Ash

Though they may no longer enjoy the popularity gained by debut album '1977' or career-resurrecting 'Free All Angels', Ash's recent 'Islands' album had more than enough to keep them from heritage act territory. Tonight's appearance in the Calder valley is part of a small run of shows breaking up their more commonly experienced festival sets.

With the clock having comfortably passed half past nine before the band hit the stage in front of the modest capacity of around a couple of hundred, you'd be forgiven for thinking the trio might take it easy. Not a chance. A 23-song curfew-breaking set sees them through as if they've a crowd a hundred times larger, yet enjoying the intimacy of a setting in which the crowd are rammed up to the stage. Finer cuts from their latest release, including 'Confessions By The Pool', 'Annabelle' and 'All That I Have Left', sit comfortably in a career-spanning performance of hits and favourites; the likes of 'A Life Less Ordinary' and 'Kung Fu' encouraging a fevered atmosphere.  

Fevered being the operative word because it is soon clear the fans are relishing the chance to see Ash in such a setting. The energy is reciprocated on stage; Tim Wheeler's shirt soon looking like it has been through a monsoon and drummer Rick McMurray using song gaps to fan himself. The rhythm section, completed by the never-static Mark Hamilton, twice takes leave from stage for unconfirmed reports of vomiting, much to the amusement of Wheeler. The frontman is most at ease in the sweltering sweatbox, photo-bombing audience members and casually talking to the crowd. He laughs off an ear-splitting intro-chord to 'Sometimes' as they continue to rattle out the likes of 'Shining Light', 'Jesus Says' and 'Orpheus', the latter of which gives McMurray the chance to smash his drum set to within a beat of destruction. Their signature tunes, of course, remain as 'Girl From Mars' and 'Burn Baby Burn', which enthral as much now as they did upon release many years ago. Tonight, they top off a perfect storm between band, audience and venue, resulting in a show which will live long in the memories of those in attendance.

After twenty-six years and six previous albums, Ash return with a new, fresh, twelve-track album that fizzes with a vibrancy more readily associated with youthful exuberance. For Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton, at least, forty-one would appear to be the new twenty-one. The latest album from Ash, following on from 2015's 'Kablammo!' (..and the 2007 announcement, now clearly redundant, that the band would no longer release albums) takes its title from its various recording locations on different islands around the world.

The mix and production on the album is crisper than ever; the vocals are ever so slightly more forward facing and the arrangements are not as fuzzy or hazy as some of Ash's previous records. One of the lead singles taken from the new album, 'Annabel', is a throwback to former glories such 'A Life Less Ordinary'. The succinct piece of guitar driven power pop fuses Manics-like riffs with irresistible harmonies and a relentless ever building beat. Album opener 'True Story' is a gentler affair but no less arresting with its revolving passages and sing-a-long chorus.     

The original Ash trio of Wheeler, Hamilton and McMurray are also joined by fellow Northern Irish legends Damien O'Neill and Mickey Bradley of The Undertones. Adding vocals, electricity and energy to early release 'Buzzkill', they also seemingly add a touch of unreserved enjoyment and excitement. Lyrically, the song may be pointing in a despondent and disillusioned direction but musically it's all upbeat, thrashing guitars, simple melodies and anthemic hooks.   

Continue reading: Ash - Islands Album Review

For those of you who are a little out of the loop, following their last album Twilight of the Innocents, Teen Britrock Heroes Ash announced that they would no longer release traditional albums, and would focus on releasing singles. This seems like a logical step, seeing as Ash have always been a much better singles band. The first fruit of this project is A-Z Vol.1, a collection of the first 13 singles (of a planned 26).

Although it looks suspiciously like a regular album, A-Z Vol.1 can really only fairly be judged as a compilation of singles. The styles of music on offer here really don't pull together one cohesive work - which is definitely one of the A-Z projects strengths. Ash have been set free to sprawl however they see fit across genre boundaries. Take the first track - True Love 1980 - a keyboard heavy electro-pop number, which sits comfortably next to the almost 6-minute rock anthem Joy Kicks Darkness. Experimental tracks that the Ash of old would never have thought about putting out like the delicate Pripyat sit shoulder to shoulder with more classic Ash moments like the fast and punchy pop punk of Command.

It has to be said that over their (almost) 20 year career, Ash have never really consistently delivered quality songs from the start to end of an album. Perhaps this is a negative side effect of growing up and evolving musically in the public eye. However, with A-Z Vol.1, Ash have really grown into the Rock band everybody knows they could be. This collection houses some of their best material, like the epic and piano led Arcadia and Neon. These songs showcase a huge and epic quality only ever really hinted at in some of Ash's earlier work. Another brilliant song on A-Z Vol. 1 is Dionysian Urge, which stands out as one of the best songs Ash have ever delivered.

In conclusion then, if you haven't been following the A-Z series, Vol.1 is as good a place as any to start. Roll on Vol.2.

Ben Walton

4/5

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