Words: Darci Jackson
Photography: Izzi Glover
It feels like saying hello to an old friend; welcoming them back with open arms and a warm hug like they’d never left.
Except this old friend is a raucous 6-piece embroiled in chaos, known for their electrifying live shows and incredible ability to pull off British fashion as if we’re looking at 00s Jeremy Clarkson.
It is, of course, Sports Team, back with their brand-new album Boys These Days being released in early Summer 2025. We spoke to frontman, Alex Rice, and bassist, Oli Dewdney, how, after a long hiatus, apparently Here It Comes Again!
‘We recorded this one a bit differently, so we spent the first part of the year in Bergen in Norway recording,’ says Rice about their third offering.
What was supposed to be a few weeks off for Christmas after touring, turned into a much longer than anticipated break. So much so, that speculation was rife at the seeming disappearance of the band.
‘NME printed an article with this black and white photo as if it was in memoriam, like we’d all died and there was a GoFundMe page.
‘I think it all felt a bit starker than we meant it to,’ says Rice.
He carries on to describe Boys These Days as a ‘journey from naivety.’
‘By the time you get to the end of the album it’s all the stuff that creeps in with adulthood and all the multiple narratives and the kind of politicisation of everything.’
But they’re chomping at the bit to get back out touring around the UK.
‘Nothing compares to playing to a home crowd,’ says Dewdney. ‘You feel like you were when you were a kid going to gigs.’
‘It’s the only thing that kind of feels tangible,’ continues Rice. ‘Until then, management will just send you weekly pre-order figures and streaming stats and none of it feels real until you’ve got people in front of you.’
The pure buzz and ecstasy on fans’ faces after a Sports Team gig is really a spectacle. A mass of sweaty hair, rosy cheeks and the pure joy of moving as one.
‘We really try and give it absolutely everything,’ adds Dewdney.
The band play a nationwide 10-date tour, starting in Manchester, really sealing the deal that they’re back.
‘That Manchester date, we’re coming straight from the airport, so I think we’ll be kind of giddy from that and slightly deliriously tired,’ mentions Rice.
One thing that stood out on their last UK tour in 2022, was the Gulp! van, which Sports Team took to every single date, causing outright glee from fans. The small, beat-up death wagon featured a giant version of the album cover on both sides, with the statement ‘You’re driving behind Stuart Pearce’s favourite band- Sports Team,’ on the back. This may or may not be factually correct, and we may or may not have seen a fair few parking tickets stuck behind the windscreen wipers.
Nevertheless, it created such a community with their fans, and we had to know where it is now.
‘I’m pretty sure it’s at Rob’s mum’s house,’ says Dewdney, with a smirk. The initial idea was to raffle the van off, but things weren’t that simple…
‘I think there were legal implications of what happens if the Gulp! van was suddenly in a crash or something. So, we’re still trying to figure out what to do with it.’
‘It’s harder than you think to give a car away!’ adds Rice.
With the release of the first single from the album, I’m In Love (Subaru), we had to know whether there’d be a Subaru on tour this time round.
‘It’s probably a less practical car than the Gulp! van.’
Understandable.
Sports Team are known for their weird, wonderful and frankly wacky merch in the past. Want a Sports Team candle? They’ve got you covered. Dying for a pair of Sports Team sliders to show all your mates up abroad? Look no further. Is there any more in the works? Dizzy Magazine found out for you.
‘In the past it’s gone quite badly,’ laughs Rice. ‘I remember when we had like 2,000 Sports Team advent calendars in someone’s garage that the rats got to before we could sell them.
‘It’s always riskier than you think, one person finds it funny and someone else is like ‘why the hell would I get this?’’
‘I think we all use Sports Team beach towels as like our own towels now,’ finishes Rice.
Sports Team’s third album Boys These Days is released 23rd May 2025, and you can catch them on tour around the UK starting in Manchester on 14th November.
