Athlete

Long before the track "Wires" climbed close to the summit of the U.K. singles rankings, Athlete operated as one more South London band cast in the mold of Oasis. The four childhood companions—Carey Willets on bass, Joel Pott handling vocals and guitar, Steve Roberts on drums, and Tim Wanstall on keyboards—launched the project in early 2000 and initially patterned their approach on the Gallagher brothers’ style. Over time the group shifted toward experimental indie rock, issuing its self-titled EP through Regal Recordings in March 2002. The first single, “Westside,” quickly gained traction with BBC Radio 1 exposure and cleared a path for the follow-up “You Got the Style,” which entered the Top 40 that June. Parlophone soon offered a contract, sending the musicians into the studio with producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Beth Orton) late in 2002 to cut their debut full-length.

Vehicles & Animals reached stores as the band’s major-label introduction in April 2003, eventually yielding four singles and earning a Mercury Music Prize nomination. The second album, Tourist, proved still more successful; its reflective songwriting echoed Coldplay while the record itself ascended to number one on the U.K. albums chart in 2005. “Wires” climbed to number four and “Half Light” reached number 16, after which Tourist was certified double platinum. Athlete remained on the road in support until spring 2006, then chose to construct a private studio so members could stay near the friends and relatives they had missed during earlier travels. Work on the third album commenced in May 2006, resulting in the self-produced, experimental Beyond the Neighborhood, which appeared in September 2007. Black Swan followed two years later, with an American issue arriving in early 2010 via Original Signal Recordings. Drummer Steve Roberts died on October 13, 2022, at the age of 68.