Like Manchester United, Computers, Tony Blair and apparently Marmite, Athlete are a band who you either love or hate. The lyrics are often simplistic with a slightly ironic twist and the music is viewed by some as mind-numbingly boring, and others as experimental brilliance.
Whichever side of the fence you sit on it's plain to see that Athlete are the perfect band to chill out to whilst the sun washes over T in The Park. Lead singer Joel Potts explains it best when he utters the chorus to the bands second single “Ohhhhh this is beautiful, you’ve got to soak it up”.
The Athlete frontman dedicated ‘Wires’ to those who lost their lives earlier in the week. “For a lot of people there’s been a possibility that you could have lost someone. I certainly felt that. Unfortunately some people lost their lives. This song is about hope and looking to the future.”
Towards the end of the set a burst of yellow smoke rose up from the stage and passed out into the crowd, and then tens of what I can only describe as little yellow footballs was kicked out into the audience. I’m sure there was a point to all this – but it lost me there.
Athlete played songs from both albums, recognizing the popularity of ‘Vehicles and Animals’, just as much as ‘Tourist’. The old classics were all there, including ‘You’ve got the style’ and ‘Westside’.
It’s a good fleshed-out set, but the new album is much mellower than the debut and I feel that they relied too much on their original songs for their individuality.
T in the Park 
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