BAD TOUCH

Bittersweet Satisfaction (Marshall)

Bittersweet Satisfaction, the latest full-length release from Norfolk heavy rockers Bad Touch, opens with a bluesy guitar lick then launches into the first of 10 foot-tapping rock’n’roll numbers. Songs are catchy and upbeat – there’s no doom and gloom here, lyrics conveying a message of positivity and hope for a bright future.

Stevie Westwood’s vocals are easy on the ear, a subtle piano adds another element, and the backing singers provide gospel harmonies on the head-swaying Come Back Again – but it’s Daniel Seekings’ guitar work that’s the star of the show. Bittersweet Satisfaction is loaded with powerful riffs and if I had to find one fault, it would be that, at just over half an hour, it feels too short. This isn’t generic classic rock, rather an album you’ll want to play from beginning to end without skipping a track – before going back for more.

words LYNDA NASH