1977. The year all three members of Ash were born and the title of their debut album that came out in 1996. Decades later, Ash are still incredible to see live.
I travelled to SWG3 Glasgow, a venue nestled underneath the city beside the train tracks, to catch this 90s alternative rock band and they did not disappoint. Coach Party, the support act, set the tone in a true guitar-band style, creating a full and exciting sound that had everyone buzzing. Chanting “Ash! Ash! Ash!” over screaming distorted solos and drum fills, they got the audience going crazy for the main event.
The three-piece band – what a noise for just a guitar, bass and drums – strutted onto stage, mimicking a trumpet fanfare with their crunchy guitars. Mark Hamilton played his bass just as he did as a teenager – slung low and with the widest bass stance I’ve ever seen. Rick McMurray was the perfect drummer, his hands a blur and his long hair an animal-esque whirlwind. The lead singer, Tim Wheeler, had a warm, rockstar energy and his voice was still incredible– a worry when seeing bands that have been together for so long.
They opened the show by congratulating Scotland on their recent football success, which put everyone in a good mood and the audience engagement was top-tier throughout. What a breath of fresh air – let’s face it, the moody rock star monosyllables are only cool if you’re Bob Dylan, and no one’s Bob Dylan.
This tour is titled the Ad Astra Tour, celebrating their new album. I’m an Ash fan because 1977 was constantly played at home and I was surprised at how much I liked this new album. It has moved with the times, but is still so Ash. Quality hard guitar music, with that alternative pop-punk influence from their Northern Irish heritage that we all love. Favourites for me were ‘Hallion’ and ‘Fun People’ – which got everyone jumping. It was impressive to see the audience equally engaged with their new stuff as with their old stuff. The sign that a band has aged well.
The rest of the setlist was strong too, with songs from all their eras. ‘Orpheus’ from their 2004 album, ‘Shining Light’ from 1998, ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Kung Fu’ from their debut, and obviously ‘Girl From Mars’, which came after a long and exaggerated encore – we all know what’s happening, just come back on stage already.
‘Girl From Mars’ made my inner child so happy. I was significantly younger than the average age of the audience and never got to grow up with Ash in their prime as many did. For me, I grew up listening to my parents’ old mixtapes full of the band’s songs, and ‘Girl From Mars’ took me right back there. Its gentle intro with just Tim Wheeler’s voice and guitar built up the anticipation… we all knew what was coming. The air was electric as he paused dramatically in “I still love you the girl… from… Mars!” and it all kicked off. The crowd was jumping and bumping into each other and no one cared, adults sent spiralling back to their teen years in pure joy. The look on everyone’s faces was beautiful. Every band has a hit song they are most known for, and ‘Girl From Mars’ is neither overrated, nor overplayed. It was the perfect way to end a near-perfect gig, leaving people sweaty and smiling, and performed just as well as the three 19 year olds “escaping school and making noise” in the nostalgic words of bassist Mark Hamilton.
“Death Disco at the Arches, Glasgow // September 2011” by Death Disco ddxxx is licensed under CC BY 2.0.