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), who have been friends since their early teens. The guys 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. 2003 saw Athlete releasing their debut album, "Vehicles and Animals", and with singles such as "You Got the Style" and "El Salvador", went on to earn a Mercury Music Prize nomination and shift over 250,000 copies.

Second album, "Tourist", reached number 1 in the UK Album charts in its first week, with stand-out single "Wires" (inspired by Joel's experience when his newborn baby was rushed to intensive care after a premature birth), winning an Ivor Novello Award for "Best Contemporary Song".

Third album "Beyond the Neighbourhood", mixed by Ben Allen and Michael Brauer (who also worked on "Tourist") was released in September 2007, a self-produced collection of low-key songs, and it entered at number 5 on the UK Album chart.