In "Music meets Football", we speak to some of our artists about their love of the beautiful game and the teams they support. Our latest feature is with Adam Young of The Howlers.
The vocalist/guitarist of the East London-based trio is a lifelong fan of south-coast Championship side Portsmouth. The desert-rockers have never strayed from their open and honest approach to musicianship, quickly identifying themselves as one of the UK’s must-see acts. The band’s 2024 debut album What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All achieved a Top 15 position in the Official UK Independent Album Charts, along with achieving various Top 10 positions in other charts across Europe and the UK.
The band kicked off 2025 with brand new single ‘Night Crawling’, released ahead of their recently concluded European tour, with their biggest UK shows at Scala in London & Gorilla in Manchester taking place in October. ‘Night Crawling’ is a bold, sultry and seductive step forward for a band not afraid of new beginnings, which you can listen to now on our unofficial Portsmouth FC Fan playlist on Spotify.
Sport Playlists: Tell us about how you became a fan of Portsmouth.
Adam Young: Born and bred in the city. My dad had a season ticket when I was a kid, it was part of life growing up here, the city is very proud of the club.
SP: What are your earliest memories of attending a game at Fratton Park?
AY: My dad used to take me if one of his friends couldn’t go for some reason so I’d get in under their season ticket. My earliest memories are my old man buying me a programme before the game, sitting me down in the railway club with a coke and flicking through the pages as he had a pint or two with his mates.
SP: Who were your footballing heroes growing up – whether that be Pompey players or otherwise?
AY: Matty Taylor was a big one for me as a kid, I was the right age at the time when Harry Redknapp was the gaffer and the club had a squad of England First team players and old legends. It felt at the time the club was invincible, especially when you’re a child.
SP: Did you ever have any aspirations about becoming a professional footballer when you were a child? If so, how far did they go towards becoming a reality?
AY: I Think like most kids I had dreams bigger than my upbringing, I wasn’t a bad little player, played for county, and the area and a local team and my school on various different levels. I was playing football four times a week – mostly to make my dad proud – but I don’t know whether I ever thought I had a real shot at a professional career
When I was 15, I had a really bad knee injury so from then onwards a lot of the teams I played for started to bench me. I know now it was because they didn’t want me to injure myself more but at the time it was frustrating.
SP: What’s the best moment been in your time supporting Pompey?
AY: There’s many over the years, the good and bad of course. The FA Cup win when I was really little I remember vividly because we were away as kids playing a football tournament in Skegness of all places and they showed the final in the main hall for everyone.
We were the only people in this huge hall, when they won my dad took himself off to the bar and had a little cry, one of the only times I’ve ever seen my dad cry.
SP: What are your thoughts on how the 2024/25 season has gone so far, and what are your hopes for the final month of the season?
AY: The season hasn’t been too bad, but also hasn’t been great so far, I mean we’re mid-table so it’s not fantastic, always room to be better and put in a better performance.
I think realistically it would be nice to finish in the top half of the table, putting us in good shape for next season. Given the performances so far, I think that’s realistic
SP: Who are your favourite players in the current Portsmouth squad, and why?
AY: Callum Lang, is performing well at the moment, Colby Bishop has had his moments too – can’t really knock a player if there scoring goals. Josh Murphy hasn’t been bad either.
SP: How important has the crossover between music and football been in your life?
AY: I think for me, the crossover came around the time I got injured as a teenager when I was playing at a high standard, it goes hand in hand. I started listening more to music and playing more and here I sit where music took over my life.
I think music has a lot to offer sport especially when it comes to inclusiveness and a different type of art culture, but I will say I’ve had a few funny looks on the terraces when you turn up looking like you’ve walked off stage you tend to stand out.
SP: What song do you associate with a cherished footballing memory, and why?
AY: Queen – ‘We Are the Champions’. Cliche, I know, but I was about 16 when my club won the league and the cup that year and we all went to a pub with our dads and the management staff. Eventually our families turned up and took over one side of the pub.
Someone played that on the jukebox and it felt like the whole pub erupted singing, it was a special moment – I might have had a few sneaky shandies when the barmaid wasn’t looking! We were all still in our kits, covered in mud but it was a good memory.
SP: If you had to pick one Howlers song for Portsmouth to walk out to before kick-off at Fratton Park, which one would it be, and why?
AY: ‘Lady Luck’ – I sort of wrote that for the football crowds.
SP: You’ve just completed your first ever European headline tour? How was that experience getting tour to your own crowds across the continent, and what was the live reaction like for new song ‘Night Crawling’?
AY: Our tour was great! To be able to go out to 10 different countries in three weeks and play sold out shows and see so many fans there that have waited a long time to see us, I feel very fortunate to get to have that experience.
You are treated like an artist how you should be treated there, but all too often you’re not back here in the UK – we just did a 17-date sold out UK tour as well and they’re not comparable really. Don’t get me wrong I loved both tours but there’s a lot to be said about how this country treats and views bands and artists compared to mainland Europe.
We opened every night with ‘Night Crawling’ and it went down a treat each night. Its dark, its moody, its sleazy – how else do you want a set to open!
SP: What plans do you have in store for the rest of 2025 that fans can look forward to?
AY: We’re heading back to the studio to finish Album #2, with a few more singles coming this year and our biggest shows to date in October. We are an independent band so everything we do starts and stops with us.
