Paul said 'What a great night we had last night at the Kings Theatre seeing The Portsmouth Players School of Rock musical. We all had such a good time, all the songs were so much fun, the acting was on point and the kids were so talented, including playing all their own instruments. Sam Townsend was so good as Dewey, such incredible shoes to step into, but Sam did an amazing job and yes, he can shred on the guitar. Our family loved it and yours will too.'

You can buy tickets from www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk

Paul caught up with  Sam who plays Dewey to talk about the show.

They return to the Wedgewood Rooms for what is essentially their homecoming gig, bookending a frantic and unforgettable couple of years for the band. They’ve supported rock royalty Queens of the Stone Age, fellow islanders Wet Leg, The Mysterines and opened for French new wave act Indochine in front of 97,000 fans.

Top this off with a Glastonbury appearance and positive critical praise, Coach Party seem to have squeezed years of growth and success into a very tight timescale, for which they feel extremely deserving.

Their show last night came weeks after the release of their debut record ‘KILLJOY’, a concise and aggressive love letter to 90’s alt-rock that deals with the frustrations of day-to-day life, always with its tongue firmly placed in its cheek.  

Coach Party musically aren’t reinventing the indie rock wheel, but sure are having quite the time thrashing it about.

Support came from Girl Scout, a four-piece indie pop outfit who initially met while studying at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Formerly a jazz group, Girl Scout is led by singer Emma Jansson whose evident vocal training allows her voice to excel in powerful moments, but become incredibly precise when reaching her falsetto.

On stage, Girl Scout ditched the delicacy of their recorded material in lieu of an edgier performance. After touring with Coach Party for some time, I wonder if their presence has encouraged a meaner Girl Scout to arise.

(Girl Scout are Viktor Spasov, Emma Jansson, Evelina Arvidsson Eklind, Per Lindberg)

The second support act, Panda Swim, also from the Isle of Wight, sound like they were taken out of a time capsule from the 1990’s, ripped straight from the closing credits of a teen rom-com. It’s joyful pop punk, full of nostalgic hooks and angst.

Coach Party opened their set with ‘Micro-Aggression’, the first single off their debut record and unofficial sequel to Wolf Alice’s ‘Smile’. The band’s lead singer and bassist Jess Eastwood harbours a great confidence as a frontwoman, reserved enough to make all the playing and screeching look effortless but not enough to appear bored or apathetic.

That’s a sentiment applicable to all members of Coach Party, who wholly embrace everything cool about being young and being in a band together.

Eastwood’s vocals tend to be distorted and over-saturated in the studio, though the heights her voice hits live really negate the need for that. It was a well-measured touch to leave them less processed here.

When she declares (potentially declares is too nice a word) “I wanna hurt you bad / Just like you hurt me” to her perpetrator in ‘FLAG (Feel Like a Girl)’, it's packed full of conviction.

Coach Party’s aesthetic thrives off their nihilism and dark humour, for which their live show is no different.

When album opener ‘What’s the Point in Life’ is delivered with such exhilaration and energy, it’s all too easy to let the very question being posed brush past you. 

Their lyrical content is rarely shrouded in metaphor, although the pace of the songs wouldn’t leave you any time to ponder deeper meanings anyways.

Guy Page felt like an unsung hero at the back on the drums. Page has predominantly produced all of the band's material, with his ferocity on the kit largely driving the band's power forward. His arms flew between each hit as if he were possessed, with his drum fills being equal levels intense and complex.

Guitarists Joe Perry and Steph Norris fit perfectly, coupling interesting lead guitar melodies with a very grungy rhythm section that almost became blistering on tracks like ‘Breakdown’.

Some breathing space is left in the set (though not a lot of it) on the tracks ‘Always Been You’ and ‘Sweetheart’ and the band works just as well when they take a more refrained approach, letting the audience bask in some sweet indie bliss – at least for three seconds before the temptation to get mean again is just too large to ignore.

What made this particular show special is that past the cool demeanour of the band, moments of humility and genuine gratitude for their success shone bright. 

All the support bands and their manager were invited to the stage to have a shot of tequila - probably more like three as it got crudely poured into plastic cups - in order to celebrate their success. 

A Josh Homme anecdote about tequila was shared here, and it is evident in their assured stage presence how much supporting Queens of the Stone Age was a formative experience for the group. Though unsurprisingly, they couldn’t refrain from nerding about name-dropping Queens.

Last night’s appearance at the Wedge felt like a culmination of their relentless hard work thus far.

The set closed with ‘Parasite’, arguably their most unhinged track, serving as an uplifting finale. Though the crowd lacked the energy somewhat to carry such a song that’s really crying out for a rowdy festival crowd – tut tut tut.

Coach Party are a band ready to progress to far larger stages, as if the last two years of touring were a training ground for playing live. ‘KILLJOY’ and the experience of supporting some big names certainly have provided them with the springboard to reach a bigger audience.

Coach Party truly make their show a cathartic experience. Lyrically, they encourage one to wallow in aggression, cynicism and self-loathing for the duration of their gig, with enough screaming rage to leave most feeling very much elated after the curtains have fallen.

 
The band’s maturity is evident in the sense that they never feared to let a song breathe and have its moment. The live set became so much more special as the crowd watched them reassembling their own music to such engaging effect.
 
The quality of sound in the venue did Blossom’s aesthetic justice. It was most notable when the whole band kicked into a song simultaneously causing this shimmery, dreamy wall of sound to hit you.
 
The quintet had a number of extra players on backing vocals, percussion and acoustic guitars which filled out their arena ready sound. On tracks such as ‘I Can’t Stand It’, the driving acoustic guitars complimented Josh Dewhurst’s luscious jangly guitar tones perfectly.
 
Each member had a moment to shine, with Charlie Salt’s addictive bass work on fan favourite ‘Your Girlfriend’ being a very strong presence. Donovan’s drumming got an impressive workout with the heavier first album classics ‘At Most a Kiss’ and ‘Charlemagne’, though softer moments showed his range and dedication to serving the song. Myles Kellock’s synthesizer work demanded adoration, from not only how close it sounded to the recordings, but for how integral it is to Blossoms’ giant sound.
 
Whilst sounding extremely rehearsed and precise, the smiles and attitude made everything appear effortless and relaxed.
 
For the band’s main set closer ‘My Favourite Room’, the band left Ogden on his own with his acoustic guitar backed by a strong singalong from the crowd, before launching into Babybird’s ‘You’re Gorgeous’, Oasis’ ‘Half the World Away’ and Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ as a medley to sing the crowd into the encore.
 
Whilst a left turn, Ogden understands Blossoms’ audience and it felt like an incredible testament to crowds at concerts in the UK, with certain songs having enough legendary status to bring a whole group of strangers together singing as if they had known each other for years.
 
Moshes broke out for set closer ‘Charlemagne’s outro, though the overall crowd atmosphere felt joyous and always respectful. Even the lengthy new album cut ‘Visions’ was given a lot of patience from the audience. Though that patience had been more than earned throughout the night.
 
After the very sweaty end of the show, I was lucky enough to meet the band outside who all came across as very sincere and extremely witty. There is no doubt that Blossoms are serious about the upward trajectory of their musical output, and their relationship with one another feels deeply interconnected and admirable.
 
Blossoms have quickly matured into a phenomenal live act and accomplished songwriters in such a short space of time, making one excited at the prospect of what is next in store for them.