At the beginning of the summer, shortly after announcing their debut album KILLJOY, Isle of Wight–based rockers Coach Party unveiled an ambitious tour schedule spanning their native UK and Europe that would follow the record’s September 8 release. Now, on that release date, they’re additionally revealing plans for their first string of US dates to follow, capping off their big year in both New York City and Los Angeles. Needless to say, a perfect day spent on their native island is quickly becoming harder to come by.
It’s obviously a good sign that their shoegaze-y take on grunge has become in-demand enough that a three-month tour is warranted, but by the way they speak of their increasingly rare visits home it may be a bittersweet moment in their blossoming career. “To grab the world’s best pizza and take it down to the world’s best beach just up the road has been a big part of life over the past few years,” drummer Guy Page tells us. “It’s having those routines that can only exist at home which makes me really love it here. On the surface, there’s very little ‘to do’ here. But when you really open your eyes, you realize there’s so much that you could never even hope to do it all.”
Before they leave home again later this month, Page, bassist/vocalist Jess Eastwood, and guitarists Joe Perry and Steph Norris take us through a perfect day in Isle of Wight, from the morning brew courtesy of their questionable on-the-road coffee machine to catching waves at Compton Beach. See more below, and grab tickets for those upcoming US shows on their site when they go live at 9 a.m. PT today.
Guy: Ideally, my day starts with enough spare time to fire up our semi-pro coffee machine and knock out an oat latte. That machine has done some pretty intense touring with us, so it’s a bit sketchy, but something about the way it shakes the entire kitchen when it’s switched on is enough to really wake you up, even if the caffeine isn’t.
Before I go to the studio, I have to have garlic mushrooms on toast, and a better coffee than we can do at home—the best in the world—at Peach Vegan Kitchen, where you can literally say hello to everyone you’ve ever met in the hour you spend hanging there (mainly applicable to Isle of Wight residents, I guess). They tend to ask “How long you back for then?” and I ask how their things are going. It’s all very wholesome, and is a great real-world alternative to relying on instagram to tell you what people are up to. It’s right in the middle of town, and a prime location for people-watching, dog-watching, and just generally chilling out whilst having access to all the best food. All thanks to Steph.
Guy: Then, I’ll head to the studio, and assuming there’s no actual “work” to do, I’ll do some writing, demoing, or just spend some time putting new heads on drums, restringing guitars, playing about with pedalboards, or whatever. If the whole band is free we’ll have a rehearsal or play through some new ideas, but with many, many breaks. We work to no one’s pace; not even our own.
Steph: Going to Appley Beach with Harry (who is a dog) is more than enough to keep me in love with our home. Anywhere that makes a dog happy will make me happy—and you’ve never seen such happy dogs. It has the softest sand, and at low tide the beach goes out for what feels like miles. You look out and think, “I could definitely swim to Portsmouth.” Most people probably could, but in reality I don’t think I’d be up to it. And that’s fine. Until the dog came into our lives about 6 years ago, I didn’t even realize that the most beautiful park backs onto this beach; great for when it’s too hot for Harry on the sand. There’s some really incredible trees there—the sort which if you look at them long enough, you’re convinced they wouldn’t be real if you walked up and tried to touch them. They’re just so grand, kind of magical things.
Steph: When we’re home for long periods of time, which doesn’t happen a lot, I’ll psych myself up for a couple of surfing days at Compton Beach. I’m not good, but I love being in the sea and attempting to ride its generous offering of waves. It’s so rewarding; if you’ve never surfed, you gotta try it. But then I’m sure me talking to you guys about surfing is about as ridiculous as you guys trying to tell us about chips and gravy. Being at home at the flat is priceless to me. We don’t get enough of that time these days, and when I’m there I love to give some proper attention to my plants, have my guitar and pedalboard set up to make some leisurely noises, do some real cooking, and watch Harry Potter films.
Jess: Waking up at home is always a treat, and now a rarity for us. I love leaving the house early to walk down to the beach and have a cup of tea in my flask and mug. Growing up on the island has made me feel very connected to the seaside and the ocean! After coming home and getting ready, I’ll normally call my mum or go and see her because she’s my bestie and I love her…and I love seeing our family dog, Penny. Next on my list would be to go and see my gran Barb, who’s also my bestie! We hang out, drink tea together, and then my Grandad (who’s an old-school rocker) will ask me about music “these days” and tell me that he doesn’t quite get it—always a fun conversation. Life’s good on the Isle of Wight, especially when the sun’s out.
Jess: It would probably be around lunchtime when I head into Newport (the center of the island) and go hang out with Steph in her café Peach. Eating and drinking hot chocolate there is the best as she and her staff make the best vegan food on the island. Sometimes Steph will take an hour out of the work day and we’ll go look round the shops for clothes and catch up.
Guy: Toward the end of the day, a walk in the fields behind Carisbrooke Castle always goes down well. The castle itself is pretty cool to look at, but the views all around are stunning, and at the end of the fields is a little stream which is the reward for people and dogs to dip their feet in the summer month (and I do mean “month”).
For the evening, my pick is always Craft Pizza in Ryde. And, yes, it was recently confirmed by Macca himself that “Ticket to Ride” was written about our Isle of Wight town Ryde, which is pretty cool. But, anyway, to grab the world’s best pizza and take it down to the world’s best beach just up the road has been a big part of life over the past few years. It’s having those routines that can only exist at home which makes me really love it here. On the surface, there’s very little “to do” here. But when you really open your eyes, you realize there’s so much that you could never even hope to do it all.
Joe: My perfect day back home on our humble island would typically start with a walk into town. I live in a town called Cowes (yes, there are cows in the surrounding area) where I always like to take an early morning stroll and go for a coffee by the sea in the sunshine. My main source of joy when we aren’t touring and do have some down time back home is just hanging out with friends, whether it's going to the pub or heading to a gig in the evening. It’s good to see friendly faces and reconnect after long stints on the road.
There’ll normally be an hour or so in the day where I’ll see my mum and we’ll talk about life and get super deep—I love it. I feel like half our time on the Isle of Wight is spent at the studio. It never takes too long for me to get home and feel like I’m just going to chill out for a few days, but pretty quickly get some surge of inspiration to write new stuff, and having our little HQ there to go and put down new demos and hang is very special.
