Rising band Coach Party discuss everything music from how the group formed to their experiences playing in Nottingham in interview with music editor, Louise Walt.
Louise: How did the band form?
Guy: “Steph and Jess had a spell of unemployment and went for a Christmas temp job together packing makeup products and during that time they thought it’d be funny to start writing music together (having never really played or written before).
“It kind of started as a duo, but we recorded the music between the four of us and it quickly turned into an actual band that we felt like we should at least take semi-seriously.”
He added: “Though we never even considered that we’d get to do a fraction of the cool shit we’ve had the pleasure of doing over the past 3 years.”
Louise: Who are your musical influences?
Guy: “One thing we don’t do, is say things like “I wanna write a song like this other song” or “we should sound like this other band”, but that’s not to say that we don’t have our un-escapable influences when making a record, which I think have more of an imprint on our recording process than our writing.
“Basically, when we’re in the studio we really like to experiment and push things a little further than we do in the rehearsal room, and if someone responds to an idea by saying something like “that’s really Beatles / QOTSA / Weezer / Alvvays” etc, then that means it’s a good idea, so I guess you could say that those bands have an influence on our music.”
Louise: Does your music resemble the music you grew up listening to?
Guy: “Between the four of us we listened to such a wide spectrum of music growing up, so I think it does, but as an amalgamation of all of that music, so it appears in tiny details rather than in our general sound as a whole.
“If our sound was distinctly Beastie Boys, My Chemical Romance, The Ventures and Jennifer Lopez, then we might have had more of a struggle finding a label to sign our EP in 2019.”
Louise: How did you come up with the name Coach Party?
Guy: “We used to be called something else, don’t even try to google it.
“But it got to a point where we needed & wanted to start fresh, which cued the biggest struggle any collection of people can ever face; thinking of another band name.”
He added: “It nearly killed us, but at some point, Steph, out of nowhere said “what about Coach Party”, and for whatever reason it made the shortlist.
“I think the reason it stuck is that we live in a place where coach parties are still an actual thing, to the point where cafes and car parks and stuff have signs outside saying “no coach parties” or whatever, which can make it a very hostile place for us.”
Louise: How does your third EP, Nothing Is Real, compare to your previous EPs and music released?
Guy: “There is more intention behind “Nothing Is Real” as a piece of work.
“The first two EPs were basically compilations of our best and favourite songs at the time, whereas with the 3rd EP it was much more a case of “Let’s write an EP, and then record it”. I think because of that it feels more forward and more of a statement.”
Louise: What is your favourite single on the latest EP and why?
Guy: “Collectively we go between “Shit TV” and “Nothing Is Real” as our favourites from that record. They’re super fun to play live, and they definitely mark opposite corners of what we like to create as a band.”
Louise: What has been the highlight of your music career so far?
Guy: “We love touring, but it’d be impossible to choose a touring highlight, so let’s go with that time Jess had a photo with Phoebe Bridgers. People on Instagram were very pleased for us at the time.”
Louise: If you could perform alongside or collaborate with any performer who would it be and why?
Guy: “Phoebe Bridgers. People would be so pleased for us.”
Louise: How do you feel about touring again?
Guy: “Very excited. We’ve done so much touring over the last year or so, but every tour brings something new, and the main thing on our mind now is that we’re gonna be playing some brand new music when we head back out there.
“Playing new songs live is about the best thing about being in a band.”
Louise: Have you performed in Nottingham before and how do you feel about your upcoming performance at The Bodega?
Guy: “We’ve played Nottingham a few times so far, and it is honestly one of our favourite places to play and to hang.
“Our first time there was supporting We Are Scientists at Rescue Rooms which is a fantastic venue, Splendour festival was cool for us, & we’ve done the big room at Rock City with Wet Leg, all of which were consistently great gigs thanks to the fact that Nottingham people really know how to be at a show and make the band feel totally welcome.”
Guy said: “However the best for us so far was a Dot To Dot show in the Black Cherry Lounge, which was one of the most packed out, energetic, hot, physically dangerous & fun gigs we’ve ever done. With that track record we seriously can’t wait for the show at Bodega; at the time of writing this I believe it’s close to selling out, and by that time, going to gigs will be a cheaper way of staying warm than heating your home, so do the sensible thing and get tix now.”
Coach Party will be coming to Nottingham on February, 2 to perform at The Bodega.
Image Credits: Coach Party