Sports Team announce break for the “near-foreseeable” future
Sports Team have ended 2022 by announcing that they’re set to take a break for the “near-foreseeable” future.
The band, who released second album ‘Gulp!’ this year, have been on an extensive tour throughout the year, and are set to take a break in 2023.
They wrote to fans in an end-of-year newsletter: “I’ve been trying to do some table math, and I think, from the in-store shows, to the headline tour, to the various American hit and runs, we’ve probably met 50,000 of you this year.
“So, as we wrap things up, thanks to every one of you who’s bought tickets to shows, sung along to the songs, lost phones, voices and skin in mosh pits, written cryptic abuse on the van or just said hi in the street. Numbers on a screen have nothing on the throat-grabbing joy of walking out to 10,000 people in a tent, or 100 in a shop, or 50 crammed in by the bar of some old, sweaty pub.”
The band added: We’ve spent the last two years spreading ourselves as thin as our skin would stretch. It’s been punishing, joyful, at times almost unbearably bleak, but then for the moments of connection, when you feel it all start to work, perfect. It’s a cliche, but it really is the best job in the world. But, like any job, once in a while you need a long weekend.
“So, for the near-foreseeable we’ll be taking a bit of time out to sit in the darkness, see family, eat off plates with cutlery, keep our hands nice and clean, sleep in the same place for more than a night, and rent some distant Bon Iver cabin to turn out the heart-breaking and chart-crushing album three the culture has been wailing out for.”
Of the future, they concluded: “We will be back, with new music, new shows, and as always, the same old bullshit. “But for now, thanks for everything, from your friends, Alex, Al, Ben, Rob, Oli and Henry.”
Reviewing ‘Gulp!’, NME wrote: “Through it all, Sports Team are just trying to have a good time. It’s a relatable sentiment given these times, and whether it’s the escapism of the live show or their communal spirit, ‘Gulp!’ sees the band continue to build something to believe in.”
Last month, the band released a charity England football shirt in protest of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 2022 World Cup ended last weekend but has been plagued by criticisms of corruption, while Qatar’s views on homosexuality and the alleged deaths of thousands of migrant workers has also caused backlash.
Announcing their charity t-shirt, Sports Team wrote: “It’s Qatar 2022, which means there’s never been a better time to buy a bootleg shirt where absolutely 0 per cent of the profits will go to FIFA.”
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Will Richards
NME
