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Athlete (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007) |
| Athlete | |
|---|---|
 Athlete at the Academy, 2007
|
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Deptford, London, England |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock Britpop |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Label(s) | Parlophone (UK) Astralwerks (USA) |
| Website | http://www.athlete.mu/ |
| Members | |
| Joel Pott Carey Willets Steve Roberts Tim Wanstall |
|
Athlete are an English indie rock band formed in Deptford, London, comprising Joel Pott (lead vocals and guitar), Carey Willetts (bass and backing vocals), Stephen Roberts (drums and backing vocals) and Tim Wanstall (keyboards and backing vocals). Recently, the quartet have recruited Jonny Pilcher as a live guitarist.
Contents |
Friends since the age of fourteen, Athlete took their wide ranging influences such as Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips and started jamming and practicing in the basement of The Bear, a pub which was converted into a church and sandwich bar, on Deptford High Street in 1999. They began recording there, before sending demos out. Signing with Regal Recordings, they released their first single in February 2002. The band came to prominence in 2003 with their debut album, Vehicles and Animals, producing popular singles such as "You Got the Style" and "El Salvador". The album earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination and went on to sell over 250,000 copies.
Their second album, Tourist, reached Number One in the UK Album Charts in its first week, following the huge success of single "Wires", the song was brought around when the lead singer's newborn baby was rushed to intensive care after a premature birth, which in 2006, won them the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Contemporary Song". In the UK charts, the band has frequently been frustrated by singles just missing out on top 40 placings, due to inconsistent support by music television channels and radio stations. For instance, certain songs, such as "Wires" and "Half Light", were played up to 10 times a day on larger UK radio stations, yet other singles such as "Westside" and "Tourist" received little to no radio play whatsoever, fueling talk of radio stations deciding who becomes a major player in the pop music franchise.
On 10 June 2007, it was announced that the title of their third album would be Beyond the Neighbourhood.[1]. The album was mixed by Ben Allen and Michael Brauer, who also worked on Tourist. Released on 3 September 2007, Beyond the Neighbourhood was a self-produced collection of low-key songs, viewed as a disappointment by some[2], and an interesting sidestep by others[3]. It entered at #5 on the UK album chart.
The members of Athlete are Christians [1]
 |
 |
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| Year | Song | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Athlete (EP)" | 85 | |
| 2002 | "You Got the Style" | 37 | Vehicles and Animals |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | 41 | Vehicles and Animals |
| 2003 | "El Salvador" | 31 | Vehicles and Animals |
| 2003 | "Westside" | 42 | Vehicles and Animals |
| 2003 | "You Got the Style" re-issue | 42 | Vehicles and Animals |
| 2005 | "Wires" | 4 | Tourist |
| 2005 | "Half Light" | 16 | Tourist |
| 2005 | "Tourist" | 43 | Tourist |
| 2005 | "Twenty Four Hours" / "Stand In the Sun" | 42 | Tourist |
| 2007 | "Hurricane" | 31 | Beyond the Neighbourhood |
| 2007 | "Tokyo" | 198 | Beyond the Neighbourhood |
Athlete tracks have appeared on the following compilation CDs:
| Year | Compilation | Track |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Album Vol. 4 | "Westside" |
| 2004 | The Alternative Album Vol. 2 | "Westside" |
| 2004 | The Best Bands in the World...Ever | "Beautiful" |
| 2004 | The Best Bands 2004 | "You Got The Style" |
| 2005 | The Alternative Album Vol. 3 | "Shake Those Windows" |
| 2005 | The Album: Music from EMI | "Wires" |
| 2005 | Acoustic Vol.5: Acoustic 05 | "You Got The Style" |
| 2005 | The Album Vol. 6 | "Half Light" |
| 2006 | The Last Kiss Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | "El Salvador" |
| 2006 | The Ultimate Bands - The Classic Anthems | "Wires" |
| 2006 | Relaxing Songs 2006 | "Wires" |
| 2007 | The Saturday Sessions | "God Only Knows" (Cover) |
- "Chances" from Tourist was used in the 2006 Russell Crowe film A Good Year
- "Wires" is the theme song for The Learning Channel's show Diagnosis X
- "El Salvador" is in the movie "The Last Kiss" with Zach Braff
- ^ Athlete.mu
- ^ Beyond The Neighbourhood album review from Guardian Unlimited
- ^ Beyond The Neighbourhood album review from stv.tv/music
- Official website- currently got nothing to do with Athlete
- TheMusicZine live review
- TheMusicZine interview
- Myspace site
- Hurricane Review
- Athlete, Beyond the Neighbourhood Review
- Beyond The Neighbourhood Review
- Athlete gig gallery on BBC Norfolk
- Tokyo Review
- Interview with Caught In The Crossfire
- Soundfires.com review of Tokyo
| Athlete |
|---|
| Joel Pott | Carey Willetts | Stephen Roberts | Tim Wanstall |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Vehicles and Animals (2003) · Tourist (2005) · Beyond the Neighbourhood (2007) |
| Singles: "You Got the Style" · "Beautiful" · "El Salvador" · "Westside" · "Wires" · "Half Light" · "Tourist" · "Twenty Four Hours / Stand in the Sun" · "Hurricane" · "Tokyo" |
| EPs: Athlete |