Reviews

01.02.08 | Hexagon | Queen's Walk | Reading | 7.30pm | tickets: £16.50 | Box office: 0118 960 6060

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Deptford indie rockers Athlete release their third album, Beyond The Neighbourhood, in the wake of their number-one charting Tourist.

Now with Beyond The Neighbourhood they're taking their music a step further - by effectively building their own studio and doing away with a producer.

They'll be heading to the Hexagon in Reading to promote the album on Friday 1 February 2008.

The Session Introducing's Linda Serck caught up with frontman Joel Pott as he was attempting some Christmas shopping.

Listen to the full interview here or read extracts below:

Hi Joel, where are you at the moment?

"Out and about trying to do some shopping with the kids - it's hard work!"

Any idea what to get?

"No that's half of the hard work, it's one of those things where you haven't had time to think about it, so you go - right I'm just going to go shopping but I have no idea what to get. I'm just looking around going 'aargh!' I need some ideas!

What's your ideal Christmas present?

"I always like a good pair of socks to be honest. Do you know what, I'm really into my socks. I'm not about a rubbish pair of socks. So if they spent £10 to £15 on a decent sock I'd be a happy man.

How is the tour going?

"It's good, we've just been out to the States and Canada - it was our first tour over there. It was great, it was really good fun."

Athlete: friends since the age of 15

You seem to be playing quite a low-key tour and playing a lot of universities.

"Yeah. We're going to a lot of towns that people don't often go and play and that we haven't been to much before - or at all before.

"We played a couple of places like Lincoln where bands don't usually go and play and it was really good.

"We spoke to our agent about doing a tour and about going to places like that just cos the vibe's really good. Maybe you don't get so many bands coming through towns like Reading like you do in London or Manchester."

You've been to Reading before in 2005 at the Rivermead Leisure Centre. Any memories?

"I think we played football out the back. I think we got a match in so it was a good day."

Have you been to the Reading Festival?

"I went to Reading - man - probably about ten or 12 years ago and Blur headlined and Pavement's had their last festival gig - that's the reason why I went."

About your album that's out, Beyond The Neighbourhood, you've done something quite unusual in that you built your own studio to record it in!

"Yeah with our bare hands!

"We did do a bit. We found a place cos we'd been turfed out of our old little rubbish studio. We've always had a place to do demos and rehearse to live and stuff.

"So we were looking for a new place and we'd been talking about getting a place where hopefully we could make some of the record.

"So we found this place, did it up, which is amazing that it's affordable to build a studio these days.

"So it was literally like 'let's start recording some demos and see where we're at'.

"We recorded five songs and played them to the record company and they said 'it sounds amazing, carry on!'."

And you also did away with a producer...

"Again that was with those five songs. Literally once we'd finished them and we got such a great response we did them without a producer.

"Lots of people don't think that it's even a possibility but to us it's quite natural so it wasn't such a great big deal.

"Even our producer on the first two records, Victor (Van Vugt), the whole time we were making the first two records he was saying 'you should build your own studio and do it yourselves'.

"So he's kind of done himself out of a job! But we're probably actually going to work with him again because we've got a good working relationship."

Athlete: no time for sitting about

How did this DIY ethic affect the sound of the album - it does sound, lyrically and melodically, a lot brighter. A bit more of a skip in its stride.

"Yeah we had really good fun. When you've just built a studio you've got somewhere new so there's lots of new toys there - it does put a spring in your step.

"When all four of you are there in a new place and you've got  loads of new ideas - that comes across in the record."

You've been together as a band since the age of 15/16 - does that help in any way in forming a band?

"If you can form a band out of being friends and obviously a mutual love of music then it holds you in good stead. It's really helped us at the end of the day.

"If there's one big ego that's the driving force behind it then it can last for a while but you're not going to have fun.

"When we go on tour it's such a good laugh cos all our crew are friends, our management are friends - that's how you want it."

Finally then what advice do you have for local bands who want to be as successful as Athlete?

"Just be your own thing and enjoy it.

"As soon as you think you've come up with a formula to get signed that's where it can go wrong.

"If you do want to get signed, people in record companies want to see bands who aren't desperate to get signed and are doing their own thing, doing something that's not copying anyone else.

"The most important thing is that you're being creative and having a laugh."

And bring lots of socks on tour as well!

"Yep, that's important too!"