Ash

Formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland by Tim Wheeler (vocals and guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass) and Rick McMurray (drums), Ash released their first studio album ‘1977’ and were then joined by Charlotte Hatherley (guitar) for a further 3 studio albums ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’, ‘Free All Angels’ and ‘Meltdown’. Charlotte left the band in 2006 and the band went on to record and release ‘Twilight of the Innocents’ before launching the innovative A-Z series which saw the band release a single every fortnight for a year. Bloc Party’s Russell Lissack has joined the band on stage since 2010.

After eight years and a string of singles, Ash returned with their new studio album ‘Kablammo!’ in 2015, despite once saying they would never record an album again. Full of the adrenaline-fuelled bombast that has made Ash one of the country’s most exciting guitar bands, the album captured the live essence of the Northern Ireland trio in all their frenetic, melodic glory. With a career spanning more than 20 years and 18 Top 40 hits, it showed the trio have lost none of the energy that saw them debut on ‘Top Of The Pops’ whilst awaiting their A-Level results. They went on to be heralded as “the ultimate singles band” and have released five full-length studio albums with ‘Kablammo!’ one of their very best.