Ash: A Life Less Ordinary

11 July 2009

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When Ash first hit the UK charts in 1995 with their LP '1977', the three ambitious schoolboys from Northern Ireland were promptly hailed as the next big thing.

Officially forming in 1992, the trio first came to light with their EP 'Trailer'. Their break-through singles 'Kung Fu', 'Girl From Mars' and 'Angel Interceptor' saw them edge into public consciousness and towards the top ten of the UK singles charts and within the year, Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray's debut album - named after their year of birth - had reached number one.

With their boyish good looks winning the hearts of female fans and their own brand of edgy pop rock dazzling critics and serious music fans alike, the trio were determined to continue to challenge and stretch themselves.

In a bid to change their sound, frontman Tim drafted in 18-year-old punk rocker Charlotte Hatherley - then performing with girl group Nightnurse - as an extra guitarist in 1997.

Re-branded as a foursome, Ash went from strength to strength, securing another top ten album with 'Nu-Clear Sounds' in 1998 and topping the album charts once again in 2001 with their five times multiplatinum-selling album 'Free All Angels'.

However, the pressure of almost instantaneous success had already taken its toll on the band. Despite charting fifth, 'Nu-Clear Sounds' struggled to compete with their earlier success and the album received some critical reviews.

Consequentially, in 1999, a 22-year-old Tim disappeared from the media spotlight for several months before reappearing in New York to record a sex-fuelled and bloodied music video for the limited-edition record 'Numbskull'. Unsurprisingly, the risqué promotional clip - featuring scenes of the singer naked in a bath with a sex toy - was banned.

As pressure mounted, Ash battled near-bankruptcy and retreated to Tim's parents' garage in Northern Ireland - their original school-day rehearsal space - to work on their third LP, fearing it would be their last.

But after focussing their energies on the commercial pop which first made them famous, Ash were once again back on top in 2001 with the album 'Free All Angels', making the most of their resurgence with a greatest hits collection, 'Intergalactic Sonic 7's' the following year. Again opting for an experimental take on their next record, 'Meltdown' was released in 2004 and while its heavier sound was a hit with the group's dedicated fan base in the UK, it failed to win over their American or European followers.

Eight years on and craving individuality, the band have promised another relaunch. After asking Charlotte - who was working on solo projects - to leave so they could return to their roots and record as a trio once again, Ash vowed their 2007 LP, 'Twilight of the Innocents', would be their last conventional album.

Instead, Tim says they are determined to "embrace modern technology" and try their hands at a sound completely different from what they became known for. They want to be unrecognisable.

From October, Ash will release 26 singles - one a fortnight - for 12 months. With recordings of the 'A to Z' collection well underway, the band are delighted with their latest challenge.

BANG Showbiz spoke to Tim and bassist Mark about craving diversity, starting afresh and almost burning out.

Q. You've given up on "conventional album releases" but are still offering out new music - how will it work?

Tim Wheeler: Well, we're releasing 26 singles from later this year. It'll be a new single every two weeks for a whole year. They'll be available for download through a subscription on our website and we also want to release them on vinyl too. We've released every single we've ever released on vinyl, and we can't very well give up now. We're giving up on CDs though.

Q. Why did you decide to do something so different?

TW: We want a challenge. We've got to a time when it's OK to go off in a new direction. We want to do something completely different with the new album and really challenge ourselves. We've been writing and recording for a year and a half in New York where Mark and I live.

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