Ash (band)

Ash
Ash at the O2 ABC in Glasgow in 2010 L to R: Tim Wheeler, Rick McMurray, Mark Hamilton
Ash at the O2 ABC in Glasgow in 2010
L to R: Tim Wheeler, Rick McMurray, Mark Hamilton
Background information
OriginDownpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland
Genres
Years active1992–present
Labels
Members
Past membersCharlotte Hatherley
Websiteash-official.com

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]

  1. ^ Roy, David (11 November 2016). "Ash's Tim Wheeler on 20 years of 1977 and becoming a Legend". The Irish News. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b MacKenzie Wilson. "Ash". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Rank Your Records: Tim Wheeler Ranks Ash's Eight Albums". NOISEY. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Ash Set To Become Singles-Only Band". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Darrington, Peter (25 August 2015). "The 10 best Ash songs, picked by Tim Wheeler". LouderSound. Retrieved 16 April 2022. 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.
  6. ^ "The 10 best Ash songs, picked by Tim Wheeler". TeamRock. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  7. ^ John Everhart, "Caught By The Buzz: A Look Back At Britpop's B-List", Stereogum, 23 April 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 500–401". NME. 21 October 2013.
  9. ^ "Where to Start With Ash". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  10. ^ Derek B Scott (28 January 2013). "The Britpop Sound". Britpop and the English Music Tradition. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 103. ISBN 9781409494072.