Norfolk blues-rockers Bad Touch announced a change in the ranks as guitarist Rob Glendinning has left the group. The band issued the following statement earlier today:
“It’s a very sad day as we announce our friend and brother Rob is stepping away from Bad Touch.
After being a cornerstone of the band for over a decade he has decided to focus on his family commitments, a decision we support him in whole-heartedly. We wish him all the happiness in the world, in everything that he does and we thank him for all his hard work within the band and wish him nothing but the best for his future.
We thank you for all the good times, the laughs, and the face melting solos.
We’d like to announce that our good friend Todd Winger will be stepping in for the three shows next weekend. So we’ll see you there.
August
23 – The Carlisle – Hastings
24 – The Parish – Huddersfield
25 – Thunder In The Glens – Scotland
Please join us in sharing love and support to Rob, without him we wouldn’t be the band we are today.”
Bad Touch released their fifth studio album, Bittersweet Satisfaction, in November 2023 via Marshall Records.
Bittersweet Satisfaction sees Bad Touch back, bigger, and bolder than ever before. The band combines classic rock riffs with choruses destined for stadiums, and their signature fun loving attitude to create a some of their best work to date. The record is a ray of positive energy, a celebration of living in the moment and leaving your troubles at the door.
“We are a feel-good, good-time rock’n’roll band.” So says guitarist Daniel “Seeks” Seekings, and really, why does it need to be more complicated than that? It’s been recorded and finished for half a year, and – with a more polished, mainstream sound than they’ve explored before, but still with its roots in the classic rock of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and The Black Crowes – the band are bursting to let it loose on the world.
“We’ve never sat on anything that long because we’re like kids in a candy shop, as soon as we write something, we want to get out there and play stuff,” says frontman Stevie Westwood. “So, it’s very exciting. It’s slightly more mature. I love every song. It’s a different sound for Bad Touch. It’s less balls-to-the-wall rock, and the songs seem a bit more thoughtful rather than just kind of exploded out of a tin can.”
Bittersweet Satisfaction finds Bad Touch with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. Recorded at The Marshall Studio in Milton Keynes, it was self-produced by the band, engineered by Marshall’s Adam Beer and Ollie Brightman, then mixed in Wales by Motörhead / Bring Me The Horizon producer Romesh Dodangoda, who has made the drums sound suitably immense. A collection of classic rock anthems with heart and soul to spare, it’s sparked grand but relatable ambitions in the Bad Touch camp, a desire to give up the day jobs and dedicate their lives to rock’n’roll, and maybe even, Seeks hopes, have a shot at hitting the charts. Really, though, it’s all about the live experience, the coming together of likeminded people to celebrate the healing powers of music.
“I love meeting new people,” says Seeks. “The ultimate thing is being on stage. Especially if you’ve got a roomful of people who are really enjoying the music that you’ve created.”
“There are so many people that come up and shake my hand and go, ‘Your music has really helped me’, and that’s a really special thing,” adds Westwood. “I think that’s why music resonates with people; they want to feel that their emotions are validated. That’s what I always long for when I come to songwriting – I want to write a song that someone can resonate with and go, ‘I’ve been here, and this is not necessarily a lovely place, but as long as there’s someone else who’s feeling the same emotions, then at least I’m not alone.’ Doing the nine-to-five is okay, as long as you got a Bad Touch gig at the end of the week.”
Bittersweet Satisfaction artwork and tracklisting:
“Slip Away”
“This Life”
“Spend My Days”
“Bittersweet Satisfaction”
“Nothing Wrong With That”
“Taste This”
“Tonight”
“Come Back Again”
“See It To Believe It”
“Dizzy For You”
(Photo courtesy of Blackham Images)