Hotly tipped Coach Party, recently signed to Chess Club Records (formerly home to the likes of Wolf Alice, Swim Deep, Local Natives and Sundara Karma) could be the next band to make waves over on the north island. We chat with singer Jess Eastwood.
By Megan Stisted
Hi Jess, it’s been a while in lockdown, how are you doing?
Hi, I’ve been good. I started out this lockdown super bummed out about how much this virus is ruining peoples lives, and I was frightened of catching it, however now, it’s actually quite nice to take a breather from everything. Just absolutely desperate to play live again and give my grandparents a hug!
Things seem to be going really well for you and your bandmates at the moment, what have been your most recent highlights?
Our recent highlight for me was probably in January this year when we went on stage in Hamburg and the room was overflowing with people, you couldn’t move, that felt like a religious moment for me….and absolutely terrifying.
“Just absolutely desperate to play live again and give my grandparents a hug!”
For anyone who hasn’t heard Coach Party, how would you describe your sound? Where did the name come from?
If you’ve not listened before, I’d say we dabble in a big mix of grunge, pop, indie rock. There are so many genres now, that I wouldn’t be able to just pin us to one. Also, every release feels different to me, one minute I’ll be shouting, the next I’m serenading. I think someone actually put us in a college rock category once, so i’m quite happy for us to stay there. Coach Party actually came from Steph (our guitarist), and I think it was the only name we all slightly agreed on, so we all got on board with it. Go Steph!
What do you think of the island music scene at the moment? What makes it unique?
The music scene seems to be thriving at the minute, it definitely helps having Strings right in the centre on Newport, we’re lucky to have that. I think bands that travel off the Island to play live regularly represent what’s unique about here. The determination and motivation has to be next level, I really respect that.
You’ve had some live dates cancelled due to the lockdown, what have you been doing to make up for these?
I don’t think I could make up what those would have been, but this has been a great time to really get my head down and focus on practicing and writing loads, I’m such a sucker for underestimating how important practicing solo is.
Have you been able to make any new music during the lockdown?
At the start of lockdown, I found it really hard to get inspiration from anywhere, but now that we’ve all kind of settled into this new normal, I have found myself writing more, thank God.
To wrap up, what is one song you’d wish you had written, and why?
That’s such a hard question, there’s so many songs I can think of. One that stands out to me though would have to be ‘Archie, Marry Me’ by one of my favourite bands ‘Alvvays’, they own my heart.
Coach Party’s first ever E.P is called ‘Party Food’ Physical copies of the beautiful blue vinyl have already sold out, but you can stream it online from the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes.
Follow the band @wearecoachparty on Instagram
Like what we do?
Support Ventnor Exchange by becoming a Fringe Friend for £20 (Just 38p per week!) and enjoy exclusive benefits including 2 for 1 tickets on shows, discounts in-store and more! Sign up by clicking here
