Sports Team ‘Go Fishing’ for more than they expected at Rescue Rooms, the crowd delivering on their beer sloshing, gear moshing mayhem. Adept support was delivered by C Turtle and mary in the junkyard...
C Turtle are a true product of London’s fertile DIY scene, explicitly so in their need to coarsely drag and whack their guitars across their amps to fulfil that intimately encompassing distortion. Although few may have turned out for our first support act, the band utilise this space to reverberate their scuzzy riffs and existential reflection around the room beautifully.
Alternative grunge trio mary in the junkyard carry this motif forward, sonically and lyrically blending soaring soundscapes in the vein of grunge evocation. goop – which features bassist Saya Barbaglia swapping her bass for a violin – embeds their distinct 90s vibe with an eerie, unsettling grit to match their complex time signatures. It’s a mesmerising watch. Combine shifting drum patterns and hauntingly beautiful vocals, and the band have got themselves a subtle subjugation of the crowd. While some may observe wryly anticipating the roar of the amps, you can’t deny they’re definitely a talent to watch for next year.
It’s a sold-out affair in Rescue Rooms tonight. Considering they’ve downsized a venue since their last tour, it’s safe to say that the fans aren’t going anywhere for Sports Team (except, maybe, up—specifically up on shoulders, and definitely maybe up on a human pyramid, but that’s getting ahead of the review).
Sporting a creased collared shirt under a striped blazer, Alex Rice embodies the appearance of a cocksure schoolboy fresh out of detention; his strut onto the stage is welcomed by the breakneck opening licks of Camel Crew. That upcoming album title never seemed so apt, the Boys These Days are truly as raucous and rowdy as ever. A potent smell of stale lager hits your nose as soon as the tuning twangs hits your ears, pints flung to the heavens, the crowd exuberantly mimicking the sound of Henry Young’s guitar... Oh, we’re in for a good night.
Constant movement seems to be all the clarification we need. Unity, the kind of togetherness – of course, the sweaty bodies pushing and pulling you into the pit from the get-go speaks volumes in itself – that only comes from being in a room of people shouting the same love of music as you do.
Happy (God’s Own Country) has us with our fists in the air, hearts beating as one as we decry: “Do! What! I! Say! Not! What! I! Do!” It just so happens that they’re saying to open up the floor and jump right in. Who are we to complain? We hear the opening chords of The Drop and we’re going full throttle.
We’re treated to our first sneak peak of their third album in Bang Bang Bang, the crowd dutifully nodding their heads along to the slinky rhythmic earworm. Subaru (I’m In Love) similarly keeps the tone low-key and whilst Rice assures us that the classics are coming next, you can’t help but realise we're here already. As he croons along to this nostalgic homage, sat upon the edge of the stage with the richness of the saxophone enveloping us; come next tour, it will be ingrained within the setlist.
“I’ve got something wrong with my in-ears, I’m usually a very good singer.” Sports Team brush aside their misfortunes with knowing glances and cheeky smirks, drummer Alex Greenwood hitting a comedic drum fill as Kutcher is restarted. “One more bum note and it’s a refund for everyone in this room, I promise you!”
The drum fills and guitar ‘womp womp womp’s continue, Winter Nets similarly having technical difficulties; although, being the oldest and lesser played song on the setlist, we’re not complaining in hearing a few more minutes of this lovely number.
“Please stop doing the drum lines every time I speak, I’m a serious musician!” Rice bemoans, to the pantomime-esque of genuinely unprompted “Oh no he isn’t!” by the audience. Class.
This tour, we’re told, is a ‘bucket list tour’ for the band and Rice indulges us in his desire for a human pyramid. High expectations, for he wants as much height as possible – “None of this hands and knees 2D s**t!” – standing on shoulders only. Keyboardist Ben Mack merrily bashes the ivories throughout M5, maintaining a deadpan expression and looking almost quizzical in response to the audience’s explosive excitement. All the while we form a circle pit around the precarious pyramid, the lad at the very top very nearly attempting to touch the disco ball. It’s dangerous and it’s daring, and it’s a pure carnage.
The band return for a jubilant encore of Here’s The Thing and Stanton, the former welcoming Oli Dewdney’s mother from the balcony to join them on stage. As I said: carnage. Our frontman takes a daredevilish lap of honour, clawing his way through a tempestuous moshpit, and before we know it the sweat on our necks is drying up as the security is ushering us out of the venue. That’s the game.
Sports Team performed at Rescue Rooms on 22nd November 2024.
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