Athlete at the Gaelic Club. Friday 25 February 2005
By Nikolai Russo
Ah, finally after the adrenalin and sunburn of the summer festival season it was good to be back indoors at ye olde Gaelic club, and with no better reason than to check out the newest UK success story Athlete.
On the back of the phenomenal sophomore album Tourist, Athlete have risen leaps and bounds, crossing over from critical acclaim to find a wider mass appeal. Debuting at the number 1 album spot on the UK charts earlier this year, Athlete have been making waves across the world, and tonight it was Sydney’s chance to get in on the ground floor.
Opening to much applause with the album’s first track, the delicate and haunting ‘Chances’, Athlete had the audience in the palm of their hand from the get go, and despite the sombreness and fragility of the majority of Tourist’s songs, were really able to rock out on stage and maintain a very upbeat atmosphere. New songs like Half Light and Street Map were well received while oldies such as El Salvador and New Project from Vehicles and Animals inspired many a spontaneous sing along from an audience with a hefty percentage of British fans.
The real highlights however came by way of the new album’s ‘Toursit’ and the lead single ‘Wires’. The title-track will no doubt be one of those slow burners that will eventually brand itself in your memory, but just the quality of the song writing alone, perfectly capturing the fear of loneliness, is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Not to mention of course the breakdown section of ‘Wires’ which dare I say it, is a contender for best live moment of 2005.
But all in all, the thing that really grabbed me the most was the sincerity and modesty in lead singer Joel Pott’s accent as he chatted to the audience between songs, and his true shock and appreciation at playing to a sold out crowd half way around the world.
Closing their set with the ever-infectious ‘You Got the Style’, Athlete had us cheering for more and burst back on stage to grant us an encore consisting of a stripped back acoustic version of ‘Vehicles and Animals’ and the glorious ‘24 Hours’ before bidding us goodnight and farewell. There is no doubt that the next time Athlete visit our fair shores they’ll be playing to a much larger audience, so everyone in attendance should cherish the memories of this whirlwind visit and brag to their friends that they saw them before everyone else did, I know I will! |
DFA Records: Holiday Mix 2005
DFA Records: Holiday Mix 2005
