Touchstone @ Montgomery Hall

Hats off to John Mitchell of It bites for being a gentleman and travelling all the way from reading to apologise for It bites none attendance. The more forgiving and intuitive CRS fans were treated to an excellent set on Saturday 8th September when Touchstone stepped to the fore in the wake of It Bites. Disappointed IB fans that took advantage of the free entry witnessed a first class performance by a highly charged and well presented band.??The material from their new album Discordant Dreams came over as energetic and powerful with just the right amount of grace and poise thrown in for good measure. The synergy between all of the band members was evident by the tight, articulate interplay between all concerned. Paul Moorghen's (Moo's) bass and Al melville's powerful drum s proved to be a rhythm section second to none. A firm foundation for Rob Cottingham's beautifully textured keyboards and Adam Hodgson's excellent gutar playing. In amongst all of this was the sweet voice of Kim Seviour who was not only pleasing on the eye but added an extra dimension to an already fabulous sound stage.??I travelled from Teesside knowing that it Bites were not to appear. I had only heard a brief snippet of Touchstones previous EP before setting off for the gig. It was enough to convince me that the band have something special. If you like to be entertained by first class musician's playing Interesting music then catch this band even if they are a supporting act. However, they are blinding in there own setting. Sound out their new album. It will blow your socks off.

posted by steve petch