AFTER a whirlwind year spent honing infectious vocals and instrumental precision, that has seen them open for the likes of Aslan and The Coronas, it’s obvious that hot new talent Touchwood have got their foot firmly in the door of the Irish music scene and are here to stay.

The five-piece comprises of four BCFE talents, Mark Caplice, known strictly as ‘Cappy’, on vocals and acoustic guitar, Sam Ali, also on vocals and keys, lead guitarist Bryan Fleming, and drummer Aaron Masterson. Completing their line up is bass guitarist and NUI Maynooth student Darren McComville.

Touchwood write all of their own material, creating a well-rounded sound that caters for most tastes. “We like to vary it… bring it up and bring it down” says Cappy. They are certainly more than capable of this. Tracks like ‘Count the Stars’ awaken the deepest emotions, whereas ‘Count Your Blessings’ makes you want to hot foot it to the local for the session of a lifetime.

According to the band, their songwriting process is completely unregimented “We don’t intend to write a fast song or a slow song”, says McComville, with Cappy confirming “It just comes out”.

There is no doubt that this varied sound has something to do with the hugely different musical characteristics of the five. Cappy’s addictive voice and rugged acoustic instrumentation on the more upbeat tracks, like ‘Apprentice Weekender’, provide an interesting contrast to the more mellow songs, like ‘As Time Goes By’, which are fronted by Ali’s poignant keyboard chords and magnetic vocals, delivered with an hypnotic London drawl.

Supporting these alternating leads is some impressive and intricate lead guitar work by Fleming, which shines through on tracks such as ‘Feedback’. McComville proves to be expert at decorating and “dirtying up” the bass and Masterson displays energetic and varying drumming moving from knock-the-house-down stuff on ‘Apprentice Weekender’ to delicate intricacies on ‘Count the Stars’.

Where Touchwood really deliver is on stage. Fleming is a mecca of movement and energy. It’s obvious that he thrives on music. His uncensored enjoyment is refreshing to watch in an age where downbeat frontmen seem in vogue. Cappy also has fun performing and partakes in a lot of, what he calls “crowd interaction”. This makes for an entertaining change from his musical peers’ current trend of robotically moving between songs without a spoken word. The rest provide a more serious, but no less captivating, vision. Sam Ali’s tall silhouette at work over the keyboard, coupled with his haunting vocals, is enough to hold anyone’s attention. McComville administers his bass in a head-nodding, foot-tapping fashion, clearly giving it all he’s got, while Masterson is a man on a mission behind his drums, face set in concentration, lost in his own work.

When all of these musical tendencies and performance habits come together the product is a fulfilling feast of audio indulgence.

Essentially, these boys seem to have it all, a song for every emotion and an exceptional show to boot.

With a continuously developing sound and an already small but devoted fanbase it seems Touchwood are a band to watch.