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Unfortunately, if tonight proves anything it's this - you cannot kill what the NME somewhat presciently refers to as "major label indie". There will always be marketing men out there looking for groups of lads with guitars who aren't going to misbehave too much and will make a quick buck out of the sort of people who like guitar music but don't really get what rock 'n' roll should sound like (Stereophonics fans in other words).
Athlete, currently being tipped as "the next big thing" by some industry insiders, are a case in point. They don't do anything particularly wrong tonight but this is wilful underachievement made flesh. Every song is so bloody predictable - bit of Coldplay style strumming, some sub-Badly Drawn Boy musings on the world, bit of Toploaderesque "laddishness" chucked in to appeal to the polo shirt wearing fraternity - that you just wonder why they bother. It's okay to be good at what you do but really, don't these guys ever feel the need to branch out a bit? To do something out of character that's gonna make people sit up and listen? Evidently not - far better to play it safe or else you might lose that Chris Moyles endorsement like.
Dull, uninspiring and characterless. Yup, looks like they'll be huge...
Reviewed by Andy James
