Sports Team

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This article is about the British band. For other uses, see sports team.

Sports Team
Sports Team in 2022 on stage at the festival Piknik i Parken in Oslo
Background information
OriginUniversity of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
GenresAlternative rock · Indie rock · post-punk
Years active2016 (2016)–present
LabelsIsland, Bright Antenna, Nice Swan Records
MembersAlex Rice
Oli Dewdney
Al Greenwood
Rob Knaggs
Ben Mack
Henry Young
Websitewww.sportsteamband.com

Sports Team is an English

flip phones,[2] the M5,[3] and fishing.[4][5]

Background

The group met whilst studying at the University of Cambridge, aside from Dewdney, who studied at the University of Bristol.[5][6] The band performed in their early days at the Portland Arms, a pub in the north of Cambridge.[7] The band's members continued to work their day jobs until they became better known.[7] Henry Young was a sports reporter for CNN.[8][7]

Releases

Their debut EP Winter Nets was released in January 2018 on Nice Swan Records, and their sophomore EP Keep Walking! was released in 2019.[9]

Their debut album Deep Down Happy was released on 5 June 2020 on Island Records and Bright Antenna Records.[10][11] The lead single Here's The Thing was released on 17 February 2020.[12] The album received four out of five stars from NME, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2020.[13][14][15]

Sports Team also released a limited edition B-sides and rarities vinyl on 28 May 2021 called Plant Test, which they announced on their Instagram. It was made only available at independent retailers in the UK.[16]

On 28 March 2022 the band announced their second album, Gulp!, alongside lead single "R Entertainment".[17] Gulp was released on 23 September 2022, and received four out of five stars from NME.[18]

Reception

After releasing their debut EP Winter Nets, the band performed a show in September 2018 at Scala in London, which the band's lyricist Knaggs described as when the group started "being in a band nearly every single day".[19]

Following the Scala show, the band went on to play at both Electric Ballroom and O2 Forum Kentish Town in 2019 with sell-out shows.[19] The band's preference for surprise shows at venues like The Nag's Head in Camberwell led to DIY describing the shows as harking "back to the heady days of The Libertines".[19]

Style

The band have been described as holding unusual engagements with their fans, from their annual trips to Margate by coach where "fans, bands and booze collide for unscripted antics",[19] and for taking "whole venues to the pub with them" after a show.[19]

However this has been balanced with media commentary on the band's Cambridge educations, at a time when bands like

Idles and Fontaines D.C. have pushed working class lyrics.[20] Alex Rice notably drew criticism for declaring in The Guardian that HMLTD were “one of the worst bands ever” in part due to the fact their members "go to Goldsmiths".[21] Clash stated in 2019 that "Sports Team can’t quite shake off their entitlement".[22]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[23]
SCO
[24]
Deep Down Happy 2 1
Gulp!
  • Released: 23 September 2022[26]
  • Label: Island
 3 3

Extended plays

Title Details
Winter Nets
  • Released: 29 January 2018[27]
  • Label: Nice Swan Records
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Keep Walking!
  • Released: 8 March 2019[28]
  • Label: Holm Front Records
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Peak chart positions Details
US
Alt.
[29] 		US
AAA
[30]
Stanton — —
  • Released: 2017
Beverly Rose — —
  • Released: 2018
Kutcher — —
  • Released: 2018
Margate — —
  • Released: 2018
M5 — —
  • Released: 2019
Here It Comes Again — —
  • Released: 2019
Fishing — —
  • Released: 2019
The Races — —
  • Released: 2019
Here's The Thing — —
  • Released: 2020
Camel Crew — —
  • Released: 2020
Happy (God's Own Country) — —
  • Released: 2021
R Entertainment — —
  • Released: 2022
The Game — —
  • Released: 2022
Cool It Kid — —
  • Released: 2022
The Drop 34 25
  • Released: 2022
Dig! — —
  • Released: 2022

References

  1. ^ Sports Team – Lander, retrieved 11 June 2020
  2. ^ Sports Team – Stanton, retrieved 11 June 2020
  3. ^ Sports Team – M5, retrieved 11 June 2020
  4. ^ Sports Team – Fishing, retrieved 11 June 2020
  5. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (27 December 2019). "Sports Team: the indie stars romanticising middle England". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  6. ^ Rogers, Lewis (15 March 2019). "Sports Team // Preview & Interview". Bristol In Stereo. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Young, Henry (5 June 2020). "Ditching the day job: From the sports desk to UK band Sports Team". CNN. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  8. ^ Young, Henry. "Pep Guardiola: 'No title bigger than continuing Johan Cruyff's legacy'". CNN. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Sports Team". Fred Perry. 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Sports Team have announced their long-awaited debut album, 'Deep Down Happy'". Dork. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  11. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (4 June 2020). "Sports Team review, Deep Down Happy: Full of charm and unpredictability". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  12. ^ Manno, Lizzie (18 February 2020). "Sports Team Announce Debut Album Deep Down Happy, Share Lead Single "Here's The Thing"". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  13. NME
    . Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Sports Team: What to do when your album release goes to shit". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  15. ^ "The 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize 'Albums of the Year'". 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Sports Team announce limited edition B-sides and rarities vinyl". DIYMag. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  17. ^ Jones, Damian (29 March 2022). "Sports Team announce new album 'Gulp' and share 'R Entertainment'". NME. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  18. ^ Shutler, Ali (23 September 2022). "Sports Team - 'Gulp!' review: cocksure anthems see off 'difficult second album' trope". NME. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Place Your Bets: Sports Team". diymag.com. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  20. ^ "The explosion of Fontaines D.C. and why not every backlash is Irish begrudgery". JOE.ie. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  21. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  22. ^ "First World Problems: Sports Team Stumble At London's Kentish Town Forum". Clash Magazine. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Sports Team | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  24. ^ Peak chart positions in Scotland:
  25. ^ "Deep Down Happy by Sports Team". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  26. ^ "Sports Team announce new album 'Gulp' and share 'R Entertainment'". NME. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Winter Nets - EP by Sports Team". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  28. ^ "Keep Walking! - EP by Sports Team". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  29. ^ "Alternative Airplay - Week of March 25, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Adult Alternative Airplay - Week of May 27, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sports_Team&oldid=1217685629"