This indie band from Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, first began to make headway into the mainstream in 1994. Playing sprightly, youthful punk pop, the average age of the members was only 17 when they released their debut record. Rick "Rock" McMurray (b. 11 July 1975, Larne, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland; drums), Tim Wheeler (b. 4 January 1977, Downpatrick, Co. Down, Northern Ireland; vocals/guitar) and Mark Hamilton (b. 21 March 1977, Eire; bass) were still studying for their A-levels when that single, "Jack Names The Planets", was released in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. Both radio and press were immediately wooed by their snappy, commercial sound. Their appeal easily translated to an American alternative climate, where every A&R executive was searching for a new Green Day, and tantalizing offers followed to sign with Reprise Records (who eventually attained their signatures) or Interscope Records. The band elected to fly to Los Angeles and let their hosts squabble and indulge them beyond any expectations that a young UK indie band had a right to entertain. In the UK, Ash signed to Infectious Records, though they first had to negotiate a series of prolonged discussions between record label executives, parents and headmasters.
Following a seven-song mini-album in late 1994, the band's topical fourth single, "Kung Fu", featured a cover picture of Manchester United soccer player Eric Cantona executing his famous "kung fu" assault on a Crystal Palace fan. It was recorded in Wales with Oasis producer Owen Morris: "We wanted to write a really crap Ramones song and it was meant to be the b-side but it turned out too good', they surmised. In its wake, "Girl From Mars" became a major UK hit, debuting at number 11 in the singles charts. It was followed by "Angel Interceptor", a term lifted from the animated children's series Captain Scarlet, but which apparently referred to "missing someone sexually." Their long-playing debut proper came in 1996 during which they graced the UK Top 10 with the singles "Goldfinger" and "Oh Yeah". Titled 1977, many considered this to be a dedication to the punk scene that evidently remained their pivotal influence, yet in actuality, it referred to Wheeler and Hamilton's year of birth, the same year that Star Wars was released and Elvis Presley died. It rose straight to number 1 in the UK charts, although the expected American success was not forthcoming.
By that time, the band had opted for a more elaborate sound, inspired by recent listening to Phil Spector and the Beach Boys. However, other recognizable themes remained, such as science-fiction television, with another tribute to Star Wars on "Darkside Lightside". They added a new member in August 1997 when guitarist Charlotte Hatherley (b. 20 June 1979, London, England) joined from Nightnurse, and returned to the UK Top 10 in October with the title song of the movie A Life Less Ordinary. Introduced by the frenetic single "Jesus Says', 1998"s Nu-Clear Sounds saw the band move towards a harder-edged alternative sound with considerable maturity.
It was another three years before the band was finally ready to release a follow-up album, which was premiered by the retro-pop swagger of "Shining Light". Free All Angels mixed the raw pop charm of the band's debut with the polished production of Nu-Clear Sounds to fashion the band's most effective album to date. Another lengthy hiatus ensued before the release of the hard rocking, riff-laden Meltdown in 2004. On this collection Ash still had the pop choruses down to perfection, but also hardened up their sound to appeal to the heavy metal market.
Hatherley released her solo debut, Grey Will Fade, the same year. The guitarist announced she was parting company with Ash in January 2006. The remaining trio completed the new Twilight Of The Innocents for release the following summer. Intriguingly, they announced that the album would be Ash's last and that the band would only be releasing singles in the future.
