Coach Party, again??? Hey, you bet’cha…!
Coach Party, Isle Of Wight’s finest band since the Blackgang Chine Dinosaurs (Jr.), announced this one-off Guildford date earlier this year, so, having shlepped it down to the ‘ford last year for a Stayawakes gig (gig 1.281) and established it’s not too far actually, I eagerly booked to avail myself once again of their blend of amped-up, punked-up snappy, snarky indie pop. (In the process, I’d also discovered a Cardiff CP gig I didn’t know about, and hit that one too, gig 1,332 being a very accomplished and precise performance from the CP boys and girls). So, here we go again, round 8 for me, with this increasingly special band…
Andy was up for this one as well (a family issue preventing Stu from joining us as planned), so the two of us wended our way cross country to the ‘ford, catching up in the process (this rather disgracefully being the first gig I’ve been to with Andy this year. Yikes!). Found a street parking spot just round the corner from this pub venue (result!) and wandered in just after doors. My first time at this place and hopefully not my last; a superb scuzzy little room smeared with old gig posters and reminiscent of the likes of the Joiners and the Jericho, with a beer garden to the side. My kind of place! Panda Swim, AKA solo acoustic guy Stu Spiller, kicked off in short order; a fellow islander (indeed, in expanded band form Panda Swim have previously featured Coach Party’s Joe and Guy!), he delivered some spooky yet tuneful numbers with a distinctly jangly C86 vibe and very Pixies-ish song construction, in a high nasal register. “Dinosaur”, a moody piece with a big ascending chorus was my favourite of a diverting and decent melodic set.
CP drummer Guy was standing next to me for ‘da Swim, so I asked about a possible interview for my mate Roger’s fanzine “Pig Hill”. Happily, he was up for it, and he and Steph then gave me a few minutes at the front of the venue, providing some entertaining chatty answers to my disappointingly basic questions. Result! Back in (greeting recent gig face Madison on the way) for main support Alien Chicks. A 3-piece, their set was a herky jerky, gabbly, stop-start, speed up/ slow down, 19 to the dozen tumbling landslide, at best recalling the discordant mutant surf punk of 90’s faves Wonky Alice or (more obviously) Primus, and at worst a confusing cacophonous mess of haphazard rhythms frankensteined together. One sinister bass-led number gave me “Holiday In Cambodia” vibes; the next featured the “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” in between 2 breakneck guitar workouts. Mental! But better than Coach Party’s last support at that Cardiff gig…!
The place, even for the support, was getting uncomfortably hot, so I joined Andy in the cool of the beer garden for some entertaining rock chat with some affable and knowledgeable locals. Hi guys! The witching hour approached, so t’was back into the very aptly named (tonight at least!) Boileroom and the edge of the crammed floor, house left, for Coach Party, bang on 9.30. “Fucking hell, it’s hot!” exclaimed Jess as she took the stage – you’re not wrong there, girl! Seemingly in deference to the heat, Coach Party eased into their set with the slow burn, sleazoid march of “All I Wanna Do Is Hate” and a poppy “Can’t Talk, Won’t”.
“I’m fighting for my life over here!” cried Jess after a breathless “FLAG”, the uncomfortable heat obviously affecting everyone, but they soldiered on regardless, “Hi Baby” being as buoyant and effervescent as ever and oldie “Shit TV” (“throwing it back a little”) a moody, metronomic delight. After a chat about Jess’ Flying V (“I love it but it’s just a phase!”) the band sensibly took it down a notch or two, slowing the dreampoppy “Be That Girl” even further to bring the lovely circular underpinning riff to the fore, for a mid-set highlight. “Breakdown” then built the momentum towards the set climax, a “world premiere” of excellent, inclusive newie “Girls” maintained that with its’ impressive terrace chant roar of a chorus, then the final double whammy of an amped-up “What’s The Point In Life” and the savage nihilistic punk scream of “Parasite” finally got me squeezing through for a jig in the mosh, ending on a high note.
Jess handed me Guy’s list and we headed off sharpish, getting confused out of Guildford but thereafter zooming home, back just after midnight. Despite the uncomfortable heat, this was another great gig for number 8 from Coach Party – and, having just booked for their headlining slot at October’s “Night Currents” all-day Festival at Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms in October, number 9’s not too far off…!
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