Introduction

Hello you. Make a cup of tea, put a record on. Welcome to The A to Z of Britpop, your introduction to the bands, music and characters that defined the most exciting genre of the 1990s.

In this article we discuss Ash, the Northern Irish trio who headlined Glastonbury at 20 and still haven’t worked out how to quit.

This, as always, is then.

Ash - Origins & era

Formed: 1992, Downpatrick, County Down
Active years: 1992–present
Associated genres: Britpop, pop-punk, alternative rock
Record labels: Infectious Records, Deathstar, Edel

How it started

Ash formed in Downpatrick in 1992 when Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray, previously in Iron Maiden cover band Vietnam, decided to chase their own noisy dreams. They named themselves by opening a dictionary and picking the first word that didn't sound awful.

Early demo tapes like Solar Happy and Garage Girl were scrappy, urgent and teenage. BBC Radio 1’s Steve Lamacq backed debut single Jack Names the Planets, and just like that, Ash had a foot in the door.

Band members

Tim Wheeler – Vocals, guitar
Mark Hamilton – Bass
Rick McMurray – Drums
Charlotte Hatherley – Guitar, vocals (1997–2006)

Definitive lyric

“Move closer, set my mind on fire” – Goldfinger

Signature sound & style

Ash played like they’d nicked their older brother’s gear and were trying to get arrested before sixth form. Punk energy, glam flourishes, sci-fi fixations, and just enough melody to sneak onto daytime radio. Think Buzzcocks with a Game Boy addiction.

Defining moment

In 1997, Ash headlined Glastonbury. Mark Hamilton was 20. They were loud, fast, and just about held it together. It was Britpop at its least pretentious, and that’s exactly why it worked.

Full album discography

1977 (1996)
Nu-Clear Sounds (1998)
Free All Angels (2001)
Meltdown (2004)
Twilight of the Innocents (2007)
Kablammo! (2015)
Islands (2018)
Race the Night (2023)

Essential listening

Goldfinger (1996) – Euphoria and distortion bottled into three minutes. Still sounds like the last day of school.

What the press said

“Ash will forever be summer holidays and half-inched hooch, stained into the grey like a spilled alcopop.” – BBC

Where are they now?

After Hatherley left in 2006, the trio ditched albums and tried a singles series instead, just to see if anyone was still listening. The A–Z Series (2009) was ambitious, occasionally brilliant, and mostly ignored.

Since then, they’ve kept going. Kablammo! (2015), Islands (2018), and Race the Night (2023) all had moments, and even when no one’s paying attention, Ash are still one of the last bands from the era who haven’t figured out how to sit still.

Notable facts

1977 opens with TIE fighter sound effects and a sample of Ewan McGregor shouting “We are the Mods!”
Ash nearly went bankrupt after Nu-Clear Sounds bombed and had to write Free All Angels in Wheeler’s parents’ garage
Their unreleased slasher film Slashed starred Chris Martin, Dave Grohl, Moby and James Nesbitt for reasons no one fully understands
Burn Baby Burn was the first song ever played on BBC 6 Music
Mark Hamilton is still Glastonbury’s youngest-ever headliner

Ash in a sentence

Ash made music like teenage boys trying to outrun failure with distortion pedals and B-movie references, and somehow they’re still at it.

See you on down the road.

Ash