Empire Polo Field

Set list

1. Girl From Mars
2. Meltdown
3. Orpheus
4. A Life Less Ordinary
5. Evil Eye
6. Clones
7. Shining Light
8. Starcrossed
9. Out of the Blue
10. Renegade Cavalcade
11. Detonator
12. On a Wave
13. Goldfinger
14. Burn Baby Burn

Review

Being on at the same time as The Cure would leave many bands out in the proverbial cold, but Ash managed to secure an impressive crowd. The young Irish band wasted no time launching into “Girl From Mars” from its indie hit album 1977. But the most stirring thing about Ash’s set was not just the intensity and joy with which the four members played, it was the newer songs on display. The band has always had a way of combining lyrical melodies with guitar hooks, but at Coachella they displayed a harder, darker sound in songs like “Meltdown”. “Clones” found bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray taking their instruments to new heights while threatening to blow the speakers.

If Ash has gone metal on their upcoming album, Meltdown, these new songs prove that’s an incredible reward for fans of tightly structured rock songs. “Starcrossed” showed that Ash can still belt out a sweeping ballad full of tender emotion as well as any band from Omaha. It’s a shame that Ash were playing against The Cure adn Paul van Dyk in the dance tent, because their performance left me wanting more. Based on what I caught of their performance, Ash deserved a slot on the biggest stage Coachella had to offer, and here’s hoping that this is a band that comes back to America as soon as possible.

From virgin on-line