Ash tear it up

I’ve been to plenty of good shows. I’ve even been to several really good shows. Maybe once or twice I have been completely moved, and I think one time I was incredibly impressed. But aside from my favourites, Radiohead, I had never seen a live act that made me want to jump up and down and just break out into fits of reckless abandon. Until the past Monday night.

Ash, the three-member pop outfit from Ireland, brought their brand of rock ’n punk to San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill club Monday night (August 5) and left the sold-out crowd gasping and screaming for more. Singer Tim Wheeler, looking a little older than his 19 years thanks to a slight-Liam-esque beard, was the model punkster as he yanked and abused his silver guitar while managing to sing every note on key. Bassist Mark Hamilton was just as impressive. This guy is (excuse my language) fucking unbelievable. Hamilton plays bass as if it were his second penis. The boy is so in touch with his instrument that he can swoop all over the stage as if in a drunken haze, nearly head-butt his bandmates and still crank it out with skilled precision.

Wheeler and his mates literally ripped through 13 songs in just over one hour. A bit overproduced on the album, songs like “Goldfinger” and “Angel Interceptor” sounded incredibly raw and gut-wrenchingly powerful live. These lads just know how to do it: every song was played with a complete youthful energy that so many bands just can’t convey to an audience. Their style is going with the feel of the music, and letting their instruments take over with no concern for image or presentation.

Now the crowd was pretty outrageous as well. They had the gusto of a European football audience, shouting, “Ireland! Ireland!” between every song. The infamous Euro “hop”; was favoured over the traditional moshing (thanks be to fuck!) and beers were being guzzled at an incredibly fast pace. Ash returned the gesture by dedicating songs to Ireland’s football team and hometown fans. The demand for an encore was supplied by Wheeler’s announcement that, “Last time we played here we didn’t get cheers for an encore… we were deeply hurt, so this is great.” Then the band played three more songs, including “Kung Fu”, possibly the best song on their current album 1977.

So what else can I say except that Ash kicks ass live. Spell-binding, sweat-inducing, heart-pumping and all of the above. Quite a remarkable experience, and one that I will not soon forget.

By Clare Kleinedler