COLDPLAY, Travis, Oasis even Radiohead ... you name the band and Athlete have probably been compared to them.

Which is why you'll be able to find out that Athlete are, quite simply, Athlete, when they bring their tour to Newport in November.

The South London foursome is made up of childhood friends Carey Willets (bass), Joel Pott (vocals, guitar), Steve Roberts (drums), and Tim Wanstall (keyboards).

They formed in early 2000 after several incarnations and arrived at an experimental indie rock kind of style.

Athlete spent the next year writing and recording, and their self-titled EP appeared on Regal Recordings in 2002.

Radio 1's Jo Whiley praised Athlete's first single, Westside, as the Record of the Week. Several months later, You Got Style went Top 40 and opening dates with the likes of Mansun, the Polyphonic Spree, Electric Soft Parade, and Simian followed into the next year.

Such critical success also led the band to sign with Parlophone. Athlete entered the studio with producer Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Beth Orton) in late 2002 to record their studio full-length.

Vehicles & Animals marked the band's debut in mid-2003. Athlete gigged heavily in support of the album, and saw it nominated for a Mercury prize. Van Vugt and producer John Cornfield were on board for Tourist, the band's ambitious spring 2005 follow-up

They once played over 200 shows in 22 months. "It didn't feel like this big explosion. For us it's felt like a much more gradual process," Willets says.

"We'd been mates for years. We'd played in other bands, but always together, so it felt like with each new song, it was another step." "It's from playing live that we were able to build up our fan base, but in a lot of ways we're still kind of a well-kept secret and that's the best way to pick up fans."

Athlete play the final gig of their current tour at Newport Centre on November 12. Tickets cost £16. For further information contact 01633 656757.