Ash
Ash are a band that you would expect to play larger venues and since this gig have announced a tour at the standard 4000-capacity venues. This a a tour that sold out in a matter of hours and tonight 300 of Ash's biggest fans have come to see them storm through a 90 minute whirlwind set of their catchy riffs and melodic vocals.
A band that might be best known for their chart-topping 'Girl from Mars' and 'Burn Baby Burn' have a lot of material to fall back on and have been together for many years now. In their time they've played everywhere from pubs to festivals and managed to attract a ridiculously large and mixed crowd at The Carling Weekend 2002, as such its no surprise that the atmosphere is actually tangible when a band with such a high profile are playing such a small venue.
They stumble on to the stage that is not large enough for amplifiers and band to fit on comfortably, under the assistance of a stage-hands flash light and burst straight in to 'Girl from Mars' which causes a frenzy in the tightly packed crowd who, despite being much more of an indie crowd, are causing more of a frenzy than you would expect to see at your average metal gig.
The band use the occasion to try out the material from their forthcoming album that is due out in May and it all seems to receive a favourable response with fans even singing along to the unreleased material. You can actually tell how surprised and pleased the band are with the smile that comes over Tim's face during one of the songs as the crowd manage to make the PA system seem subdued by comparison to their chorus.
Throughout the show Tim apologises for trying out the new material and thanks the crowd for keeping with them - something that in tonights case is not neccessary but a pleasantry that many bands seem to have forgotten. This mixed with a quiet walk around after the set (where one fan gets around 15 CD covers signed by every member of the band) goes a long way to show why Ash deserve the loyalty that their fans give them.
If tonights performance is anything to go by, the next tour should be impressive and the album shouldn't fail to please.