Ash mature beyond their years

Ash were one of Music Week’s hot tips for stardom in their A&R preview of the year. Now, having exclusively heard their first full-length album in London’s Orinoco studios, we can confirm the young Northern Irish band has produced one of the hottest records of the year - and one which has the right sound for the US market.

The next single, “Goldfinger”, out on April 15, is the band’s most commercial to date and is sure to win a whole swathe of non-indie fans. Until last summer, County Down’s Ash were very much a part-time band, as two of the three had to devote their energies to studying for their A-levels. Luckily, due to a sympathetic headmaster, the band were also able to get across to Britain to play half-term holiday tours with Elastica and Babes in Toyland and become darlings of the weekly rock press.

Interest in Ash started when Bad Moon PR Paddy Davis was sent a demo tape by a friend of the band in autumn 1993. He played it solidly for four months and then handed it to Steve ’Tav’ Taverner, who was contemplating founding a small indie label. After a weekend with the demo, Taverner and Davis travelled to Belfast to see the band perform and within months “Jack Names the Planets” had been released on La La Land and Taverner was their manager.

The single was immediately picked up by Radio One’s Mark Radcliffe, John Peel and The Evening Session(BBC Radio One) and, after being wooed by several majors, Ash opted to sign for the Infectious label in spring 1994. The band have since released five singles, including two Top 20 hits, and a mini-album, Trailer. In the process, they have become the most talked about young guitar band since Supergrass. The band has also just been voted best newcomer by readers of Irish rock magazine Hot Press.

Ash have been hard at work with Oasis producer Owen Morris since January and the 11 tracks dotmusic listened to, including eight previously unheard songs, show the band have the potential to become one of the country’s finest. Songwriter Tim Wheeler has matured from a schoolboy with a gift for power pop into a fully-fledged songwriting powerhouse and one who could prove very popular in the US. The band and all connected with them are confident of major success for the album.

Infectious managing director Korda Marshall says, “We’re aiming at the top three and would be confident of a number one if we were not competing with new releases from The Cranberries and George Michael.” Wheeler says, “It would be nice to go in at number one but, even if that doesn’t happen, I think Oh Yeah is strong enough to give a new lease of life to the album.” Marshall says, “I’m not surprised at the strength of the record. I always knew they were immensely talented - that’s why I signed them.” But he admits, “I am pleasantly surprised at the maturity of some of the songs.”