British band Sports Team robbed at gunpoint on first day of US tour
The group had stopped for a coffee in California when masked attackers ransacked their van.
British band Sports Team have revealed they were robbed at gunpoint on the first day of their American tour.
The Mercury Prize-nominated group had stopped for a coffee at a Starbucks in Vallejo, California, on Tuesday when they were told someone had broken into their van.
In an Instagram post, the alternative rock band said they attempted to intervene but were confronted by masked attackers who pulled out a gun.
In a video shared to Instagram, people can be heard shouting “Get down” and “Ring the police” as some men enter a white van, while another photo shows the back window of the vehicle smashed in.
The band said they called the police but were told to just “submit an online report”.
Despite having a lot of personal items stolen, the group are planning to continue with their West Coast tour.
“Lost a lot of personal gear, but they didn’t get the instruments so driving on to Sacramento to play tonight”, they wrote on Instagram.
“They can take our Nintendo Switches but they can never take our ability to play rock songs about motorways.
“In all seriousness, pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it. ‘It happens’. 9am at some petrol station Starbucks. Wild.”
The band released their debut album, Deep Down Happy, in 2020, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize and went to number two in the UK charts.
Their 2022 follow-up, Gulp!, was also well received and rose to number three in the charts.
The group, who performed at Glastonbury in 2022, are set to release their third album, Boys These Days, in the new year.
