IT’S not often the support band elicits as much excitement as the headliner but that’s exactly what’s been happening since blues stars King King announced Bad Touch would be the support band for their forthcoming UK dates which include The Wharf on Friday, April 21.

Bad Touch are a five-piece band hailing from Norfolk who’ve been turning heads everywhere they go, picking up support slots with major players like The Answer, The Electric Boys and The Quireboys as well as a heap of Hard Rock Hell festival type appearances and Legends of Rock.

They are currently on tour with Broken Witt Rebels as part of Planet Rock’s Roadstars package until April 8 before taking a break, recharging their batteries and then heading out again with King King.

The band — that’s Stevie Westwood (vocals), Harry Slater (lead guitar / vocals), Daniel ‘Seeks’ Seekings (guitar /vocals), Michael Bailey (bass) and George Drewry (drums / vocals) — released their second album If Truth Be Told in 2016. It’s described as a nod or three in the direction of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Crowes, and reviewed as ‘no filler, all killer!’ by many who caught them at Legends of Rock!

Music and entertainment journalist Ellie Hudson hitched up with vocalist Stevie Westwood to have a quick chat prior to their Tavistock visit.

Have you been to Devon before and if not what are you expecting and hoping to see while you’re here? 

We’ve been down your way a couple of times, but not very recently. We’re looking forward to winning you lovely lot over!

You’re still a relatively young band and you’ve been out on tour supporting The Quireboys. Given their reputation for hard drinking rock and rollers weren’t your mums worried sick about you being led astray?

Of course our mums were worried... but I’ll tell you a secret...we were drinking and causing mischief before we met The Quireboys, they just helped us hone the craft!

Describe your sound and performance to those reading this that may not be in the know?

I always describe us as feel-good rock because that’s what I hope we are, if Times readers want a more in-depth analysis of our sound, they will just have to come see us!

You also won the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest, tell us about that?

That was really bizarre! George (drums) entered us online and forgot that he had done so. A week or so passes and he gets an email saying we’ve made it into the top 100 or something. So then we think, ‘Ok we better do something about this..’ So we start tweeting and facebook-ing and we make the top 25! We then get an email saying that the judges have chosen us as one of five acts they’d like to see live! So we bundle in the van and head down to Marshall HQ, play a show with four other great acts and we win! Job done, one of the best days of my life.

You’ve definitely earned your stripes touring with some big hitters like Tyketto, Snakecharmer and The Quireboys, how did the King King gig come about?

I am the wrong guy to ask! I’m just the flouncy singer man who gets piled in the van and would forget his own head if it wasn’t attached. Nevertheless, I am super excited to be touring with a great band like King King, and thankful to all the acts we’ve had the good fortune of supporting over the years who helped us find our feet.

This must be feeling like a pretty huge step up the ladder of recognition for you?

It’s all getting scary now. Having to do these interviews all the time. We want this wave to continue as long as possible.  We’re not gonna rest until we get to where we want to be! 

So on tour will it be luxury tour buses or transit van, five-star hotels or long drives through the night to the next town? 

Have a guess! Let’s just say as a band we know each other inside and out and we’re all adept in the art of sleeping sitting upright!

When you’re not rocking what are you listening to?

Anything that makes me want to dance or makes me feel happy.  It can vary from dance to folk, pop to jazz... I just like soaking it all up. Everything is an inspiration.

What’s the attraction for you, the music or the lifestyle that may come with success?

It’s always been about the music. Fact is, if you want money you don’t become a musician, you’d become a solicitor or an accountant, not everyone can do this.

Tell us where Bad Touch hope to be by the end of 2017?

The same thing I hope for every year. I hope to be still be playing and writing music with my best friends, in towns and cities all over the UK and maybe even further afield, what more could you want in life?

If you want to check out Bad Touch before they hit Tavistock go to www.facebook.com/badtouchrocks