Rock City

Review
It feels like I’ve grown up with Ash. Their early hits: “Girl From Mars”, “Goldfinger” and “Kung Fu” have become part of the soundtrack for the latter of my teenage years.

The band themselves are not that much older than me, the album 1977 was named so because that was the year they were born - a year before me.

So, we’re getting older together. I’ll get bothered about that fact when they start making Rolling Stones style comebacks, it’s then I’ll know I’m getting on a bit.

Last night’s gig brought back memories. They first appeared at Rock City in 1996, I was there with some girls from my A-level history class. One of which coaxed me into the ‘mosh-pit’. But, after witnessing her being sucked in and then repelled with equal velocity, I retreated to the back. I enjoyed it all the same.

Eight years on, things have changed. Ash have some new members and some more solid hits under their belt. But, I still won’t go near the mosh-pit.

The great thing about last night was the fact that Ash appreciated that most people were there for the earlier stuff. Other bands tend to abandon their roots; you sense a kind of embarrassment with the tracks that ‘made them’. Not Ash. Throughout their set, they played one ’oldie’ and then a ‘newey’ from their latest album Meltdown. A nice blend that kept everyone happy.

It was a cracking gig, topped off with the truly great Burn Baby Burn. A memorable and exciting experience, I won’t leave it eight years until I see them next…

Review by Neil Heath