Ash (band)

Ash's old lineup

Ash are an Alternative Rock band started in 1992 in Northern Ireland. Its lineup consists of:

• Tim Wheeler, guitarist, vocalist and main songwriter
• Mark Hamilton, bassist
• Rick McMurray, drummer
• Charlotte Hatherley, guitarist and vocalist (joined 1997, left amicably in 2006)

Their style can be generally summed up as Britpop with elements of Pop Punk and Power Pop, although recently they've been experimenting with New Wave and synths.

They can also be distinguished by their love of Science Fiction, especially Star Wars (their breakthrough album 1977 was named in honour of the year A New Hope was released; the first sound on that album is a TIE Fighter, and the last song ends with a choral version of the Star Wars theme) and the fact that they were in their teens when they created the band.

Not to be confused with that other Ash or Ash a Secret History.

Discography:

• Trailer (1994) - a mini-album in the UK, fortified in the US by the addition of B-sides;
• 1977 (1996) - their first successful album
• Nu-Clear Sounds (1998) - the first album with Charlotte Hatherley as a bandmember
• Free All Angels (2001)
• Intergalactic Sonic 7s (2003) - compilation; one CD contains their singles and the other, Cosmic Debris, has B-sides and rarities
• Meltdown (2004) - last album with Charlotte Hatherley
• Twilight of the Innocents (2007)
• A-Z Series (2009-2010) - a series of single format releases somewhat similar to Teargarden by Kaleidyscope by The Smashing Pumpkins

Ash (band) provides examples of the following tropes:

• Cover Version: "Punk Boy" by Helen Love (on Trailer), the aforementioned Star Wars theme and "Cantina Band" by John Williams (the latter as a B-side for "Girl from Mars"), "Gimme Some Truth" by John Lennon (as a B-side for "Angel Interceptor"), "Get Ready" by The Temptations (B-side for "Goldfinger"), "Does Your Mother Know?" by ABBA (B-side for "Oh Yeah"), "What Deaner Was Talking About" by Ween (B-side for "A Life Less Ordinary"), "Blew" by Nirvana and "Who You Drivin' Now?" by Mudhoney (both B-sides for "Numbskull"), "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones (B-side for "Sometimes"), "Melon Farmer" by Lazer-Gun Nun (on the Cosmic Debris CD), "Warmer Than Fire" by Little Hell (B-side for "Shining Light").
• One of Us: Considering all the Shout Outs in the titles ("Luther Ingo's Star Cruiser", "Hulk Hogan Bubblebath", "Darkside Lightside", "Day of the Triffids") and lyrics... yeah, this trope applies. Also, they hired Pat Lee to draw the cover of Intergalactic Sonic 7's.
• Pun-Based Title: Nu-Clear Sounds. "Skullfull of Sulphur". Ouch.
• Something Blues: "Bad Karma Blues".
• Word Salad Title: "Astral Conversations with Toulouse-Lautrec", "Message from Oscar Wilde and Patrick Brewer", "The Sweetness of Death By the Obsidian Knife", "Everywhere Is All Around" (er... thanks?), "Heroin, Vodka, White Noise".