Ash
ASH
Discography:
Trailer (EP; includes "Jack Names the Planets"), Infectious, 1994.
Formed in 1992, the alternative brit pop outfit Ash have continued to deliver great music and sold 8 million records in the process. Consisting of Tim Wheeler (lead vocals, guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass guitar) and Rick Murray (drums), all from Downpatrick Northern Ireland, Ash have recently decided to only release singles online rather than release the singles from new albums.
Ash released their three time platinum album in 1995 entitled ‘1977’ relating to the year Tim and Mark were born. ‘1977’ included the hits ‘Girl from Mars’, ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘Angel Interceptor’ with ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Oh Yeah’ reaching in the UK top ten. The record remains a classic, with the band occasionally dedicating their gigs to the breakthrough album by performing the full playlist.
With their new found fame, and after touring with Weezer, the band decided to add another guitarist to the tightly knitted group as they felt she would give them a new option when writing new material. Charlotte Hatherley was added after she left the band Nightnurse as Ash knew she could play the guitar, the piano and she would be a useful backing vocalist. The resulting album ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’ released in 1998 went double platinum with Ash touring non stop due to their high status. This however led to Tim to go AWOL in 1999 as the stress of touring through the two albums took its toll on the singer.
Tim returned during the filming of the single ‘Numbskull’ but times were hard for the band. They were near bankruptcy and the album to be released was said to be their last. The record ‘Free All Angels’ released in 2001 however, went platinum five times and went to number one in the album chart. The record featured the hits ‘Burn Baby Burn’, ‘Sometimes’, ‘There’s A Star’, the cover ‘Candy’ and the top ten hit ‘Shining Light’, which won the best contemporary song at the Ivor Novello awards. The record discarded claims the band were on the verge of splitting as Q magazine named them number two on 50 bands you need to see before you die.
After releasing their fourth studio album ‘Meltdown’, Charlotte left the band in 2006 as it became clear the original members wanted a three piece set. As a result, there are many songs from the three albums Ash released with Charlotte that they cannot perform live due to the complex guitar rifts Ash cannot master with just one guitarist.
Ash released their last studio album in 2007 with ‘Twilight of the Innocents’ before coming up with A/Z tour idea in the autumn of 2009. This involved the band to tour Britain by playing in a town that starts with the relevant letter such as A-Aldershot B-Bradford and so on. This resulted in the band playing in small venues when they visited Ventnor in the Isle of Wight and Zennor in Cornwall.
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Ash are now using new technology to their advantage by mimicking the A/Z idea with the release of upcoming singles. The unique idea helped the band release a single every two weeks for a whole year. The thinking behind releasing their next 26 singles through their website and not have an album release sees the band taking advantage of the rise of online single sales. A decline of album sales in the last 15 years shows how Ash are using their brains to get the best out of the modern era.
The Northern Irish band have rocked for nearly 20 years and with no signs of quitting just yet, the alternative outfit continue to push boundaries and come up with new concepts to their tours and their music.
For The Record:
Members include Mark Hamilton (born on March 21, 1977), bass; Charlotte Hatherley (born on June 20, 1977; joined group, 1997), guitars, vocals; Ride McMurray (born on July 11, 1975), drums; Tim Wheeler (born on January 4, 1977), guitars, vocals.
Formed group in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, 1992; signed with La La Land Records, 1994; released single "Jack Names the Planets," 1994; signed with Infectious Records, released Trailer EP, 1994; released 1977, 1996; released Live at the Wireless on own Death Star Records, 1997; released Nu-Clear Sounds, 1998; released Free All Angels, 2001.
Addresses: Record company—Infectious Records, London, England, Website—Ash Official Website.
Source: Dean Woodhouse,
Christina FuocoThis information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
