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Get To Know: Sports Team

With the band in a neck-and-neck race to have their debut album go to Number 1 this week, we spoke to indie six-piece, Sports Team, for this week’s GTK...

The coronavirus pandemic may have moved Sports Team out of their Camberwell house they all rent together, but it hasn’t stopped them from releasing their debut album 'Deep Down Happy'which has had rave reviews from the likes of 'NME', 'The Independent' and 'The Times'. Their outspoken, quintessentially British lyrics paired with their roaring guitar riffs have brought back classic Brit-pop guitar music with their distinct Sports Team edge.

Their chaotic and energetic tracks are mirrored in their lives shows, with the band known for their wild and raucous gigs. Frontman Alex Rice gives an almost theatrical performance on stage, with a clear nod to Mick Jagger in his stage presence. The band’s lyrics are a youthful social commentary on modern British society, including the good, the bad, and the mundane, but they’re quick to also poke fun at themselves too. Their satirical commentary only adds to their charm.
We’ll have to wait a little longer until we can catch Sports Team performing their album, but we’ll be right down at the front when they do. If their previous shows are anything to go by, it’s going to be well worth the wait!

Get To Know: Sports Team
Get To Know: Sports Team

1) For those who don’t know about you and your music, tell us a little bit about who you are and where you’re from…

We’re from all over the UK but now we’re living in Camberwell together. Council has already threatened eviction. Apparently they can leave hidden recording equipment in the house which doesn’t seem right?

I don’t think we’ve ever been very conscious of trying to sound like anyone else, but I think it combines that energy you get in American guitar sound, visceral, driving like Parquet Courts, Iggy Pop, with this more lyrical English tradition, Pulp, Betjeman, looking at the world around you with a lot of uncertainty, humour, trying to weigh it up, working out whether you’re happy.

We’re probably more conscious of writing with playing live, rather than a recording, as the end result too. The performance bit of it is the interesting part for me. You can always hear the dynamic between people on a stage.

2) Describe your sound in three words…

Live, lyrical, amateur.

3) Who inspired you to start a career in music?

I think just jealousy. Going to see other acts you thought you could better, loving every minute of being in the crowd but not quite satisfied with watching. We look back really fondly on seeing acts like Egyptian Hip Hop, Wu Lyf, kind of gigs you first get drunk at.

4) Who are your biggest musical influences?

Pavement, AC/DC, Tina Turner, Jake Thackray, all the music that gets branded landfill indie now that we grew up loving.

5) Tell us about the writing and recording process for your new single/album…

Last year we played something like 150 shows, so we ended up recording in between dates. We'd get a ferry back from Holland at 4am, and be in the studio by 10am - record for four days late into the night and then get back in the van and head out to the next show.

I think that schedules actually helped the album though, it feels like the last few years of our lives condensed. Living together, writing together, bickering. We were lucky to work with a producer (Burke Reid) who understood what we wanted to achieve and was very willing to push us way beyond any normal, decent place.

Burke is the first one in the studio and the last out, he survives on nuts, has done a week in the studio after cracking open a molar, so when he's asking you to do the 1000th guitar take, you do it. He didn't let us get lazy or fall back on "studio tricks". Everything you hear is as it was played.

6) What can we expect from your live shows?

They’re an event - from our first shows we were always quite conscious that our mates weren’t necessarily fans of guitars so we always had to compete with club culture - after parties, big performance, amazing supports, take the whole day off work stuff. Feels like it’s all getting good again.

7) What has been your biggest career highlight so far?

A few hours at the Laurieston in Glasgow, big shows at Forum and Electric Ballroom, going to the US for the first time, everytime we go to Holland. It’s all great really.

8) Have you met anyone and been totally starstruck?

Jimmy Anderson - Felix white who used to be in the Maccabees got us down to play this bizarre event launching the England cricket kit, we shared a dressing room with the players - not sure the rest of the band knew any of them though. Mack Demarco was good at Best Kept Secret festival, though his performance at the buffet ultimately humanised him.

9) What’s on your playlists that people wouldn’t expect?

A lot of country, Mac Davis - 'It's Hard To Be Humble' is great. I’ve got all the AC/DC Bon Scott era stuff. Ben’s taste is good too - Griselda, Baby Keem. Henry is a big Opeth fan.

10) When can we see you live?

Next live shows will be a run of instores at the end of August. They were originally meant to take place in April before the pandemic hit, but we’re announcing some big shows for next year very soon.

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