Recently, Athlete announced that each member within the band would take time out to explore new avenues and work on other projects. Naturally, fans of the band feared the worst for a bit, but there's no split, it's just a hiatus and these hiatuses (hiati? hiatum?) take time.

But hopefully not the same length of time it's taken to get here. Ten years ago, Athlete were piecing together their debut-album "Vehicles and Animals", an assured grown-ups collection that earned them a Mercury Music Prize nomination, a string of hit singles and sales of over a quarter of a million - not bad for a clutch of lads previously living in deprived Deptford who rehearsed in more humble surroundings such as the local pub.

By the time "Vehicles and Animals" appeared in April 2003, Athlete had notched up a clutch of minor hits in "Westside", "You Got the Style", "Beautiful" and the familiar "El Salvador" and were already establishing themselves as accomplished performers, with an Ivor Novello Award to follow a few years later for "Wires".

Not surprisingly, with the band out of commission temporarily, Athlete have found an excuse to go back on tour - the 10th anniversary of said album. They're about to accompany Alanis Morissette on her UK dates this week (tickets still available), where you'll no doubt here some of the album's songs, but 2013 welcomes Athlete back as headliners.

First stop on the Vehicles and Animals tour is Cambridge on 8th May 2013, followed by Bristol, Shepherd's Bush, Manchester and Birmingham. We will have tickets on sale from 9.30am on Friday 30th November, priced at £18.50 (£21.50 for London).