PLANET ROCK ROADSTARS | MUSIC PREVIEW
Two young dynamic rock bands, Broken Witt Rebels [left] and Bad Touch [below], hit the road through March and April. The road trip breaks into Cardiff at The Globe on Sun 2 Apr. Both groups are gaining attention for their dynamic, rock-infused blues with hints of southern heat in their vocal expression; guitars that rock and rhythms that swirl with deep, dark hidden secrets.
Broken Witt Rebels’ influences – The Doors, early Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, Ocean Colour Scene and the Britpop of their youth – have shaped their sound, as heard throughout latest EP Georgia Pines. No wonder the singles got so much airplay on Planet Rock – now Cardiff can hear them live. When asked about the tour, frontman Danny Core said, “Cardiff, one thing for sure is we are hungry to play our music, get noticed. We want to be a success, to be remembered – we are not looking for 15 minutes of fame then fade away. We’re even coming back to play the Steelhouse Festival in July.”
Danny’s voice has been described as the Joe Cocker of Midlands rock. It is loud, bold and full of energy. Rebellious as the Broken Witt Rebels sound may be, there’s nothing broken about it – just as there’s nothing bad about meeting the Norwich-based Bad Touch.
Bad Touch singer Stevie Westwood’s early influences were AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses and lots of disco such as Kool And The Gang, plus Red Hot Chili Peppers spiced with lots of Southern rock. Westwood is a vocalist who leads the band from the front, curling the power of lyrics around the melody set down by his bandmates. New guitarist Harry Slater, especially, is getting lots of attention for all the right reasons.
Bad Touch are feelgood rock: they want audiences to have a good time. “We are going to nail the tour out on the road with Broken Witt Rebels blow them off the stage, especially in Cardiff,” Westwood says. With the opportunity to showcase the current album Truth Be Told, he adds: “The whole album has lots of feeling, a more mature sound than [previous album] Halfway Home with a mix of anger and darker emotions – plus some happy feelgood songs. For me, the album is an open book of truths and we want people who listen to take from the lyrics what they can. Our feelgood southern spiced rock is going to help us connect with lots of new people – we want to meet you all In Cardiff.”
Planet Rock Roadstars, The Globe, Cardiff, Sun 2 Apr. Tickets: £14. Info: www. globecardiffmusic.com
words LIZ AIKEN photos TX63 MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY / JOHANN WIERZBICK