Ash | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland |
Genres | |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels |
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Members |
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Past members | Charlotte Hatherley |
Website | ash-official |
Ash are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. As a three-piece, they released mini-album Trailer in 1994 and full-length album 1977 in 1996. This 1996 release was named by NME as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [8] After the success of their full debut the band recruited Charlotte Hatherley as a guitarist and vocalist, releasing their second record Nu-Clear Sounds in 1998. After narrowly avoiding bankruptcy, the band released Free All Angels in 2001 and a string of successful singles.
The band became a three-piece again in 2006 when Hatherley left, and after five conventional albums the band released 26 singles in the A-Z Series in 2009, one every two weeks. The band have had one silver, two gold and two platinum-selling (and chart-topping) records in the United Kingdom, as well as 18 songs in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. [9] They have been associated with Britpop, though they were not comfortable with the association, as emphasising Britishness could be interpreted as sectarian in Northern Ireland. [10]
Ash officially formed in 1992, reportedly having taken the name from the first word they liked in the dictionary. Prior to this, Wheeler and Hamilton were in an Iron Maiden cover band called Vietnam, which had formed in 1989. The new band created three demo tapes that year – Solar Happy in June, Shed in September and the Home Demo in November. These tapes featured their earliest material and the first recordings of some songs that were later on the 1994 release, Trailer , including "Intense Thing", "Get Out", "Obscure Thing," and the future single, "Jack Names the Planets".
In 1993 the band recorded the Garage Girl demo tape, which featured "Jack Names the Planets" and "Intense Thing", taken from Shed, and new tracks, including "Petrol". Following Garage Girl, Ash released a compilation demo tape, Pipe Smokin' Brick later that year, which featured an assortment of songs from the other tapes. Downpatrick musician Ray Valentine recorded Ash's demos at his studio, Cosmic Rays. At that time, the band was known as "Genuine Real Teenagers," because they were so young when recording their early material. The demo tapes did not gain much attention at that time and the band was still playing small shows at local clubs but, in early 1994, Stephen Taverner came across the Garage Girl demo tape. Taverner put up the money to press 1,000 7″ copies of "Jack Names the Planets" on his own LaLaLand record label. Taverner subsequently became the band's full-time manager.
Ash released the mini-album, Trailer, in October 1994, comprising seven songs. Airplay by Steve Lamacq followed on BBC Radio 1 and the debut single was followed by "Petrol" and "Uncle Pat", on their new label Infectious Records. In 1995, Ash left school and released the breakthrough singles "Kung Fu" (featured over the end credits of Jackie Chan's North American breakthrough film, Rumble in the Bronx ), "Girl From Mars" and "Angel Interceptor". The movie Angus was released, which featured two Ash songs, "Jack Names the Planets" and "Kung Fu," and served to introduce Ash to American audiences.
Ash marked the end of their breakthrough year by releasing a cover of the Temptations' "Get Ready", as a limited edition red vinyl 7" single on Fantastic Plastic. [11] [12]
In 1996 the singles "Goldfinger" and "Oh Yeah" were released, with the successful album 1977 being released between these. The track "Lose Control" from that album was featured in the video game Gran Turismo. [13] On 17 February 1997, Ash released Live at the Wireless, a live album, recorded at the Triple J Studios in Australia. A limited-edition version of the album was released in the UK on the band's own Deathstar label. In the summer of 1997, Ash played at the Glastonbury Festival, and at age 20, Hamilton became the youngest person ever to headline the festival. [14] [15]
While touring with the American band Weezer, Ash felt the limitations of a three-piece format. This led to the recruitment of a second guitarist and vocalist, Charlotte Hatherley, who had previously been with the band Nightnurse. She was introduced at a few small gigs a week before the band's appearance at the V Festival in 1997. The first recording to be released with Hatherley was the single "A Life Less Ordinary", which featured on the soundtrack to the Ewan McGregor / Cameron Diaz film of the same name.
In September 1998, Ash released "Jesus Says" followed in October by the band's second album proper, Nu-Clear Sounds , and in November by "Wildsurf". The pressures of near non-stop touring of 1977 and Nu-Clear Sounds began to affect the band. In 1999, Tim Wheeler disappeared for a short while following the commercial and critical failure of Nu-Clear Sounds . He eventually emerged in New York making the self-deprecating blood-, drug- and sex-fuelled video for "Numbskull". A note for Stephen Taverner attached to the video read "I've killed Bambi". [16]
Ash became almost bankrupt as the band prepared to release what could have been its last album. The members retreated to Wheeler's parents' house, to play and write songs in the same garage where the band began. The single "Shining Light" was released in January 2001, followed by the album Free All Angels in April. Subsequent singles released from Free All Angels were "Burn Baby Burn", "Sometimes", "Candy" and "There's a Star". The single "Shining Light" won the Best Contemporary Song award at the 2002 Ivor Novello awards.
A new single "Envy" was released, followed shortly afterward by the singles collection Intergalactic Sonic 7″s with the bonus disk entitled Cosmic Debris. Q named Ash as No. 2 of its "50 Bands To See Before You Die".
In 2003, it was leaked to the music and tabloid press that Ash was working on a horror film described as a 'teen slasher'. The film, called Slashed, was shot while the band was on tour in America but some scenes were also shot in the UK. The screenplay, written by Jed Shepherd and directed by Alexander Marks, included star roles by Chris Martin (Sherbet Bones) and Jonny Buckland (Agent Ford) of Coldplay as a pair of FBI agents hired to track down a supernatural serial killer. Other star performances include that of Moby, James Nesbitt, Dave Grohl and Ash themselves. [17] The film was not put on general release.
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 . The band teamed up with LucasArts for a new Star Wars game entitled Republic Commando . "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. Also in 2005, Tim Wheeler received a companionship (an honorary degree) from LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts).[ citation needed ]
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". [18]
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. A preview track, "I Started A Fire" was released in February 2007, coinciding with a full-length UK tour. The album's first physical single "You Can't Have It All" was released in April 2007, [19] and the album itself followed the next month, along with an appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival. Two further songs from the album, "Polaris" and "End of the World", were issued as singles in June and September, respectively. Ash stated that Twilight of the Innocents would be their last album and that instead, they would only release singles as "(t)he way people listen to music has changed, with the advent of the download the emphasis has reverted to single tracks". [20]
The original three-piece line-up played two-sold out nights at London's Roundhouse in September 2008, performing 1977 in its entirety. This was followed by the release of a 3-disc special edition version of 1977, featuring remastered and re-edited versions of the tracks, as well as tracks from Trailer and live performances from the time of its release. Ash started recording new material, which was previewed at a series of live dates in 2009. [21] These dates coincided with the release of the single "Return of White Rabbit". This single was a precursor to Ash releasing a 7" single every fortnight for a whole year, starting in September 2009. Each single was simply titled by a letter, released in alphabetical order, and formed the A–Z Series . [22] These singles would later be compiled and released together on CD. Russell Lissack, who joined the band as a live guitarist in 2010, left in early 2011. [23] [24] The Best of Ash compilation was released in 2011. [25] The same year Ash collaborated with We Are Scientists to release a cover of the song "Washington Parks" by British songwriter Robert Manning, [26] raising money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis and The MS Society. [27] [28]
In November 2012, the band played some US dates with Weezer and went on to headline their own shows on the East Coast. They played at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas in 2013, along with seven other US cities, [29] and supported the Smashing Pumpkins at Wembley Arena.
After declaring in 2007 that Ash would no longer release albums, the band brought out new long-player Kablammo! in May 2015. [30] It was preceded by the single "Cocoon", and "Free" and "Machinery" were released as follow-up singles. In December 2016 the live album Live on Mars: London Astoria 1997 was released, [31] and supported by a tour. [32] [33]
Islands was released on 18 May 2018, preceded by the single "Buzzkill", with vocals from Damien O'Neill and Mickey Bradley from the Undertones. [34] The band released a second single, "Annabel", in April 2018, and a third, "Did Your Love Burn Out?", in May to coincide with the album release.[ citation needed ]
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.
Former
1977 is the debut studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 6 May 1996 by Home Grown and Infectious Records, with whom the band had signed following the release of several demo tapes. Ash released the mini-album Trailer in 1994, and followed it with three singles "Kung Fu", "Girl from Mars", and "Angel Interceptor", all of which would reappear on 1977. Ash recorded their debut album with producer Owen Morris at Rockfield Studios in Wales in early 1996. Described as a Britpop, power pop and garage rock album, 1977 drew comparisons to the Buzzcocks, Dinosaur Jr., and Sonic Youth.
Trailer is a mini album by the band Ash featuring their first three singles. An expanded edition also includes four B-sides. The album was released in October 1994 through Infectious Records. The band considered it a "trailer" for their future debut album proper, and named it accordingly.
"Petrol" is a song by Northern Irish rock band Ash, released as the second single from their 1994 mini-album, Trailer, and as their first single on Infectious Records. It was released on 15 August 1994 on CD and 7-inch vinyl format. Only 500 copies of the 7-inch format were released and came with a numbered picture sleeve. The song reached number 96 on the UK Singles Chart in 1994, becoming their first single to reach the UK top 100.
"Kung Fu" is a song by the band Ash, released as the first single from their album, 1977. It was released in March 1995 as a CD single, limited edition 7-inch, and standard 7-inch vinyl. The song was written by Tim Wheeler and produced by Owen Morris.
"Shining Light" is a song by Ash, which was released as the first single from their album Free All Angels. It was released on 29 January 2001. It was released as a single CD and as a 7-inch vinyl. It was also Ash's first single to be released as an enhanced CD. "Shining Light" reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The song had been covered by fellow Downpatrick songwriter Triona in 2015 which featured on a Power NI advert.
Meltdown is the fourth studio album to be recorded by the Northern Irish rock band Ash. The album was released on 17 May 2004 through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the success of their third studio album Free All Angels (2001), Ash debuted several new songs while touring throughout 2003. By October that year, they had travelled to Los Angeles, California, to record a follow-up album, which was co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz and the band. Recording sessions were held at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and at Chalice Studios, Hollywood. Meltdown, which is described as a hard rock album, drew comparisons to the work of The Smashing Pumpkins and critics said the guitar work resembles that of Black Sabbath and Metallica.
Free All Angels is the third studio album to be recorded by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 23 April 2001 through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Due to the mixed reaction to the band's second studio album Nu-Clear Sounds (1998), frontman Tim Wheeler suffered from depression. He went to his parents' house in Northern Ireland to write material for the band's next album. Free All Angels was co-produced by the band and Owen Morris, and recording sessions were held at El Cortijo in Puerto Banús, Spain, then moved to The Wool Hall in Beckington and RAK Studios in London. The album was described as pop punk, power pop and punk rock, and drew comparisons to the works of China Drum, Compulsion, Hüsker Dü, and the Replacements.
Nu-Clear Sounds is the second studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 5 October 1998, through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the release of the band's debut studio album, 1977 (1996), guitarist Charlotte Hatherley became a member. They wrote new material at a farmhouse, before going to Wales to record their next album at Rockfield Studios. With additional sessions held at the Astoria in London, Ash produced the proceedings alongside Chris Kimsey and Owen Morris. A garage rock record, the New York Dolls, the Rolling Stones and the Velvet Underground inspired the album.
Grey Will Fade is the debut studio album by English musician Charlotte Hatherley, the guitarist for Ash, released by Double Dragon Music on 16 August 2004. Spurred on by the positive response to "Grey Will Fade", which appeared as a B-side to Ash's single "There's a Star" (2001), Hatherley set about recording her solo album. Enlisting the help of Eric Drew Feldman, the sessions for the album were happening concurrently in Los Angeles, California, at Wild Hamster, while Ash was recording their album Meltdown (2004). Described as a pop punk and power pop record, Hatherley's vocals on Grey Will Fade earned her comparisons to Björk, Tanya Donelly, and PJ Harvey.
"Girl from Mars" is a song by Northern Irish band Ash, the second to be released from their debut studio album, 1977 (1996). The song was written by Tim Wheeler when he was sixteen and was played by the band on their first Top of the Pops appearance two weeks after their A-level exams. It was released on 31 July 1995 on CD, 7-inch vinyl, and cassette formats. "Girl from Mars" was Ash's first top-forty single, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, number five on the Icelandic Singles Chart and number 16 on the Irish Singles Chart. It also peaked at number 86 in Australia in March 1997.
"A Life Less Ordinary" was a non-album single released by the band Ash on 13 October 1997. It was the title track of the film of the same name, A Life Less Ordinary, starring Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor, and also appeared on the film's soundtrack. The single was released in three formats: CD, 7-inch vinyl, and cassette. The limited-edition 7-inch was printed on blue vinyl. The song peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart.
"Jesus Says" is a song by the band Ash, released as the first single from their second album Nu-Clear Sounds on 21 September 1998, reaching number 15 in the UK singles chart. It was released as a single CD, a 7" vinyl, and as a cassette. "Jesus Says" was Ash's highest selling single until "Shining Light" in 2001. The 7" version came with a picture sleeve and the UK promo version came in a custom rice paper picture wallet.
"Wildsurf" is a song by Ash, released as the second single from the album Nu-Clear Sounds on 23 November 1998. It reached 31 in the UK Singles Chart, while doing less prominently in BBC Radio 1, where it was placed in the "C" list. The single was released in CD, 7" vinyl, and cassette.
"There's a Star" is a song by Ash, released as the fifth single from their album Free All Angels, on 31 December 2001. It was released as a single CD as a 7-inch vinyl record and on DVD. "There's a Star" was a surprise hit for the band, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and giving them one of their best-selling singles, even though the single was deleted after one week. The song also reached number 38 in Ireland.
The Deep Blue is the second studio album by English musician Charlotte Hatherley, released on 5 March 2007 under Hatherley's own label Little Sister Records. She left Ash in January 2006; she visited Australia, where she stayed for two months, and wrote 17 new songs. After contacting Eric Drew Feldman, recording sessions were held at The Red House Studio in Senigallia, Italy, and Miloco Studios in London, with Feldman, Rob Ellis and Hatherley acting as producers. Described as a post-punk and power pop album, The Deep Blue saw Hatherley's guitarwork being sidestepped, allowing more of an emphasis on other instruments, such as bass, strings, and piano.
"Starcrossed" is the third single from the Meltdown album by the band Ash. It was released as a single on 19 July 2004 as a CD and a gatefold 7-inch vinyl, as well as a DVD format and various promo copies. "Starcrossed" was A-listed on BBC Radio 1 and was expected to be a major hit for the band, but it only made it to number 22 on the UK Singles Chart and number 43 in Ireland. However, the song was successful in the long run for the band and is considered one of their most popular songs.
Twilight of the Innocents is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 2 July 2007, through Infectious Records. Following the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley in early 2006, the band began recording their next album in New York City at Bang Studios, which they had leased from a friend of a friend. Frontman Tim Wheeler produced the recordings, with bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer McMurray acting as associate producers. Described as a pop and power pop album, Twilight of the Innocents placed emphasis on Hamilton's bass parts.
Charlotte Franklin Hatherley is an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and soundtrack composer. She initially came to prominence as guitarist and backing vocalist for alternative rock band Ash.
The A–Z Series is a series of singles released by Northern Irish rock band Ash. Consisting of 26 singles, each represented by a letter of the alphabet, the singles were first released on a fortnightly basis from 12 October 2009 until 27 September 2010 on 7-inch vinyl and by download. Along with the 26 primary singles the series also includes 21 B-sides, 13 remixes, 7 acoustic tracks and 2 live tracks which were sporadically released in various formats. The series was later released in various other formats, including two compilation CDs Volume 1 released on 19 April 2010 and Volume 2 released on 11 October 2010, a compilation of all 26 tracks on three vinyl LPs was released on 6 November 2012 through Noyes Records and finally a compact cassette featuring 15 of the band's favourite tracks from the series was released for Cassette Store Day, titled Letters from Alphabet City.
Kablammo! is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 25 May 2015, through Earmusic. During 2009 and 2010, the band released a collection of singles as part of the A–Z Series; in the years following, frontman Tim Wheeler re-thought his stance on albums. Between December 2014 and February 2015, the band recorded their next album at Atomic Heart Studios in New York City, with them and Claudius Mittendorfer co-producing the sessions. Described as a pop rock and power pop release, Kablammo! attempted to capture the live sound of the band.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)I was really proud of this at the time because of the chord sequences and melodies. It's a long way from three-chord punk rock and was a big moment in our development.