British band Sports Team robbed at gunpoint on US tour
The British band Sports Team were robbed at gunpoint on the first day of their U.S. tour.
The indie group, which has had two top 10 albums in the UK, lost their passports, stage equipment, and personal belongings when a thief looted their tour van in Vallejo, California, in the Bay Area.
In footage shared with the BBC, the thief is seen pointing a gun at the group’s tour manager as she approached the van.
“Obviously, when someone pulls a gun, you run for cover,” said singer Alex Rice. “But what struck me was the sense of resignation. The people around us didn’t seem very panicked at all. It felt like just another day.”
The robbery occurred around 4:45pm UK time (8:45am in California) as the band was heading to their first tour stop in nearby Sacramento.
While having breakfast at a Starbucks, a passerby alerted them to the robbery in progress.
“Someone opened the door and said, ‘Does anyone here have a white Sprinter van? You’re being robbed right now,'” drummer Al Greenwood told the BBC.
“So we all ran out, shouting. Lauren, our tour manager, was slightly ahead of me, and somebody else ran past us in the opposite direction, and said, ‘Careful, he’s holding something.'”
“I really thought I was about to watch someone get shot, because it took a while for our tour manager to realise,” she added.
“In the video, you can hear me screaming at her to get down.”
The footage was filmed by another band member from inside Starbucks. In it, you can hear staff calmly advising the group to get off the street.
“Guys, get inside. Please stay inside,” says a female voice, as the bandmates duck back inside the entrance.
“It was very discombobulating because they just carried on with their shift,” said Greenwood.
“They started serving drinks straight away,” added Rice.
When they contacted the police, the band say they were advised to “fill out an online form” about the robbery, and that no officers were sent to investigate.
The BBC has contacted the local police department for comment.
According to the group, the thief smashed the passenger window of their tour van, as they took cover inside.
He mainly targeted electronics, including film cameras and laptops they use on stage.
They also lost all of their passports and documents, as well as suitcases containing their clothes, “so we’re going to wearing the same things for the next two weeks”.
Greenwood also lost her journal in the incident.
“I know it sounds ridiculous,” she said, “but that’s almost the worst part”.
Luckily, the group’s instruments were housed in a separate, locked compartment at the back of the van.
The band, who are promoting their forthcoming third album, Boys These Days, remain hopeful they can play the opening show of their tour on Tuesday night.
‘We’re definitely not going to let this put us off,” said Greenwood.
“And ultimately, it really makes you reflect on things to be grateful for, both here and at home.”
The tour will even return to the Bay Area on Saturday night.
“We’re gonna keep playing,” said Rice. “We’ve got nothing against the Bay Area. We think it’s great here – but it’s sad that it’s kind of got to this sort of place with gun violence.”
