Bands FC: Where music meets football

Bands FC is the simple, yet genius, brainchild of Mark Liptrott and Nick Fraser. They took their two favourite things, football and music and blended them together. They created an astounding gallery of musical football crests that’s bound to catch the eye of any supporter or fan. 

On the 9th of October, Bands FC’s first Irish exhibition kicked off in Rascals Brewing Company in Dublin 8. Their exhibitions have travelled the world and this is their second international stop, their first being in New York. 

The exhibition, which took place over two weeks, felt like an intimate club, curated specifically for football and music fans alike. The gallery showcased their finest creations, with Irish bands such as U2, Thin Lizzy and Fontaines D.C. getting the Bands FC treatment. 

What originally started as a conversation between friends and some Twitter based fun, caught on like wildfire and their throw away conversation became a small phenomenon. Co-creator Nick Fraser admits that they “didn’t know which way it was going to go” and described their rise in popularity as a “bubble that’s not quite burst, and maybe never will”.

Twitter was key to Band FC’s rise in popularity. They started posting online to give people a break from “all the misery we see on social media”. But once a few of the bands caught on and started sharing their designs, they became a small phenomenon. 

Their idea has captured the minds of football and music fans, transporting them to a simpler era where panini stickers and football cards were all the rage. Through their collaborations with numerous bands and musicians, they’ve taken their exhibitions all over the world, raising over “£100,000 for good causes and charities”. 

Nick and Mark never anticipated the meteoric rise of Bands FC. But with more designs, exhibitions and charity partnerships in the worst, they plan on staying on the same trajectory.