While many critics may categorise Sports as dream pop, I would say the duo would better be described as wet dream pop. During Sports Brisbane show, promoting their new self-titled album, many concert-goers were inspired by the iconic sultry guitar riffs and funky bass lines and more than one make-out was witnessed in the crowd.

However, it seemed as though that was what the two long-time friends, Cale and Christian had in mind all along for their world tour, with Brisbane as their last show in Australia before moving on to Dublin. They performed on a stage soaked in blues and reds with an ever-flowing smoke machine. All in the foreground of their iconic draped polka dot backdrop, the duo grooved together, dropping in and out of satisfying halftime feels, perfectly in sync, only communicating through the odd raised eyebrow or smirk to the crowds’ reactions.  

The audience was perfectly warmed up by opening act Effe. The trip-hop Naarm/ Melbourne-based artist, who revealed to the crowd that she is actually a North Brisbane native. By the way she performed, you would have thought she was singing to a sold-out stadium, not in a venue only half full to an audience still milling in. Her energy and passion were more than apparent, captivating the audience with her new release ‘See-through’, and showcasing crushing themes of dating and falling in love. Effe and her drummer, Cam Tonkin were the perfect pair, instantly finding each other in silent communication, separated on a stage split in half by Sports table set up. Once finishing her set, she jumped off the stage embracing a friend, joining the crowd to watch the rest of the show. 

Surprisingly, Christian, the guitarist of the group, was able to sneak onto stage before their set. With the crowd none the wiser, he helped the crew set up, casually tuning his guitar while the audience continued chatting. But when the duo finally came onto stage together and the lights dimmed, the fans made up for their earlier lack of excitement with deafening screams and whistles. The pair leaned into their name, both donning athletic windbreaker jackets and vocalist Cale in his iconic sunglasses and juxtaposing pin-striped trousers. Christian, however, stylishly paired his tracksuit with a cheetah print fur beanie and matching cheetah Doc Marten boots. 

It felt more like a house party than an international world tour with the Brightside’s intimate layout. A low close stage made the audience in easy reaching distance and the mezzanine layout meant there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. The audience couldn’t help but dance when the band broke out into the first song ‘Nice 2 Meet Myself (Bang Bang Bang)’, with fans leaning over balconies, girls dancing on bench seats and the band only a breath away from the fingertips of the front row. 

No one at The Brightside could deny that Sports had stage presence. Cale had complete control of the crowd, he only had to clap once before he had the whole audience clapping along for the rest of the song and one wave of the hand before he disappeared behind a sea of waving arms. Even when he crouched down for an intimate moment close to the crowd, it was seconds before the entire venue was crouching down too. With only Christian still standing, watching on as Cale jumped up at the beat drop and everyone in the hall was jumping and dancing. It was clear to see how much Brisbane loved Sports. The duo had the whole audience screaming along for their favourite songs, especially their very first release, and still their most popular, ‘You Are the Right One.’ 

The audience was even more excited when they heard the iconic drum-roll intro to ‘Panama.’ The duo shared a smile at the crowd’s reaction to the track off the album ‘Naked All the Time.’  Cale sung with his effortlessly cool vibe and transported the audience straight to summer with the breezy carefree chorus. 

As the duo drew their set to an end with their final song, Cale grasped the hands of everyone in the front row and the pair took a moment at centre stage, smiling and looking out at every member at the audience who were screaming and whistling, as if to say “wow, we really have made it.”

They left the stage, throwing paper airplanes into the crowd made from their set list, to the deafening sounds of a heartbroken audience. Brisbane wasn’t ready to say goodnight to Sports, with the crowd chanting ‘one more song’ for at least another five minutes after the pair had disappeared. But to everyone’s great disappointment, Sports did not have one more song. 

Words and Image By Niamh Murphy