Cub Sport are an Australian pop group formed in Brisbane in early 2010. Founding mainstays are Zoe Davis on keyboards, bass guitar, lead guitar and vocals, Tim Nelson on lead vocals and keyboards, Sam "Bolan" Netterfield on keyboards and vocals, and Dan Puusaari on drums. They have released five studio albums, This Is Our Vice (2016), Bats (2017), Cub Sport (2019), Like Nirvana (2020) and Jesus at the Gay Bar (2023). Jesus at the Gay Bar peaked at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, Like Nirvana reached number two and Cub Sport appeared at number twelve. Nelson and Netterfield married in August 2018.
History
2010–2013: Early years
Cub Sport were originally formed as Tim Nelson & the Cub Scouts early in 2010 in Brisbane to promote Nelson's solo songs. The original six-piece line-up, was Zoe Davis on bass guitar and vocals, Tim Nelson on vocals and piano, Sam Netterfield on keyboards and vocals, Dan Puusaari on drums, Bek Stoodley on glockenspiel and vocals and Andrew Williams on guitar. Davis, Nelson, Netterfield and Williams had attended the same secondary school, Northside Christian College.
Tim Nelson & the Cub Scouts released a self-titled debut extended play (EP) in August 2010. Mediasearchs Dave Griffiths noticed, "Nelson's amazing voice that sets this group apart from the many other bands... Sweet and blissful this is for those who love the music of Decoder Ring or george." Adam Roberts of Alt Media felt, "as for hooks and chops among the quiet indie set, [Nelson] has all the right ingredients to make something bigger and better." Tiffany Bridger of Rave Magazine praised "Their rainbow of soft, whispery tunes – a fluttering on the glockenspiel, a series of Nelson's emotive keys throughout – make for a magical instrumental arrangement."
Following a line-up change, they shortened their name to Cub Scouts in 2011. They issued two singles — "Evie" in 2011 and "Do You Hear" in 2012; both received high rotation on national youth radio, Triple J. They released their six-track second EP, Told You So in October 2012. theMusic.com.aus Mat Lee observed, "[its] six songs are individual in their own right and the pace is effectively contrasted to highlight the shifts in context and emotion." They supported the EP's release with their second Australian tour. The title track gained popularity on US college radio. Another track, "Do You Hear" won two awards at the 2012 Queensland Music Awards.
The band officially changed their name to Cub Sport in August 2013 following a legal injunction by Scouts Australia. Nelson explained, "We got a cease and desist letter about a month ago asking us to stop using the name." Also in August, they released their five-track third EP, Paradise, which featured two singles: "Pool!" and the title track. On "Pool!" lead vocals were shared by Davis and Nelson. Initial pressings of Paradise still had the Cub Scouts band name, "it's annoying that [the injunction] came up in the middle of us releasing an EP, after we got 1500 copies" pressed. Cub Sport undertook a tour of United States and Europe during 2013.
2014–2018: This Is Our Vice and Bats
Lead guitarist Andrew Williams left Cub Sport in 2014 but was not replaced, they continued as a four-piece, with both Nelson and Davis shifting to additional guitar duties. In October 2015 they released the first single, "Only Friend", from their debut album, This Is Our Vice, which appeared on 4 March 2016. It was produced by John Castle (Megan Washington, Vance Joy) for Nettwerk Records. Jaymz Clements of Rolling Stone (Australia) rated it at two stars and explained, "they fail to fire. It's fine for This Is Our Vice to slew more towards self-reflective, downer territory, but that it relies so heavily on well-tread synth-pop is where it lets itself down." Whereas AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung gave it three-and-a-half stars and detailed, "With more electronic flourishes and a funkier vibe than their past efforts, the album shimmers, injecting tropical dance elements into its indie rock backbone."
In August 2016, they performed a cover of Kanye West's "Ultralight Beam" on Triple J's programme, Like a Version. The third single, "Come On Mess Me Up", was listed at number 24 on the 2016 Triple J Hottest 100, their first ever appearance in the annual listeners poll. Cub Sport toured nationally and internationally in support of This Is Our Vice, both as head-liners and support act to Ball Park Music, Loon Lake, Andy Bull, Saskwatch, the 1975 and Big Scary. This Is Our Vice was re-released in April 2021, with two bonus tracks, and peaked in the top 60 on the ARIA Albums Chart.