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Originally uploaded by Pip Wilson.
.... had an interesting glance at music/Greenbelt/Christian Faith/communication which always interests me;
" It was easy to believe the devil had the best music when Britain's only Christian pop star churned out such songs as Mistletoe and Wine. But unlike Sir Cliff, a new generation of Christian artists taking over the charts is blessed with youth, beauty and critical acclaim. Just don't ask them to talk about their faith.
On Monday Athlete release their second album, Tourist. Tipped for No 1, the London band hailed as the new Coldplay are veterans of Christian music festivals across the land. Their success follows hot on the heels of Natasha Bedingfield and her brother Daniel. The artists are linked by the evangelical church group Ichthus, which organises youth services, events and missions in a string of churches across south London and Kent.
Athlete - singer Joel Potts, bassist Carey Willetts, keyboardist Tim Wanstall and drummer Steve Roberts - have built up a devoted fanbase since the release of their debut, Vehicles and Animals, in 2003.
The current single Wires, an affecting ballad about Potts's daughter Myla, is the first to be taken from their new album and lies at No 4 in the charts. But in all the pre-publicity for the album the musicians have been reticent to talk about their faith, despite the fact that they met at the Christian rock festival Greenbelt.
The closest Athlete have come is a reference in a song. Westside, a track on their debut album, contains the lyrics: "House on the rock. Surely it will last forever? House on the rock. Don't you know it's now or never?" The House on the Rock International church is in Bermondsey, in their native south-east London."
Full article here;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1401316,00.html
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