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When a band has racked up an enviable back catalogue of infectious tunes, it's not surprising to find their concerts are solid crowd-pleasing affairs.

As Athlete belt out their summer smash Hurricane, from the newly released third album Beyond the Neighbourhood, the core of the Shepherds Bush Empire audience becomes an all-singing, all-dancing, hand-clapping sweaty mass.

"We never take sold-out shows for granted and London's one of the best crowds we ever play. It's our hometown after all... and there are all these blokes telling me they love me. What's going on?"

His self-effacing attitude is endearing because this isn't the first time Athlete - now with three consecutive Top Twenty albums behind them - have been given a hero's welcome at a gig.

The band's fans include young and bouncy die-hards and older Britpop lovers, who are more keen on sitting back in their seats, much as they would at any Coldplay or Snow Patrol concert.

frenetic guitar

But tonight Pott and his Deptford posse - bassist Carey Willetts, drummer Stephen Roberts, keyboard player Tim Wanstall and additional guitarist Jonny Pilcher, formerly of Weevil - prove their live credibility with a sparkling two-encore set of nagging, piano and synth-driven melodies enlivened by bursts of frenetic guitar.

Highlights include the strangely jaunty ode to the Burnley and Bradford race riots, You Got The Style, from their Mercury-nominated debut Vehicles and Animals, brought to life here with an audience singalong.

Athlete's Carey Willetts

Another standout is the ballad This is What I Sound Like, inspired by the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, played in such a pared-down way that the collective hush suggests its heart-tearing effect is touching the furthest corners of the auditorium.

"We love the experience of playing live and thrive on getting a reaction from the crowd," said Carey Willetts when I spoke to him backstage.

"Every performance is different, too. There's a set-list of around 20 songs for each show, but we improvise and make it up as we go along."

"Plus," he added, "You never know where Joel is going to go..."

On tonight's evidence then, after giving their all, that can only mean onwards and upwards. The London four-piece are in the race and going the distance.

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