Set list
- Meltdown
- Girl From Mars
- Detonator
- A Life Less Ordinary
- Evil Eye
- Clones
- Goldfinger
- Jesus Says
- Renegade Cavalcade
- Starcrossed
- Jack Names the Planets
- Shining Light
- Out of the Blue
- Sometimes
- Kung Fu
- Vampire Love
- Walking Barefoot
- Orpheus
Encore
Ash are back, and they arrived in style. Tim Wheeler appeared on stage brandishing his flaming ‘flying V’ in front of a sold-out Oxford Brookes. After the crowd stood through the support bands ‘The Crimea’ and ‘Saves the Day’, they were finally given what they were waiting for. The frenzy that followed could hardly be compared to the reception of the support bands.
This is simply because Ash are still as exciting as they ever were and show no signs of stopping. Ash fans were rewarded with a highly diverse set, which not only consisted of new tracks, but treats such as their first single ‘Jack names the planets’ and early offerings ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Kung-Fu’, sounding as good as ever. The focus was on new album, Meltdown with 10 of the 11 tracks played from it. Standout tracks included the sinister ‘Evil Eye’ and the medieval ‘Clones’. The beautiful forthcoming single ‘Star Crossed’ sounded much better live than in the studio.
Apart from Wheeler’s flaming entrance, the set wasn’t very visually exciting, and the band were static throughout. The quality of the music more than made up for it, and despite Brooke’s ‘pit-policy’ of 3 strikes and you’re out, the crowd were soon whipped up into a frenzied state.
Ash played a lengthy set delivering quality as well as quantity, and by the end those fans crammed into the mosh pit were drenched in sweat, and water that Brookes staff had to throw onto them to keep them cool. The crowd got what they paid for; a bloody amazing Meltdown.
By Julaine Speight