Sports Team live at Patterns, Brighton – 12 November 2025.
It’s a rainy Wednesday night in Brighton, light glistens off the puddles on the pavement, and late-night shoppers disperse through the streets. There is a sense of tranquil quiet, the calm before the storm. Even the seagulls seem to have halted their incessant cries, perhaps in knowing anticipation of what is to come. For tonight, a lucky few in the basement of Patterns will be the witnesses to greatness.
Excitement mounted as the background music in the venue stopped. An ethereal synth tone filled the room, building anticipation within the crowd who shared their exhilaration with one another in hushed whispers. And then it was time. The band made their way onto the stage, led by Ben Mac, who approached his keyboard armed with a completely blank expression and unlimited swagger. The rest followed, until lastly Alex Rice threw himself in front of the mic. As the riff of ‘The Game’ flooded the room, Rice geared up for his first vocal performance of the night.
The band produced an extremely animated performance, and this energy was matched by the crowd, who managed to mosh to almost every song. They played a varied mix of songs from each of their main albums, as well as their standalone singles and tracks from early EPs. A standout track was ‘Pet Sounds’, a song that they had released only a week prior, but which provoked a spirited response from the crowd. The performances of their acclaimed tracks like ‘Here’s The Thing’ as well as nostalgic fan favourites like ‘Camel Crew’ and ‘Kutcher’ also received big responses as fans loudly sang along to these favourites. Even rhythm guitarist Rob Knaggs got a taste of the spotlight when he performed his reluctant love song ‘Long Hot Summer’.
Sports Team are uniquely good at creating a connection with their fans and making their gigs feel more like a party amongst friends, and this time was no exception. Audiences on this tour have been invited to partake in their current mischievous scheme of building a human pyramid, much to the aggravation of any security guard working that night. They have been having various levels of success across the course of their shows, but it was a particularly difficult feat in Patterns due to the low ceilings. “This could go either way, Brighton”, Rice considered grimly.
They added a few other entertaining touches to the night, including a little musical surprise, preceding ‘M5’ with a dramatic cover of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ before Rice rotated the mic so that the crowd could sing along to the chorus of ‘Call Me Maybe’ with him. An appropriately chaotic start to a chaotic song.
It has been a long time since I have seen Sports Team play in such a small venue, and despite my pride in their promotion to bigger spaces, I have to say that it felt right. It felt like the good old days, a time when you could get a pint for £3 and the parasocial relationships you formed with small indie bands could plausibly be considered real. The crowd itself returned to the typical behaviour of past gigs, getting on the ground to row during the band’s emphatic performance of ‘Fishing’. There were fewer crowdsurfers than is traditional, but I’m putting that down to the incredibly low ceilings in the venue rather than a lack of desire. Until next time, Sports Team.
Sports Team released their third studio album earlier this year. Support their work by buying the album here.
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Cover Photo by Emily Rowe.
Article photos by Fiona Muncaster.