It was a humid but cloudy morning as
Bad Touch left Dereham behind for an afternoon performance at the
country's biggest free music festival in Peterborough, but the midday
sun soon burned through and brought with it the hottest day of the
year so far.
With a 1.40pm start time, there was
little opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of the festival before
the boys took to the stage in the GP tent, instead many of the Bad
Touch faithful used the time to get amongst the crowds handing out
wristbands and generating interest.
It clearly worked as the tent filled up
with people of all ages ready to enjoy a bit of good old fashioned
rock & roll, and, after a last-minute set list change, the tent
shook with the sound of AC/DC's classic 'Whole lotta Rosie'.
Once the crowds were hooked, the boys
introduced some of their own quality tracks, including 'Dr
Heartbreak', 'Too late' and 'Waiting on the morning light' – a
personal favourite which shows off the qualities of each band member
to perfection.
Bad Touch as usual had a little bit of
fun with 'Preacher', which was lapped up by the growing audience in
the tent – which might have been a shelter from the blistering sun,
but there was no escape from the stifling humidity, so it was no
surprise the boys – led by Rob G on guitar, made the most of the
bluesy instrumental before kicking into top gear again for latest
single 'Mirror man'.
'One last chance' came next to show
that Bad Touch are anything but a one trick band; as well as the
high-tempo, blow-your-eardrums rock & roll party tracks, the
boys are capable of well-written, melodic rock ballads too, and play
them with as much passion and quality as every song they perform.
Highlighting another of their musical
influences, Stevie introduced the Led Zeppelin classic 'Rock &
roll' to the delight of the crowd, and the boys finished their 40
minute set with the epic, former 'Tourdates Unsigned Chart' number 1, 'Down' – on the same day it was announced that 'Outta the dark' had also claimed top spot in the chart.
After a rapturous applause, the crowds
dispersed and the band cleared away their gear and had an opportunity
to check out the other sights and sounds of the Willow Festival. In
the shadow of the beautiful Peterborough Cathedral, and set on the
banks of the River Nene, the event welcomed around 50,000 people over
three days and there was plenty of entertainment on offer.
Independent concession stalls and
alternative food outlets dominated one edge of the festival grounds,
while the opposite side was populated by a funfair to keep the kids
entertained. Showcasing musical skills from acoustic folk to heavy
metal and everything in between, there were various tents dotted
around the park, so there was plenty to see and do. The acoustic tent
stood like a beacon in the centre of the green and the other stages
fanned out from there. It was impossible to watch every act over the
weekend, but there's no doubting its appeal, as thousands poured in
to soak up the atmosphere, and, of course, the beautiful weather.
Bad Touch now take a three week break
before the next performance in their spiritual home (and the place
which saw me write my first review!) the King Edward VII in Norwich
on 3rd August, before travelling to Martham for Vicfest
the following day.
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