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Ash

County: Down

Decades Active: 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s

Formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992

About Ash

Ash was formed by school friends Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton who hooked up with drummer Rick McMurray. Their first release, the EP 'Trailer' in 1994 while they were still teenagers got them some attention in the music press. Wheeler had a knack of creating punk songs interwoven with catchy pop melodies. A few successful singles followed and then their album '1977' was a huge success, topping the British charts in 1996. They added guitarist Charolette Hatherly and released the album 'Nu-Clear Sounds' in 1998 which didn't achieve the same level of success as their debut. The band remained quiet for the next 2 years and then came back with a hit single 'Shining Light' followed by their third album 'Free All Angels' in 2001 which entered the charts at no. 1. 'Meltdown' followed in 2004.

On 29 June 2004, Ash released Meltdown, which reached number five in the UK. At the same time Hatherley also wrote and recorded her solo side project album Grey Will Fade. "Meltdown" and "Orpheus" were part of the soundtrack for Shaun of the Dead and appeared on the in-game soundtracks for the video games NHL 2005, Burnout 3: Takedown and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. The song "Vampire Love" was used for American Pie Presents: Band Camp. "Starcrossed" and "Renegade Cavalcade" were later released as singles from the album. Meltdown was released in the US on 8 March 2005, through Warner Bros. Records imprint Record Collection. On 20 January 2006, Hatherley left the band; in an interview in July 2007, the others hinted they asked Hatherley to leave as they "wanted to be a three-piece".

In 2006 Ash started working in a New York recording studio on what would become their first album after reverting to their original line-up, Twilight of the Innocents. Ash stated that Twilight of the Innocents would be their last album and that instead, they would only release singles as "the way people listen to music has changed, with the advent of the download the emphasis has reverted to single tracks". Despite this declaration, the band brought out new long-player Kablammo! in May 2015.

On 14 June 2023, "Race the Night" was released as the first single from their upcoming album of the same name. The album was released in September 2023.

Lineup

Tim Wheeler - vocals, guitar
Mark Hamilton - bass
Charlotte Hatherley - guitar
Rick McMurray - drums

Video


Ash performing Teenage Kicks live


Ash - Burn Baby Burn video


Ash - Kung Fu (live 2001 on Scottish TV)

Comments

Lee Templeton wrote on 2005-09-08 00:00:00:
Someone just emailed me a sample of their music. I was impressed! Need to buy a CD or two now.
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