All about this artist
Biography:
UK indie rock band comprising Joel Pott (born 27 November 1979, England; guitar/vocals), Carey Willetts (bass), Stephen Roberts (drums), and Tim Wanstall (keyboards). The four members of Athlete grew up in the south-east London suburb of Deptford and first began playing music together as teenagers.
After several years spent playing in underachieving bands and holding down day jobs, the quartet reunited in 1999 and began performing as Athlete, taking their inspiration from maverick US alt rock bands the Flaming Lips and Grandaddy.
They made their recording debut for the Regal Recording label, releasing the Athlete EP in early 2002. The EP's lead track "Westside" introduced Athlete's keyboard-driven sound and penchant for big, swooping choruses (following a striking acoustic opening), and took a sly swipe at the herd mentality of the music business.
The warm reception afforded the EP led to a major label recording contract with Parlophone Records, that were no doubt hoping to replicate the success of another of their signings, Coldplay. Athlete broke into the UK Top 40 with the singles "You Got The Style" and "El Salvador", and released Vehicles & Animals in April 2003.
The album earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination and went on to sell over 250,000 copies, repaying Parlophone's faith in the band. The gentle follow-up Tourist was another commercial success, debuting at the top of the UK album charts in January 2005.
The track "Wires", inspired by the premature birth of Pott's daughter, reached the UK Top 5 and won an Ivor Novello award the following year. Less well-received was the muted Beyond The Neighbourhood in 2007 which, unlike the first two albums, struggled to make any long-term impression on the UK album chart.
