Athlete

Athlete are an English indie rock band formed in Deptford, London and consist of Joel Pott on lead vocals and guitar; Carey Willetts on bass; Stephen Roberts on drums; and Tim Wanstall on keyboards and backing vocals. The band's style of music has been highly influenced by bands, such as The Beach Boys and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The band's debut album, “Vehicles & Animals” arrived in 2003 and earned the band a Mercury Music Prize nomination. Athlete followed up with, “Tourist” in 2005, which was highly successful.

Athlete band members have been friends since the age of fourteen, often jamming after school at each other's houses while listening to artists, such as Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips; the friends began to get serious about music once out of school. With a regular rehearsal space in the basement of the local pub, 'The Bear,' the foursome began to land gigs in small venues all over their home town. The band began to record demos and send them out to the record labels in the hopes of getting a deal. By 2000 they were signed by Regal Recordings, and released their first single “Westside” in 2002. The single gained moderate success and saw airplay on BBC Radio; the band followed up with the single, “You Got the Style.” As a result of their building success, a record offer came from Parlophone Records. The band wasted no time heading into the studio with Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and Beth Orton's music producer, Victor Van Vugt.

“Vehicles and Animals,” arrived in 2002 and produced the popular singles: “You Got the Style” and “El Salvador.” The album earned the band lots of attention in the press and multiplied their growing fan base. The band followed up with performances at Glastonbury and the T in The Park festival. Athlete's second offering, “Tourist” (2005) peaked at #1 on the U.K. Album Charts in its first week of release. The album spawned the hugely successful hit single, “Wires,” which earned the band an Ivor Novello Award for “Best Contemporary Song” in 2006. 2007 saw the band's third offering, “Beyond the Neighborhood,” which met with warm responses. The album peaked at #5 on the U.K. Album Chart and produced the Beach Boys-influenced hits: “Hurricane,” and “Tokyo.”

Next the band embarked on a tour of the U.K. before producing their fourth studio album, “Black Swan” in 2009. That same year saw the band sign with Fiction Records. 2010 saw the band touring once again in Britain, Europe and North America. A live album, "Live At Union Chapel” arrived in 2012, followed by performances at several festivals, including Hop Farm Festival, Shindig Festival, and Lakefest.