughout, playfully teasing the eardrums and seducing them instantly.
Yet there is something a little frustrating in the band's reluctance to move away from the classic rock feel at times and try something different. Maybe that will come later in their careers, but for now this should be purchased and put on the shelves of any collector. It stands up with ease to the rock behemoths of yesteryear.
Rating: 7/10
Bad Touch close their Shake A Leg UK Tour at Bilston's Robin 2 on November 19
