At around quarter past 3 on Tuesday afternoon, the Sports Team bandwagon (in the form of a spray -painted Piaggio Porter) rolled into Newcastle to play an exclusive show at RPM Music.

The promo show forms part of their ongoing UK tour for their upcoming sophomore album GULP! which hits stores on Friday.

The venue of RPM Music made it an interesting evening, as around 40 spectators piled into the tight confines of the cosy record store.

To say that the venue was intimate would be an understatement however this only increased the special feel of the gig which brought a different vibe to the standard Academy fayre.

The band posed with fans for pictures before and after the gig adding to the friendly, intimate atmosphere which radiated around the Old George Yard throughout the evening.

The setlist was formed of songs from their new record, “GULP!” with new singles “The Drop” and “Dig” performed to an audience of those who had pre-ordered the LP and those lucky enough to squeeze in.

Throughout the performance, more and more latecomers arrived perhaps demonstrating the challenging nature of the start time of 17:30 which is perhaps more forgivable for a smaller record store date.

Those who did make it down in time were treated to an excellent show filled with the usual high energy antics expected from a Sports Team performance conducted within smaller confines.

The band began with their latest four singles, which open their new LP, before throwing themselves into a rendition of “Unstuck”, the first unheard of number of the evening which saw frontman Alex Rice take advantage of the novelty of a wireless mic seeing him serenade the streets of Newcastle and the punters of the nearby Old George pub.

The band’s trademark sound was not compromised even in the tight surroundings leading to a number of vinyl and eventually a shelf falling on drummer Alex Greenwood who managed to play on throughout the vicious attack by boxsets from The Doors and The Who.

New tracks “Getting Better” and “Light Industry” were firmly dispatched with songwriter Rob Knaggs taking vocal duties on the former following on from vocal performances on 2020’s “Long Hot Summer” and “Lander”.

The evening was rounded out by a rendition of “M5” from their 2019 EP “Keep Walking” which beat out “Here’s the Thing” in a fan vote.

Fans were then treated to an album signing session as well as a chance to chat with the band and buy merch from the “GULP!” branded van, which is transporting the band around the country. This rounded off a really fun night which highlighted what makes Sports Team so special in comparison to other artists around today.