UK Rockers Bad Touch have already produced two great records that are more than worthy of your attention but their third album ‘Shake a Leg’ really is their crowning glory…. so far. If you love bluesy, southern-tinged hard rock you can’t miss this one. We caught up with vocalist Stevie Westwood to find out all about it.
Mark: Hi, Stevie, its Mark from The Rockpit, how are you?
Stevie: I’m good, thank you. I didn’t realise you were calling from Australia!
Mark: Yeah, we’re based down here. Its 7pm here, so I’ve just cracked open a beer, in celebration of your new album, “Shake a Leg”! It’s a great album, it’s my favourite of yours so far, I’ve heard the other two, but this is somehow more substantial! What’s it like waiting for a new album to come out after living with the songs for so long?
Stevie: It’s pretty nerve wracking, it’s had a couple of nice reviews, but you never know what the general public are going to like or dislike, but we put so much love and soul, and hard work in to it, and at the end of the day, I believe, it’s up to people what happens to it.
Mark: It’s a fantastic album, I’ve heard it three times now, and it’s immediate, as soon as you crank up “Lift Your Head up” it just doesn’t stop until the end! It is one of those albums that really grabs you!
Stevie: Cheers buddy, thank you.
Mark: We’ve had a couple of decades now of great UK bands, and I think you guys are certainly up there with some of the bigger names, and I’m expecting big things from you! You’ve got a tour kicking off later in the month too, starting in Newcastle, and ending up in Wolverhampton, and you’ve got a couple of decent support bands as well. What’s the local scene like for you? Is there plenty of work out there for you?
Stevie: Yeah, we’re doing ok, you know the old story, we could always have more, but we’re really chuffed to have Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics, and Daxx & Roxanne with us, two great bands, there’ll be real pressure on us to deliver and get better, but we can’t wait really.
Mark: So, tell us about the creation process, how does it work? Are you a band that is constantly writing?
Stevie: Yeah, we’re like everybody we go through dry patches every now and again, but we are generally always writing. We were touring so much in 2016 that the writing fell a bit short, hence why “Shake a Leg” was written slightly differently, we went in to the studio with a couple of songs around Christmas time last year, and that was all we had for album number three, so we knew we had to pull something out of the bag, and be happy to just write anything!! It was the combo of we haven’t actually got an album, and this album needs to be really, really good! So it was high pressure, but we managed to write songs after work and at weekends, our producer Andy, is a really good guy, and said until the album is done the studio is yours. So, we went in to the studio after work and really tried to create something that people would enjoy and listen to, and hopefully come and see us play live.
Mark: It sounds like you work well under pressure in that case! This one’s a bit different though, and looking through the press release it says that you wanted an album to “not only to embody songs that sounded fresh and exciting, but also wanted lyrics to touch fans on a more personal level” songs they could identify with, and I think you’ve achieved that.
Stevie: Yeah, we try and be a feel good kind of funk rock band, but at some point you do have to have some kind of dimension to you, not being pretentious at all but we like to write about stuff that we hope people can relate to, and feelings that we all have at some point in our lives.
Mark: So which is your favourite song on the album? It’s one I can’t decide, it’s one of those albums I just play from start to finish, there’s quite a bit of variety on there too.
Stevie: Yeah, as I said, we’ve always been a band that’s tried to do a bit of variety, I know we’re a rock band and we’re pretty standard in how we do that, but we have some dramatic changes and some general genre changes on the album. My favourite song though is hard because as I like all of them for different reasons! I love “Dressed to Kill” which is a bit different, but then I love “Slow Tempest” because it’s got a completely different vibe for us, but I’m really chuffed with how the whole thing has come out and really chuffed with what us as a team, including our producer, Andy, has been able to come up with.
Mark: Yes, because you’ve got some good changes of mood and tempo on there. “Dressed to Kill” which you mentioned is classic party rock, and “Slow Tempest” is a bit of a “darker” song.
Stevie: Yeah, we were just trying to write a bit about things that everyone feels from time to time, and “Dressed to Kill” we came up with as a song to listen to after a long week at work and you want to go down to the pub, get dressed up and paint the town red!!
Mark: I think we can all relate to that! So, where did it begin for you, what did you grow up listening to? I ask everyone this, was there a moment when it happened or was it a gradual thing?
Stevie: Like a lot of people who get in to music, there was always a lot of music round my house, my family were very musical, my dad loved his Disco, Soul and Motown and that’s what started it. He had loads of CD’s around the house that I used to listen to, and then back then when you’re an “angsty teenager” my best mates were in to Guns and Roses, AC/DC, and it just goes from there, and then I decided I wanted to play guitar, and then I found the guys when I was 18/19 and they were looking for a singer, and that was it! That was Bad Touch! I should say, actually the guys found me!
Mark: Fantastic. It seems to be that age old story; the two bands that you mentioned seem to have launched many a career! You couldn’t get two better bands.
Stevie: AC/DC were certainly one of my biggest influences, it’s not too complicated, everyone loves that kind of vibe.
Mark: What can we expect from you as a live band, I’ve never been lucky enough to have been back in the UK, when Bad Touch has played?
Stevie: All we like to do is put a smile on people’s faces, anyone who has seen us, will tell you that we’re smiling from ear to ear when we’re on stage because it’s our life, it’s our life blood, it’s what we want to do, and it’s what we’ve all wanted to do since we were rowdy teenagers! All we hope from a live show is that people turn up and they have a really good time and can forget about all the politics and whatever’s going on throughout the week and just have a good time, and that’s about it really!
Mark: Yes, we all need a bit of escapism sometimes, a good night out, decent music and a couple of ales!!
Stevie: That’s it, good beer, good friends and a good time all around!
Mark: Are there any plans to take the band overseas after you’ve played the UK?
Stevie: Definitely. We’ve just been lucky enough to have been signed to Marshall Records, and it’s a worldwide distribution deal, and worldwide hopefully means worldwide!! As a band we’re not by any means old, but we’re not getting any younger, so we’re desperate to go to Europe, and America, and hopefully even further afield, I mean we’d love to come to Australia. Personally I’ve wanted to come to Australia for quite a few years as I’ve got friends there, we’ve toured with a few Aussie bands, it would be nice to go and play on their turf! So, yes, we’d love to!
Mark: Melbourne is the place to be over here, it’s like the rock capital of Australia, it’s where it’s all happening as far as our rock music is concerned! Back in the day we always thought, especially in the 60’s and 70’s that music could change the world, what are your thoughts these days?
Stevie: I think that’s why any musician gets in to it; you always want to make a difference, even if it’s just to one person. I’m still choked up; just yesterday there was a young boy from Scotland who was covering our single “Skyman”, and I was thinking how does he feel that our music is worthy enough of his time, to learn, and to have that effect on someone is so profound. You believe music can change the world because it’s a universal language, and people want that feeling of hope, but obviously I’m a bit biased because I’m a musician!
Mark: I think you’re right. If you could have been a fly on the wall for the creation of any great album, which one would it be for you?
Stevie: That’s hard! My favourite album of all time is Led Zep 2, it’s just got some stonking tracks on there, and I would have loved to see some of the creative process that went on behind some of those songs, so that would probably be the one for me.
Mark: There’s not a lot of people who pick that album, they usually choose other ones by Led Zeppelin, but for me it’s that one too, it’s a great album. If you had a booking at a restaurant and there were three people you could bring with you, living or dead, from any period of rock history, who would you, have around the table?
Stevie: Bloody hell!! These aren’t easy ones!! I would have to say, it’s got to be Robert Plant, because he’s arguably my biggest influence as a vocalist, and maybe Brian Johnson because he just seems to be a massive laugh all the time, and maybe have Brian and Bon around the same table, that would be funny wouldn’t it?!! Let’s go for those three.
Mark: It certainly would! That would be very memorable! My final question and you thought the others were hard, but one we ask all our interviewees, is what is the meaning of life?
Stevie: Oh, man!! Importantly, I think it’s just live music, the feeling you get, I don’t believe anyone who says they are not touched or moved by music, and even if it does very little for you, I still feel that music has got a connection to something that we don’t truly understand, and I think it’s probably linked in there somewhere to what goes on. It’s that feeling you get when you see a band you like or dislike.
Mark: I know what you mean; I get goose bumps when I hear certain songs! So, your tour in the UK kicks off 17th October in Newcastle and goes through in to November. What are the plans for next year? Is there anything on the agenda?
Stevie: We are planning on hitting everywhere next year, just touring really hard again, obviously with “Shake a Leg” and just see how far we can push the Bad Touch gravy train really! We just want to be out there playing live shows in front of people.
Mark: You’ve had some great supports over the years, with not necessarily big bands, but you supported Tyketto, with my mate Danny Vaughan, a lovely guy, and hopefully you had a great time with them?
Stevie: Amazing guys, and yeah, Danny is an absolute gent, and yeah, we have been very lucky with the bands we’ve toured with. There’s been little to no people who I could say were not very nice, everyone has been so supportive of us, and I think that’s because we’re all trying to do the same thing. Everyone knows how hard it is nowadays, why make it any more difficult for anyone?
Mark: Exactly! Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today, and good luck with everything. Take care.
Stevie: Thank you for talking to us, it’s been a pleasure, cheers mate.
