BAD TOUCH VENUE – The Waterloo, Blackpool DATE – 28th September 2023BAD TOUCH VENUE The Waterloo, Blackpool

Words and photographs – Graeme Wright

Additional photography – Nicola Warren

REVIEW

Bad Touch was formed in 2010 and hails from Norfolk. They play an upbeat brand of Rock music with a heavy Blues influence and even a touch of Country about their sound. This was my first time seeing them in the flesh but everyone I’d spoken to said I was in for a treat and they weren’t wrong. There is something about The Waterloo venue in Blackpool that creates a real connection between the band and the audience and tonight is no different. By the time Bad Touch hits the stage the whole place is buzzing and as Stevie Westwood and the rest of the crew emerge from the shadows there is a real sense of anticipation amongst the audience.

‘I Get High’ from the ‘Kiss The Sky’ album is first up and I’m immediately getting a huge Black Crowes vibe from this outfit (indeed, Bad Touch have actually been out on the road with that band.) ‘Strut’ is a huge song and Westwood is every inch the Rock star with his amazing voice and silky stage moves. He is ably supported by the rest of the band who are musicians of the highest quality and they simply own this stage and indeed this audience tonight. ‘Lift Your Head Up’ is an arena-quality song and this place is already bouncing. The majority of the crowd knows this song word for word and are happily singing along with the frontman.

‘Wise Water’ was the first song I ever heard from Bad Touch and it’s a proper Southern boogie old-school track, while ‘Too Many Times’ has a touch of AC-DC about it at the start but always retains the band’s own memorable sound and style. It’s worth mentioning how great the guitarists are in this band and how tight everything sounds considering this is the first show of the tour. ‘Good On Me’ is another song from the band’s first album and causes some momentary confusion with my missus who asks why they are singing “Tell me where you buy your cheese” before finally realising they are talking about jeans…

The band are clearly having a great time at this stage of the proceedings and the air of supreme confidence and belief in what they are doing is clear to everyone in the room. ‘Dressed To Kill’ has always reminded me of early Aerosmith and the band really do it justice here with high energy levels and a real synergy between every member of the band. ‘See It To Believe It’ is a new song from the forthcoming album ‘Bittersweet Satisfaction’ and has a real level of maturity about it which bodes really well for the new record. ‘Spend My Time’ is another high-quality song while ‘Let Go’ is a personal favourite from the ‘Kiss The Sky’ album, with its huge bluesy groove which matches Lynyrd Skynyrd at their finest.

We are on the home straight now and ‘Hand In My Pocket’ is another new song to me but one that is still greeted like an old friend by this crowd. ‘Come A Little Closer’ is one of the band’s best-known compositions and they absolutely kill it with their exemplary performance tonight. It’s clearly the biggest crowd singalong of the entire evening and this audience is having a great time. ‘Nothing Wrong With That’ is another new song and I told the band afterwards that it’s the best thing they have ever done. This is their epic, starting with just the singer on stage before he is joined one at a time by each band member to play their individual parts before coming together for a mind-blowing track which has me drooling with anticipation for the new album. The final song of the night is crowd favourite ‘99%’ and everyone is dancing and singing until the song is over and the band leave the stage to huge plaudits from a grateful audience.

The band are happy to meet their audience after the show, chatting with fans and signing CDs and merchandise for a crowd who are still buzzing after such a great performance. A word about the venue. Ian Fletcher has created something very special here in Blackpool and he should be proud that he is bringing so many people together with some brilliant bands who are literally queuing up to play a gig at this wonderful establishment. I’ll be back very soon and can’t wait to see what’s lined up for next year.

Band

Stevie Westwood – Vocals

Rob Glendinning – Lead Guitar

Daniel ‘Seeks’ Seekings – Guitar/Vocals

Michael Bailey – Bass

George Drewry – Drums/Vocals

SETLIST

1. I Get High
2. Strut
3. Lift Your Head Up
4. Wise Water
5. Too Many Times
6. Good On Me
7. Dressed To Kill
8. See It To Believe It
9. Spend My Days
10. Let Go
11. Hand In My Pocket
12. Come A Little Closer
13. Nothing Wrong With That
14. 99%