Like many indie groups, the Athlete boys met as teenagers and formed a band. Following the usual road to stardom for their genre, the group kicked off their career playing in the local pub and after putting a demo together were signed by Regal Recordings. Their freshman single, Westside, hit the airwaves in 2002 and immediately garnered success. The group's mix of experimental indie rock and soulful lyrics were soon a hit with the masses and they were nominated for a Mercury Music Prize for their debt album, 2003's Vehicles and Animals. Their next effort, Tourist (2004) did ever better, reaching Number 1 in the UK album chart, thanks largely to what is arguably their greatest tune to date, Wires. Not only popular with the people, the song went on to win a prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 2006. The album went double platinum in no time, setting the boys on their way across the world, as they embarked on a hectic touring schedule. Although subsequent work has done well in the charts, the group have still to surpass their initial success early on.
![Vehicles & Animals [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]](https://cdn-images.dzcdn.net/images/cover/e7a04c9973e138ebe766a0d6b198dc8d/120x120-000000-80-0-0.jpg)
