Athlete

A GROUP of teenagers discussing music and dreaming of being pop stars is hardly anything new.

There was nothing unusual about Joel Pott and his friends, who, in their early teens, were united by their common love of music.

The only difference between them and everyone else is that while most people put their dreams aside and follow a 'sensible' career path, this group of lads, now in their mid-20s, pursued their interest in music and went on to become Mercury Music Prize-nominated band Athlete.

"When we were about 13 or 14 we met through our interest in music and stayed friends," explains Joel, the band's lead singer and guitarist.

"We met up at parties, saying 'hi, this is a great tune' and chatted about music and stuff like that, so that's how we got together."

"All four of us didn't really think about being in a band together then but for me, at that age, music started to become my thing and I started to write songs and thought 'this is what I want to do,' but it wasn't until four years ago that we formed a group, all four of us."

Athlete's debut album, Vehicles and Animals, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, went gold earlier this year and the lads have enjoyed chart success with singles El Salvador and the re-released You Got the Style.

Joel says he's delighted with the group's success so far but still feels that they've got a long way to go.

"I think we are always feeling like there's something else to be achieved but that's the way you've always got to look at it," he says.

"It was great to get the nomination but I don't think by any means we feel like we've made it.

"But I think it has definitely been a step up for us, especially the last couple of months - getting the nomination and having a really good festival season and the album is starting to sell a lot better."

The band might still have a long way to go, but their success so far has meant that Joel has been able to quit his former job and become a full-time musician.

"I worked in a skateboard shop for a few years, which was absolutely great, really cool," he says.

"But it was also my worst job, working in the shop when it was cold and no one came in and I was bored and just had to stand there for eight hours a day.

"I worked at the shop part-time to support my music so there was nothing really to fall back on. I never wanted to be in that frame of mind because it feels like you have to do something that really fulfils you. For me that's music so I would carry on doing it no matter what, really."

Athlete are at Southampton University on Wednesday, 22nd October. They will be supported by Alfie. Box office: 023 8071 1771.