Joel Laslett Pott (born 20 January 1979 in Spilsby,
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, England) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie band Athlete between 2000 and their split in 2013. In recent years he has served as a songwriter and music producer for numerous artists.
Biography
While a child, he was bought some drums by his parents. These ultimately "didn't work out" and he was then given a nylon string guitar at the age of six. In his teenage years, he listened to British bands such as Blur,
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
and
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentGraham Coxon as an influence on his own playing of the instrument.
Pott went to Trinity school in
Stalybridge
Stalybridge () is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, it had a population of 26,830.
Historic counties of England, Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire, it is east o ...
, Greater Manchester and then to Hillcrest School in Bellingham, near Catford in London, later studying
graphic design
Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
,
photography
Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
and English for his A levels at the Brit School of Performing Arts and Technology.
He considered attending the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, where he formed Athlete with childhood friends Carey Willetts, Steve Roberts and Tim Wanstall in 1999. Pott appeared on the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Pott and his band Athlete - formed in 2000 - released four studio albums. These are '' Vehicles and Animals'' in 2003, which was nominated for a
Mercury Music Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...
award, '' Tourist'' in 2005, which reached number one in the UK Album Charts in its first week and included the band's highest charting song " Wires" at number four, '' Beyond the Neighbourhood'' in 2007 and the latest, ''
Black Swan
The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...
'', in 2009.
Athlete have also released three EPs which are titled '' Athlete'', '' The Outsiders EP'' and '' The Getaway''. The band have also released two live albums which includes a live recording from the band's show at Union Chapel performing their main hits stripped back to acoustic and more mellow titled Live at Union Chapel. The band's other live release was a ten-year anniversary live version of their debut album Vehicles and Animals Live recorded during a tour across the country.
The band continued to play occasional dates and small festivals. Pott has more recently been working with artists including George Ezra and London Grammar in writing songs. Athlete have stated that at this moment they do not intend to create a new album, but have not ruled it out in the future.
Personal life
Pott married in 2000. From the relationship he has three children including a daughter called Myla and a son named Ethan. Although now healthy, she was born prematurely and is the subject of the Athlete song " Wires". Pott also wrote " Black Swan Song" after his grandfather, who fought in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Shura
Shura () is the term for collective decision-making in Islam. It can, for example, take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other.
Shura is mentioned as a praise ...
. He was nominated for the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards as co-writer of the hit single "
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...