If the zombie apocalypse hits, Team Nonexistent (the band) is ready. They’ve decided on the wood choppers, the cooks, the scavengers, and the hunters among them. One of the latter, Sophie Labelle-Plott (they/he) on vocals/guitar, is ready to kill.
“I’m a great shot,” said Sophie.
For those who’ve seen Team Nonexistent live, this comes as no surprise. Composed of Sophie as lead singer and songwriter, Magic Mo (they/he) on bass, Jesse Newman (they/them) on guitar, and Billie Christ (she/they) on drums, the group generates raw electricity. Thrashing, headbanging, running into the crowd, there’s chemistry. Jesse shreds guitar, Magic plucks bass, Billie beats drums, Sophie screams: “Touch me again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Team Nonexistent, self-described as “queer melodic punk rock”, wasn’t always so organized. Initially formed by Sophie in 2017 as a solo project, they said it took years to find the right group.
“I started Team Nonexistent after high school because I was sad,” they said. “I was just alone, and then I moved here and didn’t have any friends.”
In 2021, they booked a show at Mutiny Information Cafe, and Magic, who was running sound, approached Sophie after the show.
“I heard them open their mouth to sing, and I was like, oh my God, who the fuck is that?” Magic said. “The night after that show, I had a dream I was in a band with them and thought that’d be pretty cool.”
Shortly after, the duo found Billie drumming in the Hi-Dive’s basement. Although the group felt more complete to them, there was still a missing piece. “I had this vision of wanting to run around and menace people, and I couldn’t do that attached to a guitar,” said Sophie.
Jesse came into the picture after the group saw their Comrade Goose performance. “We were watching their hands, and I was like, wow, they’re really fucking good,” said Sophie. “We all looked at each other after the show, and said ‘we should ask Jesse to be in the band.’”
The rest is a short, but increasingly prolific history. Although they’ve only been a fully formed project since 2022, they’re gaining devoted followers.
“Some people are singing along to full songs we’ve never released,” said Magic. “They come up to use later and are like ‘I scoured the internet and listened through every demo possible.’”
A significant part of the band’s draw is their relatability. “We’re very open and out about our identities,” said Magic. “That’s spoken a lot to people, especially the younger queer community.”
“I’ve heard people say ‘I feel so seen, like, you get being a queer neurodivergent person.’” said Sophie.
“We’re all very anxious and pretty autistic people,” said Jesse. “Those two things are part of how we interact with each other on stage.”
This on-stage synergy fuels Billie’s drumming. “I feel like we get a comment often that we have really good stage chemistry,” she said. “I think it’s very noticeable we’re having fun.”
Team Nonexistent released an album, “Casual Rage” in 2021, and two singles as a group, “Relief” and “Worms in my Shower.” They’ve since hinted at a full band’s debut album, and accompanying singles, coming out soon. But before that, catch them at an upcoming show:
April 9: Moon Room at Summit Music Hall – Filth is Eternal (Team Nonexistent opening)
May 14: Globe Hall – VIAL (Team Nonexistent opening)
And follow them on Instagram and Spotify, if not for their music, then to follow along with their apocalypse plans. They’re a team you’ll want around.
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