Photo Credit:
Words: Evie Johnson
There was an electrifying energy in Arts Club on Friday night, as streams of fans headed down to the nightclub venue in Liverpool to see Sports Team take to the stage. The night was filled with energetic performances, swaying crowds and satirical yet aptly political lyricism projected into the audience.
Starting off the night was Bristol-based band, Pack of Animals, who brought alternative and post-punk sounds to an eager Liverpudlian audience, followed by the indie-synth Manchester four-piece Porij. Both bands created an enthusiastic atmosphere in preparation for the main event, there were definitely some new fans gained in the audience as they played their respective short yet memorable sets.
There was a tense anticipation as the lights dimmed for the 15 minutes between the support and the main act, as the crowds swayed along the pre-show soundtrack, hype grew and the audience planned their positions for a night of dancing and moshing.
Opening up the night with singles ‘The Game’ and ‘Happy (God’s Own Country)’, the crowd were immediately invested with Alex Rice’s enticing performance and the band’s electrifying riffs echoing around the club. Having the show in such an intimate venue amplified the performance, as the crowd reflected the band’s energy and chanted back every lyric without fail. Even in the second song, Alex opened up the mosh pit and allowed the crowd to embrace the energy they were being given. Throughout the set, Alex and the band chatted well with the crowd, laughing and joking along with the audience’s antics, which highly amplified this intimate show further.
This continued as the night progressed, with songs from both their most recent 2025 album ‘Boys These Days’, and 2020 debut ‘Deep Down Happy’ all receiving the same crowd response of non-stop mosh and beaming voices. A highlight of the set has to be the performance of ‘M5’, with Alex Rice bouncing around the stage as everyone’s feet thundered up and down on the floor of the venue.
Closing off the set was a collection of songs that highlighted the band at their very best, 2020’s satirical hit ‘Here’s The Thing’ is a culmination of the band’s success and perfectly showcases their work. Following this was a showcase of Sports Team’s early hits which have gained popularity over the years, such as ‘Kutcher’ and ‘Stanton’, which were performed so perfectly that, once the lights reappeared in the venue, the crowd screamed for just one more song from the London band.
The band could’ve played ten more songs and the crowd would have reflected the same energy throughout without tiring. Sometimes bands play to venues and effortlessly have the crowd in the palm of their hand, and Sports Team was definitely one of them.
Sports Team’s tour continues for a range of intimate shows across Newcastle and Nottingham this coming week, ahead of a headline show at DIY Alive Festival at EartH Hall in London in early October.
