Kicking off the show was Bristol-born Pack of Animals, arriving with the swagger of a band playing to 30,000 rather than 30 people. Their tambourine-wielding frontman strutted between guitarists who were giving all they had, with the mixed influence of Oasis, The Stone Roses and the more muscular end of contemporary indie. Their determination to manufacture an arena-sized response perhaps worked against them, and when the room didn’t immediately reciprocate, a Gallagher-esque strop ensued. Perhaps a bit too close to home for the smattering of Radio 6 dads bobbing about.
Porij offered something considerably less familiar, with a restless mix of electronic and acoustic elements creating a collision of alternative indie and dance. Lead singer Scout Moore, better known as Egg, anchored the sound with breathy, Imogen Heap style vocals, while the trumpet cut through beautifully and encouraged everyone to have a little boogie. They understood who the crowd was there for, but still managed to lift the atmosphere and have a bit of fun.
...a mosh pit of sweaty twenty-something men bouncing around to Rice’s charisma...
By the time Sports Team appeared, the difference was immediate. 'The Game' detonated almost instantly, followed by a mosh pit of sweaty twenty-something men bouncing around to Rice’s charisma, while the aforementioned Radio 6 dads sensibly kept their distance and protected their craft IPAs.
Compared with the grief endured by Pack of Animals, Rice praised the crowd for bringing the energy, with some of the biggest reactions coming from the band’s older material. With a trip down memory lane, we hit the 'M5', went 'Fishing' and joined the 'Camel Crew'. Please pardon the dad jokes, the Radio 6 contingent has clearly rubbed off on me.
Yet the response to these older songs raised an interesting question, has Sports Team’s evolution moved slightly ahead of its audience? The new material was received warmly, particularly 'Bang Bang Bang', but it was the older songs that turned Digital into something approaching a football ground. For all the band’s growth, the audience still seemed to want the unruly, eccentric Sports Team of old.
...a Sports Team gig has never been an entirely passive experience...
That isn’t to say the newer material lacked impact. 'Bang Bang Bang' produced one of of the night’s biggest eruptions, while Here’s the Thing gave Rice another opportunity to demonstrate why he remains such an effective frontman. He can move effortlessly from nonchalance to sudden bursts of intensity, pulling the room into a quieter moment before throwing it straight back into mayhem. At one point, he even orchestrated a human pyramid in the crowd, a suitably ridiculous reminder that a Sports Team gig has never been an entirely passive experience.
Beneath Rice’s theatrics is an increasingly tight band. Alex Greenwood’s drumming drives the set and the intermittent mosh pits, while the guitar, bass and Ben’s ever-miserable keyboard playing fill the room, accelerating their eccentricity.
If anything, I would have liked to hear more of their mellower material. Something like 'Maybe When We’re 30' could have offered a different side to the band, although it is difficult to argue with a crowd that clearly came to soak up their energy, jump around and build human pyramids.
There is no encore. Instead, MGMT’s 'Kids' fills the room as the lights come up. Outside I hear one attendee remark that they have never left a gig with their back hurting before, an oddly perfect summary of the evening.
Sports Team’s greatest achievement remains their ability to make a crowd feel less like an audience and more like a participant.