Hailing from the North London district of Harlesden, Sports Team deliver guitar-driven indie rock marked by taut execution and a sharp yet playful attitude. Their lyrics wittily salute flip phones, Ashton Kutcher, and garish British seaside destinations. The six friends who formed the group at Cambridge University—lead singer Alex Rice, guitarists Robb Knaggs and Henry Young, bassist Oli Dewdney, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Ben Mack, and drummer Al Greenwood—began performing after growing dissatisfied with a campus scene dominated by cover bands. Citing Pulp, Pavement, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and the Family Cat among their influences, they quickly distinguished their shows through comedy sketches, games, dancing, and one occasion on which they persuaded a local political candidate to introduce them onstage. The band progressed from university gigs to an invitation at Cambridge’s annual May Ball and regular appearances at London venues.
After building a following for their exuberant live performances, Sports Team issued several singles and EPs in 2018 and 2019 that highlighted their concise power and humor, notably the anthemic “Kutcher,” the simmering “Stanton,” and the sleek yet forceful “M5.” Nice Swan Recordings released their debut EP, Winter Nets, early in 2018; the initial pressing sold out and prompted a second. Following a sold-out headline show at London’s Scala, the group put out three singles in November 2018: “Liberal Friends” backed with “Stanton” on their own imprint, “Margate” backed with “Kutcher” via Nice Swan and Holm Front Records, and “Get Along” backed with “Casper” on Holm Front. Further short releases appeared in 2019, including the five-song EP Keep Walking in March, the single “Here It Comes Again” backed with “Christmas, Kent” in August, and a 7-inch containing live and studio takes of “Fishing” in November. The band also completed two brief U.S. tours, and Rough Trade issued the five-song EP Making Hay in October 2019 as their first official American release.
Their debut album, Deep Down Happy, arrived on Island in June 2020, entered the U.K. album chart at number two behind Lady Gaga, and earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination. After scattered live dates during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sports Team returned to the studio with producer Burke Reid. The first result, the single “R Entertainment,” surfaced in early 2022, preceding their sophomore album Gulp! a few months later.
